1 WEEK LATER

Kate

It had been a week since Dimitri left and we hadn't talked much. He barely ever called and even then it's only for a few minutes. He would just ask me how I'm doing and then tell me that he is fine as well. He would reassure me about his safety and then hang up, after telling me he's busy.

I would sometimes walk into his study, sitting in his chair and thinking about him. I just hoped he would come back soon.

3 WEEKS LATER

I had gone 3 weeks without him. Almost 2 weeks ago, he stopped calling. I waited and waited but he never called, and didn't even bother to pick up my calls either. I was worried about him.

I tried calling Eric who didn't pick up at first but later called me back and told me that Dimitri was fine.

"Then why isn't he answering my calls?" I asked him.

"Because he doesn't want to," Eric said.

I felt a small ache in my chest. "Why?" I asked.

"Because you distract him," he told me.

"I distract him?" I asked incredulously.

"Yes, Kate. You distract him. This business we are attending to, it is very important. And it needs Dimitri's full attention. So he has decided not to talk to you anymore until he somehow gets rid of the situation at hand. So until then, you just hope and pray that it ends soon."

I took in a deep breath. "Okay," I told him quietly. "Will you tell him that I miss him? And that I hope he'll be safe. And that I will wait for him."

"Okay, Kate, don't worry. I'll convey your message."

"Thanks, Eric."

Before I could hang up, Eric told me about some woman coming to the estate. He told me to let her stay as long as she wanted and to look after her if I could. I agreed.

Eric

My phone kept ringing, disrupting my sleep. I knew it wasn't anything important because if it were, Dimitri would've come barging through my door by now. So I decided to ignore it completely.

After a few minutes, when it became totally unbearable, I picked up, without looking at the caller ID.

"Eric," a sweet, angelic voice filled my ears and I instantly opened my eyes.

"Eric? Are you there? Please talk to me," I heard the voice again.

"Lisa," I breathed.

"Eric." Hearing her voice, my heart constricted inside my chest.

"Are you okay?" I asked her.

"Yes, I-" she started to say but I cut her off immediately.

"Then why did you call?" I asked her. "Didn't I tell you not to call me?"

"Yeah, but I-"

"No buts, Lisa," I told her harshly. "Didn't I fucking tell you not to call? Didn't I tell you that I was away on business? Didn't I say that my calls were being fucking tracked? Thank you so fucking much for putting yourself in danger."

My tone was cold and I was being rude towards her, but I was so fucking angry. I had told her specifically not to call me unless she was in danger. But like always, my words didn't matter.

"I'm sorry," I heard her whisper softly. "I just wanted to hear your voice."

Her words tugged at my heart and I sighed deeply.

"Your safety is my utmost priority, Lisa. And if anything were to happen to you because of me, I would never forgive myself," I told her quietly. "Now, I want you to go to the estate and live there for as long as you could."

"But I'm fine here," she objected.

"Please, Lisa, listen to me for once. You are not safe at your house anymore. Any moment they could come and take you away and I don't want that to happen. So please, be a good girl and listen to me, my doll."

"Okay," she whispered.

"Good. I want you to drive to the estate and meet Kate. You just need to to tell her your name and she'll let you stay. You will stay there until I come back. And don't worry, Kate is not a bitch. She is a sweet girl who will look after you."

"Have you told her about me?" She asked.

"Not yet. I wanted to keep you all to myself, my doll. But don't you worry, I'll let Kate know now. You have to promise me that you will not do anything stupid and you will look after yourself."

"I will, I promise," she said. "But you also have to promise me that you won't leave me alone for long and will come back soon."

"I will. I promise," I told her.

"I love you, my doll," I told her affectionately.

"I love you too," she said.

Then I hung up and called Kate, telling her all about Lisa. She agreed to look after her and I told her thanks. After I ended my call with Kate, I lay awake in my bed, my mind thinking about the woman I had fallen in love with, the one whom I had left behind for my family, and the one who was going to become my wife one day.

Kate

I was sitting in my bed, reading a book, when somebody knocked at my bedroom door. I granted permission to enter and a maid walked in.

"There is a woman sitting downstairs, ma'am. She says she has come here to see you." She told me.

"Okay," I said. I then got out of the bed and looked at myself in the mirror once to make sure I wasn't a mess. I then looked at the maid. "Get one of the guest rooms ready," I ordered her.

"Infact, just prepare Eric's room and put some feminine products in his bedroom." I told her. She looked a bit shocked at my sudden demand but obeyed, nonetheless.

Then I walked downstairs to welcome Eric's woman. I saw her sitting on a couch in the living room. I walked towards her and cleared my throat to gain her attention.

"Hi, I'm Kate Kuznetsov," I told her politely.

"I'm Lisa Johns," she replied with equal courtesy. "You are Mr. Dimitri's wife?" She asked with a hint of fear in her eyes.

"Yes," I told her, smiling slightly. "But you don't need to be scared. I'm nothing like my husband. And Eric told me about you, so I'm happy to have you here. As your host, it is my duty to look after you and to make you feel safe and protected here. And I will try my best to make your stay a comfortable one."

