The Russian Billionaire’s Baby

 

She was beginning to show.

 

It was funny how the fact that he was going to be a father in a short while had only just become real with the beginnings of a bump. The promise of a protrusion.

 

Alex looked across the room at his wife for what seemed like the first time. Or at least the first time in a very long time since he'd looked at her and felt the way he felt when he first saw her.

 

She was eating alone in a restaurant. She was the most striking thing he had ever seen, and he was instantly in love.

 

He was also very married.

 

Many years have passed, and they were not the same people they were then. They'd hurt each other in ways they would never have imagined.

 

But always they pushed on and got through it.

 

He was silent when she told him she was pregnant. The expression on his face didn’t even change. She looked at him nervously for a few moments and then said, "Alex, I swear it's your baby," her voice cracking.

 

It nearly broke his heart that she felt she had to say that. On some level, he needed to hear it.

 

Where had the bump come from?

 

It was almost like it appeared out of the blue for Alex. He thought maybe he just wasn’t paying attention this whole time.

 

She had on a gray dress. Alex had gotten home from a business trip. He originally said he wouldn't travel while she was carrying, but after awhile he had to get away.

 

She tiptoed around him these days, and so she was hesitant to even hug him when he came through the door. It started out as a routine hi-honey-I'm-home hug. But then she was squeezing him tighter, and she felt incredible in his arms, her rounded belly pressed up against him. He felt a warmth toward her that he hadn't felt in a long time.

 

And he kissed her.

 

But he meant it this time.

 

It wasn't some routine honey-I'm-home peck on the lips or cheek.

 

She blushed or at least he thought she did.

 

And then she went back to the dusting and general straightening she was doing. She wasn't always such an avid cleaner. Profuse house cleaning was a habit she adopted only in the past year or so. It was a way for her to remain busy and not pay attention to the fact that they weren't really talking.

 

Alex got himself situated, settled in.

 

Danielle was dusting the lampshades, every now and then looking up and giving him a nervous smile.

 

He felt a pang of guilt.

 

His wife was actually expecting him to snap at her about something or otherwise ignore her. Her back was toward him. His eyes traveled down her frame. She wore pregnancy extremely well, he thought as a smile came to his lips. Her already ample hips were decidedly more so, smooth and round.

 

She turned around, looked at him. She seemed somewhat startled by his smile, or maybe she was surprised. She blushed and smiled back.

 

He walked toward her and brushed his hands over her hair lightly. She jumped slightly, and he put my hand on her swelling waist to steady her.

 

“How had we gotten here?” He wondered, “To the point where we can't even touch each other without feeling weird?”

 

 

*****

 

 

He hadn’t meant for things to go as far as they did.

 

But then again, isn’t that what everyone says when they’re caught?

 

She was a colleague’s widow. She had taken over a lot of his affairs and was met with many disturbed and scandalized whispers from most of the other men in the organization.

 

She knew what was being said about her, but she ignored it. It didn’t seem to bother her any and she dismissed many a well-meaning offer to “take care” of her late husband’s business for her so that she could “relax and focus on other things.”

 

She smiled; she was always courteous. She thanked whoever it was that was patronizing her this time and politely declined the offer.

 

It made Alex smile, and though he’d never admit it out loud, but he was attracted to her determined spirit.

 

It was the same spunk that had first attracted him to his wife.

 

It was after they’d met for a business deal that he knew he was in trouble. She clearly knew how to handle herself, and he was drawn to that.

 

She was drawn to him too, it seemed, and she lingered after the other men had left.

 

They talked for a little and then all of a sudden had stopped talking.

 

“Does you wife do it like this?” she had asked when he had her up against the wall.

 

He’d gotten angry and told her that if they were going to have this affair, that she was never to disrespect his wife again.

 

She apologized, and they continued to sleep together whenever they had the chance.

 

Three months went by before Alex began to feel guilty.

 

Or maybe he was just beginning to tire of his mistress.

 

Either way, he broke it off with her. He went to her house when he was sure she’d be alone, and he told her they couldn’t see one another anymore.

 

She seemed fine with it, and each of them promised to take their little secret with them to the grave.

 

But she was a good actress. She hadn’t really let things go.

 

Alex came home from work the next day to find Danielle lying on the couch, crying her eyes out.

 

His stomach immediately sank, and he’d never felt so low in his life.

 

The widow, of course, had called and told her everything, even furnished evidence of their affair.

 

Alex slept on the couch that night.

 

After a long and tearful conversation the next day, Danielle promised she would try to get past it all.

 

But that was much easier said than done.

 

Alex knew this because he couldn’t get past it when Danielle did it to him.

 

 

~

 

 

All of a sudden, Danielle had lots to do in the city.

 

She was “running errands” every other day it seemed.

 

But it wasn’t just about her being out of the house more.

 

It was her clothes, and how they gradually became younger and more form fitting.

 

It was her perfume, the fact that had changed or even that she was wearing any at all.

