Page 59 of Ruthless King
“Aurora? Are you all right?” When his hand brushes my arm, I jump.
“Uh … yes. I’m fine.”
He frowns. “You don’t look fine. Are you sure you’re ok?”
I’m pregnant with your baby, I think.The man who may have played a part in my father’s murder. The man I tried to kill. The man I might be in love with.
“I’m just in shock. I didn’t expect to be pregnant.”
“Well, we’ve had sex a few times now. It was bound to happen.”
“I know,” I snap, sounding harsher than I intend.
Nico pulls into our driveway and stops. Once again, I’m blown away by how many guards stand around the outside of his mansion. Always watching. Supposedly to keep Nico and me safe, yet I’m not safe here.
“You don’t sound happy about this,” he says, not looking at me.
“I’m just surprised. That’s all.”
“I thought you wanted to be a mother.”
“I do. Just …”
He finally turns to me. “Just not with me?”
“What? No! Nico, I care for you. It’s just all happening so fast. I mean, we’ve only been married a couple of months now. We’re still getting to know each other.”
“And we can still get to know each other during the pregnancy.”
“I just have so many questions. Like am I going to raise this child on my own?”
The hurt in Nico’s eyes almost makes me vomit. “Why would you ask that? I’ll be here.”
“But you’re always working. Are you going to be here for our child?”Or will you be dead, because I killed you?
“Of course, I’m going to be here. I can take time off work.”
“You don’t really have a job where you can just ‘take time off work,’” I say, using air quotes. “And you know it. I need to know that if we’re going to have this child, you’ll be present in its life.”
“If?” he asks in a low voice.
“What?”
“You said ‘if,’ as in you think we’re not going to have this baby? Are you thinking about an abortion?” Nico’s hands tighten on the steering wheel.
I can’t tell him I already tried Plan B and a poisonous tea. I didn’t mean to say ‘if.’ It just slipped out.
“No,” I say clearly, and he relaxes slightly. “I don’t want an abortion. I’m just scared.”
His eyes soften, and he reaches over to me, placing his hand over my stomach. “You will not be alone in this, Aurora. I’ve always wanted to be a father. I’ll be involved. You don’t have to worry about that.”
“Ok,” I whisper. It makes me feel better knowing Nico really wants to be involved in this.
But it also fills me with more guilt. This baby growing inside me has now bonded me to Nico forever. Whether he’s dead or alive doesn’t matter. I’m truly his now.
And I know at this moment I cannot kill him.
I’ve wavered for weeks over what Beatrice wants me to do, but I know for a fact I can’t do it. If Nico were to die, it will not be by my hand.