--Angelina POV--
My head was throbbing, my vision blurry, and my neck was straining to keep my head up. To put it simply, I felt as though I was at deaths doors, or rather, death was trying to drag me to the afterlife but I wasn't willing to go, if you wanted me to be more specific.
"What the actual fuck," I cussed annoyed, sitting up on the comfortable surface that I had been lying on as I repeatedly closed and opened my eyes, scanning over the room I found myself in.
Wait a minute, this is...
Okay, I think death succeeded in taking me.
Because what other answer would be able to explain as to why I was currently sitting on the bed in my old bedroom, the one I lived in with Donovan before Nevaeh sneaked in. It simply doesn't make any sense.
"You're finally up," I turned to look at the door as it opened, and in walked the cause of all my problems, a glass of water in one hand, and a box of painkillers in the other. I swear, if he's about to tell me to take that medicine when he's the one that caused the pain, I will, without a doubt, sock him straight in the face.
"You should take the painkiller; it'll help with the-"
I slapped him so fast before moving my hand back and looking away, I had to wonder if I actually hit him or him knocking me unconscious has made me delusional.
"Ouch... But, okay. I deserved that so I'll let it go," Guess he was the delusional one.
"You've crossed the line this time, Donovan. I hope you're aware of that," I shuffled away from him as I spoke, my body turned away, but my head facing him, eyes narrowed into a glare that dared him to move even an inch closer to me.
"I just brought you home, there's nothing wrong with that," He was definitely delusional.
"I'm an adult who is capable of making her own decisions. Whether this place is my home or not, which it isn't, you don't have the right to knock me unconscious and bring me here. We call that kidnapping, if you're not aware,"
"I'm aware, I just don't care. Bringing my wife home-"
"I'm not your wife," I cut him off.
"Angelina," He sighed, speaking to me as if I were a child.
"I never wanted to divorce you in the first place, this whole drama wouldn't have had to happen in the first place if you would have just stayed my wife to begin with..."
He kept speaking, like a broken recorder echoing in my head word after word, he didn't seem to run out of things to say because he kept speaking, and with each second that kept strenuously ticking by, the throbbing in my head grew worse.
I hated this man. So much.
"-Of course, at the time, I loved Nevaeh too, so I was hoping you would understand-" That's when it clicked into place, the perfect idea.
Or rather, previous idea.
It would have been the perfect idea if I had just been a little smarter to think it up earlier, but while it's too late now, the regret had already done its job in settling in.
If I had done as he said; If I had stayed married to him as he wanted, then I would never have had to drag so many innocent people into this fight. Lucian, and his family, Julia, and even Leandro, and his bloody mafia, none of them would have gotten involved if I had stayed married.
And there was quite a simple answer for that; polygamy is illegal in Italy
If I had stayed silent, and Donovan, being the dumb jerk he was, had tried to get married to Nevaeh, then things would have easily turned in my favour.
But it was too late for that now.
"I'm asking this out of curiosity, but are you aware that polygamy is illegal in this country?" I cautiously asked as he grew silent for a moment.
"Yes, but Lina, my darling, I'm also aware of the thoughts going through your head right now," He smirked, leaning forward as he flicked my forehead, and I hissed, whacking him away as the glare on my face only darkened. Look at this jerk trying to act all lovey-dovey with me as if he didn't have a pregnant wife hiding somewhere here in the mansion.
"You don't think I have enough power and influence to change that law?" Never mind, I take everything I just said back. I guess he's not as stupid as I had hoped he was.
"Let me go, Donovan. I won't tell the police about this, and I'll quietly carry on living my life, but that's only if you let me go. Now," I moved to get off the bed as he watched me.
"No," Was all he said.
"Then, the next time I see you will be when you're behind bars," Opening the bedroom door, I stepped out, walking down the corridor and down the grand staircase as I heard his footsteps following me from close behind.
"If you love me as much as you're claiming to right now, why did you cheat in the first place?" I asked as we continued to walk through the mansion as I headed to the maid entrance, not a single worker in sight.
"Nevaeh has a way with words and actions. You know how much it meant for me to feel loved, since my mother passed away, and my father hates me, Nevaeh gave me that affirmation while it felt like you would pick your company over me,"
"That sounds like your problem, I don't understand why you had to drag me into it. It's not my job to make you feel unconcerned with your difficulties in life, you should have worked on that before you went on to woo me,"
"And I understand that, that's why I've fixed myself. And now that I'm better, can't you be with me again?" He is, without a doubt, pathetic.
"And Nevaeh and your child?" I massaged my temples as I spoke, I feel like I'm going to throw up, but I can't allow myself to stop walking, not when my kidnapper's right behind me.
"I don't consider that child mine, and Nevaeh can be thrown out to the streets for all I care," I almost tripped up listening to that.
"You're kidding me, right? Do you expect me to just run right back into your arms when you say such merciless things without a single stutter?... How can such a cruel person exist, I can't understand?" I asked, my voice trembling as I spoke.
I was scared to think that at some point in my life there was something in him that I loved, something in him that made me want to live the rest of my life with him.
"You would understand if you saw Nevaeh to be the monster that she is," He spoke in a dead tone of voice as my heart shivered at the words.
"And the baby? What did your unborn child ever do?"
"Why do you care so much about that thing? It's not even alive yet,"
"Because it's a baby, Donovan!" I screamed, surprising him. "If you weren't ready to have a child then you should have been more careful! You got to pick who you wanted the mother of your child to be, and you chose her! But that child has no choice!"
I stormed forward, raising my hand as I went to slap him, but he was quick to grab my wrist, but I didn't stop. I raised my other hand, succeeding in slapping his other cheek, and he scoffed, slowly turning his head back to look at me as I pulled my hand out of his grip.