 

It was her mood, where it was once angry and brooding, even months after finding out about the affair, now there was a certain levity in the way she carried herself.

 

Alex could feel it in his gut, but he couldn’t bring himself to believe it.

 

Not until they day he peered at her through the barely-open bathroom door as she stepped out of the shower. There was a mark on her upper thigh.

 

One he was certain he didn’t put there.

 

“I want you to follow her,” Alex said to the most dedicated and loyal of his guys. “Find out where she’s going, what she’s doing and who she’s doing it with. Do not let her see you. Understood?”

 

The man, Igor, gave a quick nod to show that he understood.

 

“And keep this quiet,” added Alex. The last thing he needed was people getting word of any troubles he might be having at home. In his line of work, it was suicide to expose your weaknesses. There were always more than a few people who would be more than happy to jump on the opportunity to exploit them.

 

Alex grabbed the half empty bottle of vodka from the cabinet under his desk. He poured a generous glass and downed it in one gulp. Then he downed some more, straight from the bottle this time. He didn’t even bother pouring it into a glass.

 

The vodka was supposed to calm him down. Instead, it made him angrier. He could feel the heat rising from deep down in his belly and spiraling up through his throat and to his head. It wasn’t the alcohol. He’s been drinking vodka since he was a kid, and it had never affected him in this way.

 

Wait until you know, he said to himself in an effort to calm down. Wait until you know for sure.

 

A week later, Igor came quietly into Alex’s office. Without a word, he dropped a thick, letter-sized envelope onto his desk.

 

Alex hesitated a split second before picking up the envelope and opening it. Inside was a two-inch stack of photographs. He looked through them quietly, his heart rate increasing with each photo.

 

“She meets him in the city,” said Igor matter-of-factly. “They don’t communicate much by phone. Each time they see each other, they choose the time and place of their next meeting. They meet someplace public; the green market, the library, a movie theater. They walk around, talk sometimes. They almost always end up in a hotel. Every now and then they go to his place.”

 

Alex felt the bile rising in his throat. It wasn’t that his wife was seeing another man. Indeed, he had barely looked at the man in the pictures. It was her face that bothered him so deeply, her expressions.

 

He hadn’t seen her so happy in a very long time.

 

“And his information?” he said, trying to keep his voice steady.

 

“Written on the back of the last photo. That’s where he works. Shall I pay him a visit?”

 

Alex looked up. “No,” he said. “I’ll do it myself.”

 

“I'll go with you.”

 

“No,” Alex repeated. “You’ve done well. But I’ll go alone.”

 

 

*****

 

 

Alex walked into the building and past the front desk without checking in, even after the receptionist began to call after him. He kept moving forward until he was on the elevator heading to the 11th floor.

 

When he arrived at the 11th floor, he made a left and walked to the end of the corridor. He paused outside the last door on the right and then turned the knob.

 

A young man with a shaved head and glasses was sitting alone at a desk in the middle of the room. He looked up when Alex entered, clearly confused.

 

“I’m sorry,” he began. “Do you have an appointment?”

 

Alex didn’t answer him; he just stood there and stared at him for the longest time.

 

“Can I help you?” the man repeated, getting annoyed now.

 

“You Travis?” asked Alex pointedly when he finally decided to speak. The question was somewhat rhetorical. He knew exactly to whom he was speaking.

 

“Yes,” answered Travis, confusion and annoyance clearly registering on his face. “Do I know you?” He stood now and walked around the desk until he was standing face to face with Alex.

 

“Are you fucking my wife?”

 

For a long time, Travis said nothing. Then he smiled a slow smile. “You must be Alexei.”

 

“Are you fucking my wife?” Alex repeated. He hadn’t come here for small talk.

 

Travis looked down at his watch. “Not tonight.” His smile deepened.

 

So the man wanted to be funny, huh?

 

Alex reached into his coat pocket and with a quick flick of his wrist held a seven-inch blade a mere inch from the man’s neck. “Make another joke and I will open you up,” he said.

 

Travis stopped smiling.

 

Just then the door opened behind them, and Alex heard a gasp. He kept his eyes on Travis however and lowered the blade.

 

“Come in,” said Travis. “I was just getting acquainted with your husband.”

 

Alex turned his head slightly, and sure enough, there was Danielle standing in the doorway, jaw hanging open. All color drained from her face when she saw Alex but still, she took a tiny step forward.

 

“Stop there,” said Alex. “Turn around. We’re leaving.”

 

He put the knife back into his pocket and said to Travis through clenched teeth, “Consider this a courtesy call. Stay away from my wife.”

 

Travis gave a nod and the Alex turned for the door. He grabbed Danielle by her arm and practically dragged her out of the office and down to the car.

 

 

 

 

~

 

 

"Why?" he asked her when they got back to the house. He hadn’t meant for it to come out so loudly, but there it was.

 

And he knew why. He wanted to hear her say it. That was all.

 

"I could ask you the same thing," was all she said.

