Arranged Mafia Marriage

Chapter 14Kiril

14

Kiril

F ive days later, I pace the living room, constantly looking out the window, though I won’t be able to see her from this vantage point. Damiano has ramped up his aggressions again, and with Felicity having to take it easier, I’ve reduced our training sessions. Work has required most of my focus, so I haven’t seen much of her. I came home early today to surprise her, but she wasn’t home.

Elena told me Felicity’s been gone for hours, and my nerves are frayed. The pregnancy news has amplified my protective instincts tenfold. I grab my phone, ready to call Viktor and demand an update as the door opens, and Felicity walks in, laughing with Viktor. My jaw clenches at the sight of her smile, and irritation flashes through me. “Where have you been?”

Felicity’s laughter fades as she notices my expression. She glances at Viktor, who nods and quietly excuses himself.

“Shopping,” says Felicity, holding up several designer bags. “I needed some new clothes.”

I eye the bags skeptically. “All day?”

She shrugs, setting the bags down. “We had lunch too. Is that a problem?”

“It is when you disappear for hours without telling me where you are.” I struggle to keep my voice level. “You’re pregnant, Felicity. You can’t just vanish like that.”

Her expression morphs to annoyance. “I didn’t vanish. I was with Viktor, who you assigned to guard me, and I’m only five weeks along. I’m not an invalid. And you’ve been at work all day too, not just today but for the past several days. I got tired of sitting home alone.”

“That’s not the point.” I grunt, my frustration mounting. “You should have called.”

“Why? So you could track my every move?” She crosses her arms. “Did you think to call me while you were at work?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” My voice rises despite my efforts to stay calm. “I’m trying to keep you safe.”

Felicity scoffs. “By suffocating me? I can’t even go shopping without you breathing down my neck. You’ve already taught me how to defend myself, so I should be fine on my own. Wasn’t that the point?”

“So, you could risk your life going shopping?” I gesture to the bags. “Spending obscene amounts of money on frivolous things?”

She looks angrier than I’ve seen in a while, her cheeks burning red and her lips pressed together tightly. “Frivolous? You gave me that credit card. What did you expect me to do with it?”

“I expected you to use it responsibly, not blow through thousands of dollars in one afternoon.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” says Felicity, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “I didn’t realize I needed your permission to buy things with the card you gave me. Should I present you with an itemized list of everything I want to purchase from now on?”

I clench my fists, trying to rein in my temper. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”

“Do I?” She scowls at me. “Because it seems like you want to control every aspect of my life. I can’t go out, I can’t spend money, and I can’t do anything without your approval.”

“Have you forgotten that there are people out there who want you dead?”

She flinches, and for an instant, there’s a flicker of vulnerability in her eyes. She turns away, shoulders sagging slightly. “I haven’t forgotten,” she says quietly. “How could I? But I can’t live my life in fear, Kiril. I can’t stay locked up in this penthouse forever.”

I move closer to her, my anger fading. “I don’t expect you to. I just... I worry about you. About both of you.” I reach out, my hand hovering over her still-flat stomach.

She turns back to me, her expression softening. “I know you do, and I appreciate it, I really do. The shopping and the credit card make me feel cherished, but the constant hovering, the need to know where I am every second of the day, is suffocating.”

I nod, realizing she has a point. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel trapped.”

She takes my hand, placing it on her stomach. “I know you didn’t, but you have to trust me a little. Trust that I can take care of myself, at least for a few hours. You spent so much time training me, and then you just abandoned me.”

I nod slowly, an idea forming. “I can’t put you through serious training right now. You must understand why?”

She huffs a sigh but nods. “Yes, of course. I don’t want anything to happen to the baby either, but you just cut me off from all contact with that side of your life again.” She shrugs. “I can live without knowing the intricacies of our world, I guess, but I can’t be stuck here with nothing to do.”

I frown as I think, having to concede her point. I have shut her away from anything dangerous to protect her and the baby the past several days, but I can see why it’s driving her crazy to be without something to do. “What if we found an activity for you? Something outside the home that you could do for a few hours?”

She seems to be probing me with her intense gaze. “Really? You’d be okay with that?”

“As long as you take a guard with you, yes.” I squeeze her hand gently. “Maybe you could volunteer somewhere?”

She smiles, genuinely this time. “I’d like that. Thank you, Kiril.”

I pull her into an embrace, breathing in her scent. “I’m sorry for overreacting. I just want you to be safe.”

Felicity rests against me, wrapping her arms around my waist. “I know, and I’m sorry for not calling. I’ll try to be better about that.”

We stand there for a moment, the tension from our argument dissipating. Then she pulls back slightly, a mischievous glint in her eye.

“So, want to see what I bought?”

I chuckle, shaking my head. “Sure, why not? Show me what damage you’ve done to my credit card.”

Felicity grins, grabbing one of the bags with baby images plastered all over it, and I realize she was shopping for the baby, which makes me feel even worse about lashing out at her.

Oblivious to my crisis of guilt, she reaches into the bag. “Oh, you’re going to love this one.”