SASHA’S POV
I sat at the edge of the hospital bed, my hands trembling as I rested them against the taut fabric of my hospital gown.
The room smelled sterile too clean, like it was trying to erase all traces of the chaos swirling inside me.
My father stood a few feet away, his gaze fixed on me, his expression was unreadable but firm, as always. I knew that it looked good.
It was the look of a man determined to protect his family, no matter the cost, no matter who got hurt in the process.
I couldn’t look at him for long without my chest tightening. Every word he had just said was still sinking in, like stones being thrown into a deep, murky well.
“You’re going to stay away from him, Sasha,” he repeated, his voice low and steady, like he was trying to hammer the point home.
“I’ll make sure Sebastian never finds out. I’ll handle everything. But you’re not going back to him. It’s not up for discussion.”
The finality in his tone made me want to scream. I felt the back of my throat burn as I swallowed the rising lump.
How could he ask me to do something like this? How could he not see that what he was demanding of me was impossible?
“Dad, no,” I finally managed, my voice shaking but louder than I intended. “You don’t get it. That’s not how this works. I can’t”
“Yes, you can.” His voice sliced through mine, a sharp interruption that sent shivers down my spine. “And you will.”
I stood up abruptly, my bare feet hitting the cold floor. My head felt like it was spinning. “You’re not listening to me! I’m carrying his child, Dad. His child!”
The words rang out, echoing in the quiet room, and I saw his jaw tighten as if the reality of my situation was something he was still struggling to accept.
“That doesn’t change anything,” he said, crossing his arms in a way that made him seem larger than life, even in his hospital gown.
“Sebastian is dangerous, Sasha. Do you think I’d be telling you this if I didn’t know exactly what he’s capable of? You think you know him, but you don’t.”
“You don’t know what he’ll do when he finds out about this baby. I won’t let you take that risk.”
I shook my head vehemently, tears stinging my eyes. “You’re wrong about him, Dad. He’s not like that. He would never hurt me or this baby. He loves me.”
“Love isn’t enough to protect you,” he shot back, his voice rising for the first time.
“Love won’t matter if things go south with him, Sasha. He’s built his world on power and control, and men like that don’t change just because they claim to love you.”
I flinched, the harshness of his words hitting me square in the chest. I wanted to argue, to defend Sebastian, but deep down, I knew my father wasn’t speaking out of malice.
He was afraid, terrified for me, for my future, for this child I hadn’t even begun to wrap my head around.
But that didn’t mean he was right.
“Dad, you’re asking for something that’s impossible,”
I said softly, my voice cracking under the weight of my emotions. “Even if I wanted to stay away from him,
which I don’t, I can’t just disappear. Do you realize what pregnancy involves?
I’ll need regular check-ups, appointments, tests. How am I supposed to explain any of that without him finding out?”
“I’ll take care of all of it,” he said quickly, as if he’d already planned for my objection.
“I’ll hire a doctor, one who will come to you, wherever you are. You won’t have to step foot in a hospital. I’ll make sure you have everything you need. Money, resources, privacy. Whatever it takes.”
I stared at him, stunned into silence for a moment. He was serious. Deadly serious.
“And what happens when I start showing?” I asked, my voice growing louder again. “What happens when people start asking questions? Do you think Sebastian will just sit back and not notice that I’ve vanished?”
“Do you think he won’t come looking for me? You don’t know him like I do. He’ll find me, Dad. He’ll find me, and then what?”
He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he exhaled heavily, running a hand through his graying hair. For the first time since this conversation began, he looked almost… defeated. But only for a moment.
“I’ll handle it,” he said finally, his voice softer but no less resolute. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t find you.”
“You’re my daughter, Sasha, and I’m not going to sit back and watch you destroy your life because of him. I know you think you love him, but love isn’t worth your safety. Or your child’s safety.”
His words felt like a punch to the gut. I wanted to scream at him, to tell him he was wrong, to make him understand that I wasn’t some naive girl who didn’t know what she was doing. But the truth was, I didn’t know what I was doing. Not entirely.
Everything about this pregnancy, about Sebastian, about my father’s relentless need to protect me-it was all so overwhelming, so suffocating, I felt like I was drowning in it.
I sank back down onto the bed, my shoulders slumping in defeat. I didn’t have the energy to fight anymore. Not tonight.
“I can’t do this without him,” I whispered, more to myself than to my father.
But he heard me.
“Yes, you can,” he said firmly, stepping closer. “You’re stronger than you think, Sasha. And you have me. You’ll always have me.”
I looked up at him, my vision blurred by tears. I wanted to believe him, to trust that he could make this easier somehow.
But all I felt was the weight of what he was asking me to do. The weight of what it would mean to walk away from Sebastian and keep this secret from him.
“You don’t understand,” I said weakly, shaking my head.
“You’re asking me to lie to the man I love. To take his child away from him. How can you expect me to live with myself after that?”
“You’ll do it because it’s what’s best for you and your baby,” he said simply, as if the answer was obvious. “And one day, you’ll thank me for it.”
I didn’t respond. I couldn’t.
Instead, I turned away from him, pulling the thin hospital blanket around me like it could somehow shield me from the reality crashing down around me.
“Get some rest,” my father said after a long pause. “We’ll talk more in the morning.”
I didn’t look at him as he left the room, closing the door softly behind him. The silence that followed was deafening.
For the first time since I found out I was pregnant, I felt truly alone.
And it terrified me.