 

Alex tried to calm down, tried taking a deep breath, tried biting his tongue before he spoke it was no use. All he saw was red. Still, he kept his voice low and his tone even. "I apologized for that."

 

Danielle stood and walked over to him. She must have had little clue as to how close he was to losing his cool.

 

Or maybe she did. And she wanted to push him, to destroy him the way he’d certainly destroyed her.

 

"What can I do with that?" she asked contempt flashing in her brown eyes. "An apology? Your apology doesn't mean shit to me," she spat.

 

Alex leaned forward and dropped his head into his hands. "I thought we were supposed to be moving past this."

 

"Easy for you to say."

 

"So why then? Because you wanted revenge?"

 

She laughed at this. "You really are a piece of work. If I wanted revenge don't you think I would have worked harder to make sure you found out?"

 

In all the years he’d been married to her, in all the years he’d known her, he could never once recall wanting to hit her.

 

But he wanted to know. More than anything.

 

He balled his hand into a fist and then released it. Looking down rather than at her he asked again, "Why?" It came out as a hoarse whisper.

 

"Because," she started. "I wanted to feel something." Her voice broke. Alex looked up and was startled to find tears rolling down her cheeks. A fresh wave of guilt washed over him. "I wanted to feel anything," she continued. "Anything other than the constant pain I’ve been feeling."

 

Alex sighed. He didn’t know what to say to that.

 

 

~

 

 

He told her to end it. That she’d had her fun. That they’d evened the score.

 

She would end it, and they would forget about it and move on.

 

But things were seldom ever that simple.

 

“Come in,” said Alex to the knocking on the door.

 

It was Vlad, another one of his lieutenants. The tall, burly man entered the room wordlessly, as was his custom.

 

He stood in the corner and waiting for Alex to address him.

 

“You have news for me?”

 

Vlad began to make his standard reports. Then he paused in a way Alex couldn't remember him ever doing before.

 

“There's something else, isn't there?”

 

Vlad nodded.

 

From the look on the man’s face, this wasn't going to be welcome news. Alex let out a heavy sigh. “What is it? Go on. Tell me.”

 

He coughed and looked suddenly very uncomfortable. He didn’t seem to know where to begin. He took a deep breath and then said finally “There's been talk.”

 

Alex sat up, suddenly very interested in what Vlad had to say. “Talk? What sort of talk?”

 

“Some of the men...there's been gossip.”

 

Alex’s jaw tightened.

 

“About?”

 

“About your wife, sir.”

 

“What’s being said?”

 

Vladimir coughed again, as if that would somehow make the words easier to hear. “They're saying that she's taken a lover.”

 

Alex struggled to keep his response measured. “I see. And are they merely speculating? Or presenting this as fact?”

 

“It’s gossip, sir. No one seems to know anything for sure. Just whispers. They say you know about it. That you let it happen. And that you won't do anything about it.”

 

After a minute, Alex nodded. “Thank you, Vladimir. You may go.”

 

Vlad nodded and left the room as quietly as he’d entered it.

 

The second the door clicked shut, Alex picked up the phone. Igor was the only one he could trust with so delicate an operation, so it was him that he called.

 

An hour later, his phone rang.

 

“She's still seeing him,” he said. “She’s at his house now.”

 

Alex scribbled down the address and then grabbed his coat and left.

 

Alex puzzled over the situation in the car. Things were worse than he’d initially thought. This could be more than a fling. More than a revenge fuck. A revenge fuck, he could understand.

 

Understand, but not condone.

 

He wasn't going to just stand by and let this affair happen. But he wondered if something more was going on. Was his wife in love? That scared him even more.

 

He hesitated before getting out of the car. This confrontation had the potential to go very wrong.

 

He got out of the car, entered the building, went up one flight of stairs and then knocked on the first door on the right.

 

He could swear he heard voices and shuffling inside, but after a minute or two there was still no answer.

 

He knocked again, more insistently this time. He was through being understanding. He was through being diplomatic. “Open up. I know you're in there.”

 

A minute later, the door opens a crack. Travis peered through the crack. He was topless, his brown skin wearing a sheen as though he’d just been working out. He didn't say a word.

 

“My wife here?”

 

“No.” He answered quickly. A little too quickly.

 

Alex shook his head slowly. “Don't lie to me. I can smell her from here. Tell her to come to the door and there won't be any trouble.”

 

Travis turned his head to the side. A silent pleading look contorted his face.

 

Two seconds later, Danielle appeared in the doorway, wearing only a thin t-shirt.

 

Alex felt his stomach turn. He didn’t even want to look at her, he was so disgusted. “Get dressed. We’re going home.”

 

She didn’t argue with him. It must have been the look on his face.

 

They drove in silence the entire way home. Alex tried to work out in his head what he would say to his wife, but he couldn't seem to come up with anything good enough.

 

Even after they arrived at their house and went inside and settled in, Alex was deathly silent.

 

“You gonna say something?” asked Danielle finally.