She smiled at my words. "Thank you so much, Mrs. Kuzetsov."

"Please call me Kate," I told her.

"Okay. Thanks for letting me stay, Kate," she said. "I hope we could become friends because you seem like such a sweet person."

"Of course," I said smiling. "I would love that. I think you must be tired. Your room has been prepared. You will be staying in Eric's room until he comes back."

"Eric's room?" She asked.

"Yes," I told her. "I thought you would feel more comfortable if you were surrounded by his scent and belongings. But if you don't feel comfortable, I could ask the maid to prepare the guest room for you."

"No. No, Eric's room is fine. Thanks, once again."

I nodded at her and then asked a maid to help her settle down so that she could relax. She seemed like a nice girl. And becoming friends with her didn't seem like a bad idea.

1 MONTH LATER

Dimitri had now been gone for over a month, and I hadn't heard his voice in the past three weeks. I missed him a lot. Everyday away from him made me feel like a part of my heart and soul was slowly dying. My continuous sickness and my foul mood added to my misery.

I was getting sick almost daily. Whenever I would enter the dining hall for breakfast, my stomach would churn and I would feel nauseous. I was almost always angry or sad. My behaviour with the maids these past few days was very bad. And now, they were all walking on eggshells around me.

Although the smell of breakfast made me puke, I still felt like eating a lot. And I had weird cravings.

I was still in bed, lost in my thoughts, when a knock sounded on the bedroom door followed by a maid walking in carrying a tray of food. As soon as she placed it on my bedside table, the smell of bacon hit my nose and I instantly covered my mouth, jumping out of the bed and walking into the bathroom to throw up.

Between throwing up with an empty stomach, I shouted at the maid to take away the food. A few minutes later, I felt someone holding my hair back and rubbing my back soothingly. Once I was finished, I sat there for a few minutes to catch my breath.

"You should visit a doctor now, Kate," I heard Lisa's voice. She now stood near the bathroom door, looking at me as I brushed my teeth and used the mouthwash to get rid of the bitter test of puke.

"Are you listening to me, Kate?" She asked. I nodded my head at her. Splashing some water onto my face, I closed the tap and took a towel to dry it.

I then walked back into my room and sighed. Lisa came out after me and held my hand, making me sit at the edge of the bed.

"Look, Kate," she started to say. "I know that you miss Dimitri. I miss Eric as well. But there is not even a single thing that we could do except waiting for them and praying for their safe return."

"I know," I told her. "It's just that him not being here is making me lose my sanity. And this sickness is just adding to the whole pent up sadness and frustration. I just want him to come back already. And even if he has to stay away, the least he could do is call me once, so that I could here his voice."

"He's busy, sweetie."

"I know, Lisa. I know that he is fucking busy. But it just feels like he doesn't remember me anymore, like he doesn't remember that he's got a wife who's going crazy thinking about him. I'm so fucking tired of his behaviour."

"Kate, please don't think like that. He'll come back soon. Don't worry. Now stop thinking about him and go change."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because we are going to pay a visit to a doctor. I heard they have a whole bunch of them living here on the estate. We'll go visit one of them and ask them about what might be wrong with you," she said.

I shook my head at her. "I'm fine," I told her. "It's probably just the stress of Dimitri's absence."

"Still, we are going to see a doctor. So you better get ready before I drag you out in your pyjamas." Saying this, she left the room, closing the door behind her.

I sighed, getting up and walked towards the closet to change into something decent as I thought about Lisa.

Lisa and I had instantly clicked when she came here. She was a sweet girl with a heart of gold. In this estate, where I felt lonely, she became my companion and chased away my lonliness. I really liked being in her presence. I didn't have many friends so having her with me felt like a blessing.

Once I was ready, I walked out of my room and went downstairs into the living room where I was sure Lisa would be sitting in front of the television. I found her sitting there, and when she saw me, she got up immediately.

"Ready?" She asked. I nodded my head and she hooked her arm with mine, walking out of the door and towards the house where the doctors lived together.

We walked there, and knocked at the door, waiting for them to open up. When one of them opened it and saw me, he seemed surprised.

"Are you okay, Mrs. Kuznetsov? He asked.

"Yes. Almost. I have come in for a check-up." I told him.

He ushered me inside and led me to a room where a female doctor was sitting. She stood up as soon as she saw me and slightly bowed her head in respect. They all knew that I was their boss Dimitri's wife. And they all treated me with a lot of respect.

The male doctor left Lisa and I with her and I looked at her.

"My name is Dr. Reece. How can I help you today, ma'am?" She asked politely.

"I haven't been feeling well lately. I always wake up in the mornings, feeling sick. The smell of breakfast makes me puke. And yet, I am hungry all the time. Moreover, I'm in such a bad mood these days, everything annoys me and I lose my temper at the smallest of things. And I also have weird cravings." I told her everything I had been feeling.

"When was the last time you had your period, ma'am?" She asked.

"Almost 2 months ago," I told her. "I don't remember, honestly."

