Bound by lies Trapped by Desire novel Chapter 101

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Chapter 101

Elena’s POV:

My mother’s eyes widened as she stared at me. Her face, still pale from the shock of Priya’s death, contorted into a mink of dibebel. The silence stretched. It felt like an eternity, but it couldn’t have been more than a few heartbeats.

“No. Are you sure?” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “Have you gotten tested?”

I nodded, my throat tight. “Yes, Mom. I have.” I swallowed, the taste of stale vomit still lingering. “I found out a couple days ago. At Dr. Beckett’s clinic

Her grip on my hand, which she’d instinctively clasped when I first confessed, tightened almost painfully. Her knuckles turned white. “A couple days ago! Was that… that day you came back Late with Seraphina’s brother Her voice was laced with a dawning horror.

I could feel the blush creeping up my neck, a shameful heat. There was no point in hiding the truth anymore.“Yes,” admitted, my voice a strained whisper.

She cut herself off, a frustrated sigh escaping her lips as she shook her head, running a trembling hand through her silver–streaked hair. “Why didn’t you

Sher

estopped, her eyes, usually so full of gentle concem, now sharp with a sudden, piercing fear. “No. Does Nikolai know? This is… Nikolar’s, right?”

looked at her, my brows furrowed in a frown. The absurdity of her question, given everything, almost made me laugh bitterly, “Yes, Mom, It’s Nikolai’s. I’m three weeks: along I

“Dimitri hadn’t been in my bed for three months now, our relationship a slow, agonizing side into oblivion long before the cheating.

Her gaze was fixed on my face, searching, assessing. She swallowed hard, her eyes still wide with shock. “So Nikolai knows”

Ishook my head slowly. “No. No, he doesn’t… and I don’t plan on telling him. The words came out with a conviction I didn’t entirely feel, a desperate shiold against a storm knew was brewing.

“Are you stupid? You can’t do that!” Beatrix shot up from the sofa, the sudden movement startling me. The raw alarm in ber tone sent a fresh wave of panic through me. “He’s the father.” She practically spat the words, as if that fact alone negated all my fears, all my carefully constructed walls.

“Mom,” I started, my voice thin, “He doesn’t want to be a father.” The words tasted like ash. My stomach churned, a familiar discomfort that had become my constant companion

She looked at me as if I’d just announced I was moving to another planet, her face etched with a disbelief that felt like a physical blow. “How are you so

I sighed, rubbing my forehead, the ghost of a migraine still lingering behind my eyes. The conversation was exhausting. “I know, okay?” I repeated, my voice ring slightly with exasperation. “He said it to my face. He constantly asked about me being on birth control. if I went and told him that I was now pregnant with his child…” I trailed off, shaking my head, picturing his likely reaction. “He’s a billionaire. What if he thinks I am baby trapping him The societal judgment, the whispers, the implication that I was using this baby as a pawn for financial gain–it was a terrifying prospect.

My dignity, already tattered, couldn’t take another blow.

Mom rubbed her mouth, her fingers pressing against her lips. She moved to sit beside me on the sola, the cushion sinking slightly under her weight, a small comfort in the chaos

She sat in silence for a long while, her gaze fixed on some unseen point in the distance, her brow furrowed in deep thought. I could almost hear the gears turning in her mind, weighing options, calculating risks, struggling with a reality she clearly hadn’t anticipated.

Finally, she nodded. “Yeah. You’re right.” Her voice was soft, devoid of the earlier sharp edge, replaced by a quiet despair. “Neither of you wanted kids, did you? Nat right now, anyway” Her eyes, when they met mine again, were filed with a profound sadness. “So you’re going to get an… abortion then?“.

pursed my lips. Unsure how to answer that question but for my mother that silence from me was ans

was answer emo

sough

Mom spoke again, her voice gaining a fresh urgency, a plea. “Elena. Please don’t tell me you don’t plan on getting an abortion.” Fear gripped me at he disappointed tone, a cold claw squeezing my chest. I knew she meant well, but her words felt like a condemnation.

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Chapter 101

She continued, her voice softening, yet still firm with conviction, “You know there’s nothing wrong with getting an abortion at this stage if you ent ready, right? You aren’t financially or mentally capable of caring for kids. If I could help, I would have. But barely have energy to took after coming back from work nowadays… you need to get hus abortion unless you plan on telling Nikolai. Because otherwise, you can’t care for the baby!

I knew she was right deep down, I understood her exhaustion, the sacrifice she already made for me, pressed down on my shoulders. I took a deeg. shuddering breath. 1–I’ll think about it, Mom. I have time” The lie tasted bitter on my tongue, a desperate attempt to buy myself a reprieve from the inevitable. I know, deep down, that time was exactly what I didn’t have.

She looked at me, her gaze filled with a familiar worry, then her eyes dried to the television, “Alright then,” she said, rubbing her forehead. She pushed herself up from the sofa, her movements still. “Go get changed. I’ll get dinner ready.”

“A–alright.” My voice was a shaky whisper as I got up and made my way to my bedroom. I probably still smelled like puke Shit. The thought was dull, embarrassing ache.

At least I didn’t have an exam tomorrow, so I could sleep in. That was one bright side, a tiny flicker of hope in the overwhelming darkness. Buti mil needed to give an exam the day after.

Mom’s words kept repeating in my head, a relentless mantra, You aren’t financially capable of caring for a child. That was true, wasn’t it? The chilling truth settled in my stomach. I didn’t even have a part–time job anymore, let alone a stable carrer.

I sighed, the sound a ragged breath escaping my lips. My choices, once seemingly limitless, had narrowed to two stark paths if I didn’t want an abortion.

The first was to forgive Nikolai, subjugate my pride, and become an obedient, subservient, run–of–the-mill housewife. The idea alone made my stomach chum, a bitter taste rising in my throst. I didn’t mean any disrespect to house wives, in fact they were more courageous than me if they could depend on a man for their needs, because I didn’t have the capacity to do that. My self–respect, already fragile, wouldn’t survive it. Because even if some part of me knew Nikolai wasn’t that kind of a man, my trust in him had already been broken.

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