 

Alex could feel his self-control slipping through his fingers. He stood and strode over to where Danielle was standing. He inched closer to her until his face was so close to hers they almost touched. Looking down at her, he said, “It’s over. Do you understand me?”

 

Danielle didn’t answer, and Alex leaned in even closer. His voice was a whisper and had a dangerous tinge to it. “You are mine understand? No one touches you. I’d sooner see you dead.”

 

She noted. “That’s all you mafioso know how to do isn’t it? Threaten people? I’m not some pawn in your organization. I’m your wife.” She spun on her heels and turned as if to walk away from him.

 

Alex had other plans. He grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled her back toward him. “Don’t you walk away from me,” he growled.

 

Danielle winced as she turned to face him. She looked startled for a minute but then that haughty look was back on her face. “Look at you,” she said. “You don’t know if you want to fuck me or kill me.”

 

“I’m pretty clear on that,” said Alex through clenched teeth.

 

“Yeah?” challenged Danielle, placing the palm of her hand to the front of her husband’s slacks. “Then why is your dick so hard?”

 

Alex threw her to the ground in response. In the next second, he was on top of her, covering her mouth with his.

 

He lost count of how many times he whispered to her that he hated her.

 

He lost count of how many times he whispered that he loved her right after that.

 

Later that night, she’d locked herself into on of the spare bedrooms.

 

He thought he heard her crying in the shower.

 

 

*****

 

 

Alex hadn’t really slept that night, so he was already awake when he heard soft, hurried footsteps shuffling around the main room.

 

When he got up to investigate, he found Danielle, fully dressed and back toward him, placing the last of her things into a large suitcase and snapping it shut.

 

“Going somewhere?”

 

She spun around, startled. She hadn’t expected him to be awake just yet, he could tell. He could also tell that she had planned to be long gone before he did.

 

Her mouth worked for a few seconds, but no sound came out.

 

He took a few steps toward her.

 

She stepped back, smoothing her hands nervously on the front of her jeans.

 

He reached out for her. She recoiled.

 

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said.

 

Just then a car honked outside.

 

Alex raised an eyebrow at her. “For you?”

 

“It’s my mother,” she said finally. “I called her and told her to come pick me up. I’m going to stay with her for a little while.”

 

Alex shook his head. “Stay. Let’s talk…work this out.”

 

The car honked again.

 

Danielle looked around as if searching for something, someone to reduce her. “I need time,” she whispered. “My mother’s waiting for me.”

 

She picked up the suitcase and there a wary look in his direction. She was expecting him to try and stop her.

 

But he didn’t.

 

He figured it best to let her go.

 

 

*****

 

 

A month went by before Alex saw or spoke to his wife again.

 

He was in the middle of a meeting with Igor, going over a proposed trade agreement with another influential family. It was an alliance that had been in the works for years now, and Alex was on the verge of finally making it happen.

 

But he couldn’t concentrate.

 

Igor, who had been very patient and grateful to learn a little more of the insides of the business, looked at him with sympathetic eyes. “Call her,” he said, finally. And then added, “Sir.”

 

Alex sighed and then nodded and waved Igor out of his office. “We’ll finish this later.”

 

Safely alone, he picked up the telephone and dialed Danielle’s mother’s number.

 

There was no answer.

 

He slammed the phone down and lowered his head to his desk.

 

A minute later his phone rang.

 

“Hello?”

 

“You called?”

 

He couldn’t tell if there was still anger or resentment in her voice. He just knew he was happy to hear it. “Yes. How have you been?”

 

“Not too bad, considering. How are you?”

 

“Good. Things are good,” he lied.

 

“Oh,” she said. “That’s good to hear.”

 

“I’m going to be in that area tomorrow for a meeting,” he lied again. “I was wondering if we could meet for lunch.”

 

There was a pause on the line. Alex wound the phone cord tightly around his wrist as he waited for an answer.

 

“OK.”

 

“OK?”

 

“Yes. I’d like that.”

 

“I’ll send a car for you.”

 

He wasn’t sure what he was going to say to her when he saw her.

 

And true to form, words failed him when she entered the restaurant, and he smiled widely.

 

“Hello,” she said simply as she approached the table.

 

He stood, gave her a rather awkward hug and took her coat.

 

They sat and made small talk and then Alex order for the both of them as was his custom.

 

“Why did you ask me here?”

 

Alex smiled. He had an answer all rehearsed for this question. But now, he simply said, “I miss you.”

 

Danielle lowered her eyes and blushed. She didn’t answer, but she put her hand on his and gave it a small squeeze.

 

When they finished lunch, he asked her to come back to the house with him. “I just want to show you something,” he added when she gave him a wary look.

 

She hesitated but agreed after a minute.

 

“Wait here,” he said when they entered the foyer.

 

He disappeared and returned a little later with a small velvet box in his hands. He handed it to her.

 

“What’s this?” she asked, opening it.