"You keep telling me, again and again, how you love me and hate her, but the fact remains that she is pregnant with your child. If you know what love is, then give that love to your child, I don't want it... Or are you truly incapable of feeling love for your own blood?" I spat.
"I didn't want a child with her, ever-"
"Then you should have been more careful when you slept with her," I cut him off.
"Angelina, I-"
"Seeing the way you are towards your unborn child right now; It begs the question, if Nevaeh never entered the picture, and I had ever been pregnant... What a terrible father must you-" He cut me off before I could finish, a look of desperation overcoming the cool facade he put up.
"-No... It would have been different with you; I would have been the greatest father if you were the mother of my child. You, Angelina-" He paused, putting a hand to my cheek as his thumb stroked back and forth while I glared up at him, too angry to move.
"-You are the only woman that I would have allowed to be the mother of my child. You are-" I slapped him away, moving to walk away with a scoff of disbelief.
"I don't believe a single word you're saying." As I will make sure to never do again.
"Fine..." I heard him mumble from behind me.
"They always say that actions speak louder than words," And while his words processed through my head, I wasn't quick enough to get away from him as he roughly picked me up, slinging me over his shoulder before going to walk back up the staircase we had come down from.
What the hell!?
"Donovan! Let go of me! Let go of-"
"You don't believe me, so I'll make you believe me," He spat, and an unsettled feeling sat on my chest at the words he insinuated, but I was begging for it to just be a misunderstanding. Yes, he was delusional, and he kidnapped me, but he wouldn't go so far as to rape me, would he?
Every bone in my body froze up at the mere thought.
"Don't do anything you'll regret, Donovan," I somehow managed to whisper out, feeling my body beginning to tremble at the horrifying thoughts.
"Don't worry, flower, I've been dreaming of doing this to you ever since you left me. Nevaeh can only dream of being as good as you in bed," His words confirmed my suspicions, and not knowing what else to do, I began thrashing around.
"You jerk! Let go of me!... Help! Anyone-"
"No one's home, I've sent them all to the Annex for the moment, so scream as much as you want, because no one will hear," He chuckled, and I recognised the corridor we were walking down to be the one that led to his room. No.
"Please, I'm begging you. Leave me alone, Donovan. Don't do this... please..." My eyes burnt with the onslaught of tears that welled up in my eyes, and I gulped back the lump in my throat, sniffling, as I tried breaking out of his hold.
No one would come to help me.
Alice would probably alert the police, but Donovan owned the police so they wouldn't do anything. And Lucian... Lucian was in Germany, he's not coming.
"You sound as if we've never slept together," Donovan chuckled, apparently finding this situation funny, and that only helped to fuel the rage that was boiling in me.
"Let go of me you jerk!" I slammed my hands down on his back as he hissed in pain, and before I knew it, I was being thrown down, but I landed on the soft mattress as he stood at the edge, and without another thought, I tried calling away.
His hands came down to grab my thighs, and a terrified shriek broke through my throat as he dragged me back towards him, and as I watched him undoing his tie, I kicked my legs around, trying to get up to punch him, but it was all to no avail.
"I'll make you pregnant, and we'll see just how good of a father I can be-"
"I'm already pregnant, you jerk!"
And in his moment of shock, I slapped him so hard, he fell down, and I grabbed the opportunity as I jumped out of the bed, running with so much force and dedication, the blood beating in my ears, face staining with tears, and heart jumping against my ribcage.
"Angelina!"
His raging voice yelled behind me, and unintentionally, another terrified shriek broke through my throat as I ran, begging for whatever God was up there to let me, and my child, get out of this damned place alive.
"You better tell me that was a lie to throw me off!" He yelled as I heard him begin running down the stairs in an attempt to chase me, but I didn't stop, if anything, I willed my legs to run faster.
Donovan was a fast runner, I wasn't. And he was gaining on me.
And I realised that I would never make it out of this estate without him catching me.
So, without thinking about it twice, I ran into the nearby storage room, slamming, and locking the door before stepping back and crouching down in the corner, pulling my knees up against my chest and berrying my face in my hands as I rocked myself back and forth.
I wasn't lying to throw him off.
I was very much pregnant.
I found out this morning just before Lucian left to go to Germany, and I was planning on surprising him with the news later this evening when he returned to the hotel. He was supposed to be the first to find out, not Donovan.
"Angelina! Open the door this instant!" He slammed his fists against the hard wood as I screamed, covering my ears as I wept, waiting for it all to be over.
You can never know where life will take you. This time last year, I was certain that this man was the love of my life, but here we are now, in a completely different situation. A man that was supposed to be my husband; I had never been so scared in my life.
"Angelina! You- Aagh!"
I froze, body going rigid just as Donovan released that surprised scream.
With a shaky breath, I used the back of my hand to wipe my face of my tears, shakily standing up, and stumbling quite a few times as I cautiously walked towards the locked door, standing near it as I attempted to listen on what was happening outside.
"You! Dare! To touch! My wife!"
That voice...
Quickly unlocking, and pushing open the door, a quiet gasp escaped my throat when I saw him.
Lucian, in all his glory, as he kneeled over Donovan's injured self, throwing punch after punch to the man, his blood showering around the once pristine area, spitting curses of rage with each punch he threw at the man who looked as though he was about to be sent to Hell.
Reid and Leandro stood back, Leandro chuckling at the sight while Reid tried to pull Lucian away from Donovan, but failing.
"Lucy," I whispered out, barely.
And it all hit me then. I was okay.
This man, my husband, he had somehow managed to save me. Again.
And he froze, hand fisted mid-air, ready to strike down for another punch, but then he turned to the sound of my voice, and the humanity sparked back to life in those blue eyes.
"Angel,"
Never before had a man sounded so relieved.
...