"And before he left, did you and Mr. Kuznetsov have sex?"

My cheeks turned warm at her question. "Yes," I told her blushing.

She gave me a stick to pee on and sent me to the bathroom. Almost five minutes later, I was done and I walked back to her, holding the stick out for her to see.

She smiled as she looked at it and signalled for me to sit down.

"Is everything okay, doctor?" I heard Lisa ask. I looked at her to see her seated beside me. I had totally forgot about her.

"Yes, everything is alright," the doctor said. She then looked at me and gave me a big grin.

"Congratulations, Mrs. Kuznetsov. You are pregnant."

I felt like I heard her wrong.

"What?" I asked.

She gave me a smile. "Pregnant, ma'am. You are going to become a mother in a few months. Congratulations!"

I became numb at her words, my mind not thinking anything as I sat there stiffly. I felt Lisa shaking my arm, and I snapped out of the trance. I hurriedly got up and left the room, walking out of the house and running back to the estate where I immediately went upstairs to my room, closing the door behind me.

I sat on my bed, hugging my knees close to my chest. Soon, I heard the door opening. Lisa walked in and sat beside me, putting her hand on my back and rubbing it soothingly.

"Are you okay, Kate?" She asked me.

"I-I don't know," I told her honestly. "I don't know what to say or how to feel. I don't know what to do now. I'm all alone."

"You are not alone, sweetie," she said. "You have me right here by your side. And Dimitri will also be back in no time."

"Dimitri is not here. I don't know when he will come back. How will I look after this baby without him? I'm scared," I said, as my eyes filled with tears.

"What if I can't take care of myself and I lose the baby? What if I do give birth but turn out to be a bad mother? What if Dimitri doesn't come back? What if I have to do this all by myself?"

I voiced all the what ifs circling in my head as a sob escaped past my lips. Lisa put her arms around me, holding me and patting my head as I kept crying.

"Don't think too much, Kate," Lisa said a few minutes later. "You will be fine, you won't lose the baby and you will be a great mother. And Dimitri will come back. As soon as he hears about the pregnancy, he will come running back to you."

"I want to see his reaction when I tell him about it. I want to hug him to myself as I break the news to him. So I'm going to wait for him to come back. And please, Lisa, don't tell Eric."

"Okay," she said. I gave her a small, grateful smile and put a hand on my stomach.

"I can't wait for your father to know about you," I said, talking to the baby and sighing deeply at the end, praying for Dimitri to return.

Dimitri

I missed Kate so much. I just wanted to leave all this work and go back to my wife. But it wasn't possible. Not yet, at least. I wanted to call her and hear her beautiful voice but I didn't want to risk her life.

I sat in my office, looking at files but not focusing as my mind kept going back to my darling. I opened a drawer and took out a photo frame. I looked at the picture and smiled.

My beautiful wife looked breathtaking, with her lips pulled up in a smile and her eyes shining, her head bowed down a little due to her shyness, and her cheeks tainted pink. I bent forward and kissed her picture. I missed having her in my arms and I missed feeling her lips on mine.

But it would all be over soon. Because soon, I was going to fight and kill Saviano.

20 DAYS LATER

I was eating and sleeping a lot these days. With Lisa's help, I was doing okay. I wanted Dimitri to come back now, so that I could share my happiness with him.

I was sitting on the living room couch with Lisa, a movie playing in the background as my thoughts kept drifting off to my husband. There was so much I wanted to say to him, so much he needed to hear. As soon as he came back, I would tell him how I felt about him.

I was looking off into the distance when I heard the sound of the front door opening. I walked towards the foyer and saw Eric standing there in a dishevelled state. But what left me breathless was Dimitri's body in his arms.

Dimitri was all bloody and he looked unconscious. Eric saw me standing there and walked into the living room, slowly passing me, as he lay Dimitri down on a couch.

My mind started working again as I ran towards him.

"What happened to him?" I asked Eric.

"Dimitri, wake up," I said loudly, shaking his arm forcefully.

"He's been shot," Eric's words reached my ears but I focused on my husband.

"Dimitri open your eyes. This is such a sick joke. Please open your eyes and talk to me."

"Kate," I heard Eric's voice as he tried to hold me back but I pushed him back, latching onto Dimitri's still body.

"Dimitri," I shouted. "Wake up, please. Open your eyes. Please don't leave me. I won't be able to live without you. Please, wake up Dimitri." I was now sobbing.

I shook his arm and patted his face, trying to wake him up but he lay there still.

"I love you!" I screamed at him. "I love you so fucking much. I promise I won't do anything to hurt you. I will stay by your side. Please, Dimitri. I love you."

I screamed and pleaded but my cries fell on deaf ears, as Dimitri lay there, unmoving. I put my head on his chest and sobbed.

"I love you," I whispered, brokenly. "I'm in love with you, Dimitri Kuznetsov. Please don't leave me."

My sobs echoed in our surrounding as I begged to him, but my husband didn't even bat an eyelash, laying there as still as a corpse.

THE END

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