 

Alex didn’t have to answer her. She let out a small gasp when she saw it. “Where did you find this?”

 

It was the ring he’d gotten her, when he had first proposed. She lost it sometime later, and he’d gotten her a new one but losing this one never quite sat well with either of them.

 

“Things have a way of turning up when you least expect them to.”

 

She looked up at him and smiled. Then she threw her arms around him. “I missed you too,” she said in between kisses.

 

She dropped her purse to the floor and allowed Alex to carry her into their bedroom.

 

“I’m sorry I didn’t understand before,” he said, running his fingers through her hair. It was dark out. Moonlight shone through the window, illuminating her naked body as she lay peacefully in their bed. She turned to him and their eyes locked. “Will you come home now?”

 

She smiled and nodded.

 

The next day, Danielle was back with her suitcases.

 

 

*****

 

 

She had thrown up for the third time that week.

 

Alex sat on the edge of the bathtub and held her hair back while she wretched. “Time to go to the doctor,” he said when she had finished.

 

Neither of them said a word in the car. Alex held her hand the whole way inside and then waited patiently while watching silent TV wen she was called in.

 

It didn’t take very long before the doctor emerged from the room. Alex rushed up to him. “Is she OK?” he asked. He was sure it wasn’t anything too series. But he as starting to worry nonetheless.

 

To his surprise, the doctor smiled at him. “Why don’t you go in and see her?” he said and then walked away.

 

Puzzled, Alex walked over to the examination room and knocked softly.

 

“Come in,” he heard Danielle’s voice say. She was still putting her clothes back on, and he couldn’t help but smile upon seeing the smooth, brown skin of her back. He remembered how much he loved to hold his bare skin against her bare skin when they first starting dating. The contrast excited him.

 

“Are you OK?” he asked.

 

She turned to face him. The look on her face was hard to read.

 

“I’m pregnant,” she said finally.

 

In an instant, his blood turned to ice water. He knew this wasn’t the reaction he should be having, but he was having it anyway.

 

Danielle took a step toward him, her eyes searching his. “Alex,” she whispered. “I swear it’s your baby.”

 

He stepped forward and swept her into a hug, partly to comfort her and partly to conceal his face. He felt no warmth and took no pleasure in her embrace. “I know,” he whispered.

 

And he did know. Intellectually.

 

Still, everything went downhill from there.

 

Danielle’s pregnancy dredged up all kinds of feelings for Alex. Feelings he was realizing now, that he never really dealt with. He had just buried them.

 

Now it was all coming back to haunt them.

 

Alex contemplated this over his fifth shot of vodka.

 

He hadn’t been home in a week. He stayed out more frequently. He drank more.

 

Anything to keep from facing Danielle and the baby growing inside her.

 

Igor stood next to him at the bar. “How is she?” he asked. He would send Igor to check on her regularly, to make sure she was OK and that she had whatever she needed. If she asked where he was, she would be told simply that he was working.

 

“You missed her first sonogram,” Igor replied.

 

Alex shrugged and ordered another shot. He turned to Igor. “Want one?”

 

Igor declined.

 

Alex shrugged again. “Other than that?”

 

“Everything is status quo, sir.”

 

“Good.”

 

“She thinks you hate her.”

 

Alex nodded. “I do hate her,” she said bitterly. “Can’t stand the sight of her.”

 

“But boss, she’s having your baby.”

 

“Is she?”

 

Igor didn't reply. He left the bar so that his boss wouldn't see the expression of pity on his face.

 

When Alex returned home, he found the house empty.

 

He looked in every room, but Danielle wasn’t there.

 

When he went to the bedroom to put his things down, he found a note.

 

She had left. Gone back to her mother’s the note had said.

 

Alex shrugged. He balled the note up and threw it in the garbage.

 

 

*****

 

 

He showed up at Danielle’s mother’s house a week later.

 

“I’ll make this quick,” he said when Danielle opened the door, and he placed the papers in her hands.

 

She looked down at them and then back up to him with a look so incredulous he almost faltered.

 

He clenched his jaw and doubled down. “Sign these.”

 

In a flash, her expression went from disbelief to complete and utter rage. Once upon a time, this fire, this feistiness was what he loved most about her. She threw the papers at him. “No,” she yelled. “Absolutely not.”

 

Alex began to pace. He thought he was prepared for an argument, but he was starting to second guess himself.

 

Danielle followed him. “What happened? Everything was good.”

 

“No,” he said. “It wasn’t. We were just pretending that it was.”

 

“I wasn’t pretending.”

 

“Danielle,” he stopped moving and looked at her. “It’s over.”

 

“You don’t just get to decide that.” She was now pounding his chest with her tiny fists. “I’m pregnant for Christ’s sake!”

 

“Don’t worry about the baby,” he said. “He’ll know who his father is.” He grabbed a pen from the kitchen counter and shoved it into her hands. “Sign.”

