MALYSHKA

Chapter 18

Anastasia's P.O.V 

~the cold gaze~

 I was washing my hands when I heard some muffled voices. After drying them, I stepped outside and saw Leonid staring at his finger, peeling the skin off.

He always does that when he's anxious. "What's wrong?" I asked, my voice filled with concern. Leonid rubbed his temples, and Valik wore a serious expression as he spoke.

"You're going to leave the country for a while, with Dami," he said, interrupting me before I could reply.

"W-what? You can't do that!" I exclaimed.

"ENOUGH!" Leonid shouted. "You're packing your things and leaving, no arguments." He turned his gaze away.

"What kind of husband are you? I'm pregnant! You can't just make me leave my home while you stay behind. This isn't fair!" My emotions were all over the place. "Screw you!"

Valik excused himself, leaving us to resolve the situation. "Watch your language around Anastasia," Leonid snapped at me.

Tears filled my eyes. "I hate you."

"Whatever," he replied, rolling his eyes at my childish reaction.

"Please, Leonid, don't make me leave the country. I'll just stay in my room until everything calms down. Don't push me away, please." I took his hands, hoping to connect with him.

but he pulled them away, his expression hardening. The tension in the air was palpable, thick enough to cut with a knife. I could see the conflict in his eyes, a mixture of frustration and something deeper—fear, perhaps.

"Anastasia, you don't understand," he said, his voice dropping to a whisper, as if the weight of his words could shatter the fragile peace that hung between us. "It's not safe for you here right now. I can't protect you if you stay."

"But I don't want to go!" I pleaded, my voice trembling. "I don't want to be away from you, especially not now. We're supposed to be in this together." I placed a hand on my belly, feeling the gentle flutter of our baby, a reminder of the life we were creating together. "This is our home. I need you here with me."

Leonid's jaw clenched, and I could see the muscles in his neck tense. "You think I want to send you away? You think this is easy for me?" His voice rose again, but he quickly caught himself, taking a deep breath. "I'm doing this to keep you safe. I can't lose you both."

The mention of our baby made my heart ache. I stepped closer, trying to bridge the distance he was creating. "Then let me stay. We can figure this out together. I'm not some fragile thing that needs to be hidden away. I'm strong, Leonid. We can face whatever is coming."

He shook his head, his eyes filled with a mix of anger and sorrow. "You don't know what you're asking. You don't know what's out there. I can't let you be a target because of me."

"Then let me help you! Don't shut me out!" I felt the tears spill over, hot and unrelenting. "I can't believe you'd choose to push me away when I need you the most."

Leonid's expression softened for a moment, and I saw a flicker of the man I fell in love with, the one who would hold me close and whisper promises of forever. But it was quickly replaced by the steely resolve that had taken over. "I'm not pushing you away. I'm trying to protect you. You have to trust me."

"Trust you?" I scoffed, the bitterness rising in my throat. "You're asking me to trust you while you make decisions for me without even discussing them first. That's not trust, Leonid. That's control."

He flinched at my words, and for a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of regret in his eyes. "I'm trying to protect you, Anastasia. You have no idea what's going on out there. I can't let you be a part of it."

"Then tell me!" I shouted, my voice cracking. "Tell me what's happening. I deserve to know why you're making me leave my home, my life, my everything."

Leonid ran a hand through his hair, frustration etched across his face. "I can't. Not yet. Just... please, trust me. I promise it's for the best."

"But it doesn't feel like it," I whispered, my voice trembling. "It feels like you're pushing me away when I need you the most."

He took a step back, his eyes narrowing. "You think this is easy for me? You think I want to send you away? I'm doing this because I love you, because I want to keep you safe. But you have to understand that sometimes love means making hard choices."

I shook my head, tears spilling down my cheeks. "This isn-" 

Valik kicked the door open, shouting, "Dami's not picking up, and neither is his family!"

I stared in shock as Leonid glanced at him, then turned to me. "Stay put. We'll be back in an hour. I need to find Dami so he can keep you safe while you're out of the country."

I grabbed his hands, insisting, "I'm going with you."

His icy stare met mine, a mixture of determination and frustration flickering in his eyes. Before I could protest further, he hoisted me up and tossed me over his shoulder with surprising ease. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" I shouted, my heart racing as he marched into Valik's bedroom, the world around me spinning with confusion.

He flung me onto the bed, the soft mattress barely cushioning my fall before he strode away, his back turned to me as if I were nothing more than an inconvenience.

"Leonid!" I scrambled to my feet, my pulse pounding in my ears as I tried to follow him. But he was quicker, slamming the door shut with a resounding thud and locking it with a finality that sent a chill down my spine.

"I can't be late. Stay quiet and don't touch the curtains," he called out coldly from behind the locked door, his voice a stark reminder of the urgency of the situation.

"LEONID, OPEN THE DOOR RIGHT NOW!" I pounded on it in frustration, my fists connecting with the wood in a futile attempt to make him understand. "You can't just leave me here! I need to go with you!"

Silence hung in the air, thick and suffocating, as I pressed my ear against the door, straining to hear any sign of him. My mind raced with thoughts of Dami, of the danger that might be lurking out there, and the fact that Leonid was willing to risk everything to find him. But what about me? Did he really think I could just sit here, waiting like a helpless child?

I turned away from the door, my heart pounding with a mix of anger and fear. The room felt claustrophobic, the walls closing in on me as I paced back and forth. I glanced at the curtains, the heavy fabric swaying slightly in the draft from the window. Leonid's warning echoed in my mind, but I couldn't help it; I needed to see outside, to understand what was happening.

With a deep breath, I approached the window, my fingers brushing at the fabric, but my phone then rang, I quickly answered....

 "Hey sis?" Oksana's voice came through. "Congrats! Mom told me you're pregnant."

"Wait, what? I thought you were Leonid." I collapsed to the floor, curling up and hugging my knees while I put my sister on speaker. "What do you need?" I asked.

"I just wanted to hear from my big sister."

That made me tear up, and I ended the call. I was just so worn out and feeling alone.

RING....RING....RING

_End Of Chapter 18