 

For the longest time she stared up at him, jaw hanging open. Then she nodded slowly as if the realization that this was really happening had just set in. A single tear rolled down her cheek, and she scrawled her loopy signature on the papers.

 

Alex snatched the papers from her and left before he could change his mind.

 

Back at home, he sat in front of the fireplace with a ballpoint pen in one hand and a half-empty bottle of vodka in the other. Every time he brought the pen to the paper to sign his name, he stopped and took another swig from the bottle instead.

 

It was no use.

 

He shook his head and began to cry, tossing the papers into the flames before his tears could smudge them.

 

 

*****

 

 

Exactly one month later, Alex received a phone call in the middle of the night.

 

He let the call go the voicemail but then checked his phone a minute later.

 

It was from the hospital, the message said. His wife had been admitted again.

 

Again? he thought.

 

He tried calling back, but the person on the other line wouldn't give him any information over the phone. “Can you come down here?” she asked.

 

“Sure.”

 

He was hesitant, but dressed anyway and got into his car.

 

The hospital was a good distance away, and he hoped there wasn’t some kind of emergency. On the drive, a page of guilt hit him. Your wife has been admitted again, the message had said. That meant Danielle had been tot he hospital more than once. He had node what was going on with her and the baby, and now he was starting to worry.

 

When he arrived, he asked about Danielle at the front desk.

 

“You’re Mr. Petrov?” asked the short, round nurse with more than a hint of disapproval in her voice.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Not that I’d know. Haven’t seen much of you.”

 

Alex sighed audibly. “Look,” he said. “It’s complicated.”

 

The nurse flipped through some papers.

 

“Is Danielle OK?”

 

“No,” she said flatly. “She’s been having a rough time and a very difficult pregnancy. There’s a real chance she may lose the baby.”

 

Alex bit his lip. She’ll never forgive me if she loses this baby, he thought.

 

The nurse gave him a sympathetic look. “Whatever it is,” she murmured. “Make it right. She needs you right now.”

 

Alex nodded slowly, the full weight of what was going on sinking in finally. “May I see her?”

 

The nurse jerked her head toward the adjacent hallway. “She’s sleeping so try not to wake her, but she’s just down the hall in room 502.”

 

Alex made his way down to the room and let himself in, trying not to make too much noise.

 

Danielle was sleeping, just as the nurse had said. She was so still; if it weren't for the heart monitor steadily beeping, he wouldn't even know she was alive.

 

Alex could feel the tears welling up in his eyes, but he choked them back. He couldn’t afford to fall apart, not right now. Danielle needed him. Danielle and the baby.

 

There was a chair next to the bed, and he went over and sat next to her. He put his hand on hers and let his head fall forward. After a minute or so, she stirred. The machine started to beep a little faster, and he lifted his head.

 

Danielle was laying there, looking at me. The look on her face was expressionless, just staring.

 

“Hey.”

 

She didn't answer at first.

 

The machine started to beep even faster.

 

“I came as soon as I heard,” he continued, stumbling over his words. “Is is OK that I’m here?”

 

In response, Danielle started to cry.

 

“What’s the matter?” Alex whispered, on the verge of tears himself.

 

“I’m scared.” She could barely choke the words out.

 

He got up and hoisted himself into the hospital bed next to her. He put his arm around her, and she leaned her head against his chest.

 

“What are you even doing here?” she sobbed.

 

“Why didn’t you tell me you were having problems with the pregnancy?” he asked.

 

“I don’t know,” said Danielle between tiny gasps for breath. “Maybe because you were too busy divorcing me.”

 

She stopped crying and then looked up at him questioningly. “Why do you still have your wedding ring on?”

 

He smiled down at her. “I could ask you the same thing.”

 

She sat up now, looking him straight in the eye.

 

“I never filed the papers,” he said. “I burned them in fact.”

 

Danielle lay back down without a word.

 

“You’re cruel,” she said after awhile.

 

“I know,” Alex whispered into her hair. “I’m sorry.”

 

“I don’t think sorry is quite going to cut it this time, Alex.”

 

“I know that, too.”

 

They laid like that for a long time, him caressing her hair until she fell asleep against his chest.

 

Early the next morning, Alex snuck out of Danielle’s hospital room to pick a few things while she slept.

 

He had a choice to make. And he’s made it.

 

When he arrived back at the hospital, she was dressed and putting the last of her things into her purse.

 

“Good,” he said. “I caught you.”

 

She looked at him, expressionless. “I thought you’d gone.”

 

“Just for a little bit. They’re discharging you?”

 

She folded her arms. “Yes. What are you doing here?”

 

“I’m here to drive you home.”

 

Danielle agreed to let Alex drive her home, but she said nothing to him in the car. And she looked at him early when he insisted on helping her bring her things inside.

 

After putting her things away, he sat on the couch. Silent. Unmoving.

 

Danielle sighed heavily. “You’re not leaving are you?”

 

Alex shook his head. “You’re my family,” he said. “I have to try.”

 

Danielle shook her head and disappeared into the other room. She came back a minute later with a folded up comforter and a pillow. She threw them at him. “I’m too tired to argue with you,” she said. “You can sleep out here.”

 

She disappeared into the bedroom and slammed the door behind her.

 

 

 

*****

 

 

And that brought them back here.

 

Her breath caught when he touched her, and he could feel her start to tremble slightly.

 

“Baby –,” he started.

 

“I'm OK,” she said quickly.

 

But she wasn’t.

 

Alex wrapped his arms around her middle from behind. Before long he could feel her tears falling onto his hands.

 

“Breathe baby,” he whispered.

 

She sucked in a breath and soon her entire body was shaking with violent sobs.

 

Alex stood there, holding her from behind and letting her cry. He knew he was in large part, responsible for those tears so being present was the least he could do he reasoned.

 

When Danielle had finished her cry, she nearly collapsed against him.

 

Alex picked her up and carried her to the bathroom. He sat her down on the toilet seat while he turned on the faucets in the bathtub. He walked over to her, stood her up, and silently began unzipping her dress.

 

“Alex what are you doing?” she asked warily. She put her hands on his to stop him.

 

“You don’t have anything I haven’t seen already,” he replied.

 

He put her hands to her sides and then pulled her dress over her head. Then he picked her up again and eased her into the tub.

 

She sat silently as he sponged her and washed her hair. The sheer look of peace and relaxation on her face, one she hadn’t seen in far too long, was more than worth it.

 

When he was done, he wrapped her in her favorite robe and carried her to the bed. Her eyes shut the instant her head hit the pillow.

 

“Sleep,” he whispered to her, kissing her lightly on the forehead. He turned off the bedside lamp and turned to leave the room.

 

He paused. Danielle had held onto his hand. “Stay,” she whispered.

 

Alex pulled back the covers and slid into the bed next to her. He snuggled up behind her and slipped his hand around her waist, kissing her on the back of her neck.

 

His hand grazed her belly and he let is rest there, embarrassed at the fact that this was the first time he’s touched her there since finding out she was pregnant.

 

She placed her hand on top of his and looked him in the eye. He leaned in and lightly placed his lips on hers.

 

They kissed for what seemed like the fish time, exploring each other slowly, tentatively.

 

She ran her hands up his back, and he realized at that moment how much he missed her touch.

 

His kiss deepened and he felt his desire growing.

 

He pulled back. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

 

“Don’t be,” said Danielle, leaning in to nibble on his bottom lip.

 

That was their sign. Alex knew that when she did that, she was ready, and she wouldn’t stop him.

 

“Are you sure?” he asked. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

 

“You won’t hurt me silly,” she said, pulling him on top of her.

 

He stirred, adjusting himself in the bed. She turned toward him and pressed the length of her body against his. His arm wrapped around her in a way that felt natural.

 

He didn’t say anything but the look he gave her sent intense heat through her body. It almost startled her. “Alex…” she said softly. But before he could answer she leaned in, fell in really, and their lips touched. He made no move to pull away. Instead, he leaned in further to deepen the embrace.

 

He turned to her, dropping his lips until they were at her ear, his warm breath fanning over her skin and his lips brushing against her as he spoke. “Danielle.” It was a question and a statement all at once.

 

A shout and a whisper.

 

He leaned into her, pressing her into the bed, keeping her from retreating. His eyes dropped to her lips, the heat in them unmistakable as he licked his own. He brushed his lips over hers, barely there, but his tongue snuck out and teased a small moan from her mouth.

 

Danielle then flicked the opening of his mouth with her tongue before thrusting in at full force. Alex responded by opening his mouth wider and engaging her.

 

He was the first to pull away, but only for a second. He leaned in again and brushed his lips against her chin, and then dipped down to her neck, trailing his lips back up. Her hands went to his chest, squeezing the hard muscles there, bunching the fabric of his shirt into her fists.

 

He snaked one hand into her hair, gripping it, pulling it tight to angle her face as his tongue circled hers. His other hand grazed her inner thigh, rising higher and higher.

 

She shifted under his hand, her hips wanting to move toward him. His fingers made her crave more.

 

He widened her legs with his body, pushing her back further into the bed as he raised over her. His pants were smooth against her thighs, allowing her to feel everything. And she felt his hardness, all the way up to his stomach.

 

“Danielle,” he whispered, and her eyes snapped open. The look on his face was one of complete and utter lust. But underneath that was also an incredible kindness. She locked her eyes on his and forced herself not to look away.

 

“Look at me. You’re sure?”

 

She hesitated.

 

Her confidence wavered. She almost said no, but then her hips moved involuntarily, grinding up into him. He groaned, and she closed her eyes again.

 

“Yes.”

 

His lips covered hers again as he settled on top of her. His hands outlined her body and slid up her shirt. She pulled the shirt over her head, followed by his own and then pulled him to her so she could feel his skin against hers.

 

He trailed his hands along her stomach, down each one of her legs, and back up again at a maddeningly slow pace. He smiled as he touched her, enjoying her, savoring the moment. Finally, she grabbed his hand and moved it up to her breast.

 

He grinned and then reached around and with one quick motion, unsnapped her bra, freeing her breasts. He kissed down her neck, the tips of his fingers sliding her bra down her arms.

 

She gasped when his mouth found her nipple. Pleasure shot through her and her hips rocked underneath him. She let out a moan as he licked and sucked and nibbled. And she actually whined when he took his mouth away.

 

He held her thighs to the bed, kissing down her stomach until his lips hit the top edge of her panties. He dipped his tongue under the elastic band, and she cried out.

 

He locked eyes with her as he slid her panties down her legs. Then she bit her lip as his finger slid up and plunged into her without warning. “So pretty,” he murmured. His breath on her inner thigh melted her.

 

He pulled her hips into his hands, lifting her center to his lips.

 

He kissed gently at first. Around her lips, her inner thighs. Then he parted her with his tongue, diving in deeper.

 

Danielle arched her back, pushing her hips into his face, and moaned loudly.

 

Taking this as express permission to keep going, Alex circled her clit with his tongue, pausing every so often to nibble at her thighs. Thighs that quivered against the sides of his face.

 

Danielle felt herself shaking, spinning, and soon she had erupted, reduced to a quivering mess as Alex showered kisses all over her thighs and stomach.

 

Danielle pulled on his shoulders, desire surging through her.

 

She wanted more.

 

She wanted him to fill her.

 

To completely shatter her.

 

She tugged at the waistband of his sweatpants and seconds later, his cock sprang forth.

 

Alex hovered over her. She could feel the tip of him, pressing between her legs, rubbing her slickness.

 

She reached down and grabbed his hips, wrapping her legs around him, urging him forward and into her.

 

And Alex obliged.

 

Danielle cried out again. Alex continued to press until he was all the way inside of her. Then he paused, concern on his face.

 

“Keep going,” she whispered, every part of her stretched and on fire. His breath rasped, and his muscles were taut as he rocked his hips into her over and over.

 

Danielle gripped him and hung on, biting his shoulder. Their bodies crashed into each other. She thrust her hips upward and met every single one of his downward strokes

 

And then he locked up, anchoring himself deep inside her as his muscles released and twitched under her hands. She could feel him shaking. She could feel him panting as he fought to regain his breath.

 

He lay on top of her for a long moment and then rolled to the side, keeping his arm around her. She turned to look at him and smiled. His eyes were already half closed, but he too had a smirk on his face. She leaned in and kissed him lightly on the lips.

 

“Goodnight,” she whispered.

 

“Indeed.”

 

 

 

*****

 

 

Alex ran his hand down the length of his wife’s naked body and marveled at her new shape.

 

She was so much more voluptuous. So much more full of life. He was wildly attracted to this new body of hers. If he had taken the time to really look at her, really see her again before tonight, he’d have pounced on her, and they’d have made up much earlier.

 

But that no longer mattered.

 

It was all good now. Or at least well on its way to being good.

 

“Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?” she asked with a smile.

 

Alex looked down and planted a small kiss on her forehead. “I’m not being nice,” he whispered. Then he grabbed her face and made her look up at him. “You asked me the other day why I’m still here,” he said. “The answer is simple. I love you. That has never changed. And it never will.”

 

“How can you love me still? After the horrible things I’ve done to you?”

 

Alex smiled. “I’ve done horrible things to you. We’ve done horrible things to each other. But we have to forgive one another. Otherwise, it was all for nothing.”

 

“So you’re ready to forgive me?”

 

“I’ve already forgiven you.”

 

 

 

*****

 

 

Danielle woke up the next morning to the smell of fresh coffee brewing.

 

A minute later, Alex appeared in the doorway with a tray. He set it down next to her and sat on the edge of the bed. “Good morning my love,” he said smiling widely.

 

Danielle looked at him for a moment. So this was real, she thought. She didn’t imagine last night after all.

 

“What’s all this?” she asked.

 

Alex shrugged. “I figured you’d be hungry,” he said.

 

Danielle grinned widely. “When was the last time you brought me breakfast in bed?”

 

Alex smiled. He couldn’t remember and neither could she.

 

“Eat,” he commanded. “Before your eggs get cold.”

 

Danielle pick up the folded napkin. Something fell out of it and clinked onto the tray.

 

Alex smiled.

 

Danielle reached for it.

 

It was a ring. A beautiful ring with three diamond in the center.

 

“What is this?” she gasped.

 

“What does it look like?”

 

“When did you get this?”

 

“I had one of my men pick it up for you. Do you like it?” He took it from her and removed the old ring, putting this one in its place.

 

She bit her lip and nodded. “But why?”

 

“So we look to the future,” he said. “Will you marry me? Again.”

 

Danielle laughed.

 

“Yes,” she said. “A thousand times yes.”

 

*****

THE END