❦"𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐁𝐒𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 #𝟏"❦
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𝐆𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐀 𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐄 works as a stripper at club LUX after she escaped from her father, Valentine Rostov the leader of the Russian Mafia. During her time at the club, she meets a dangerous man, Lorenzo...
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"He looks at her like he just realized what love is."
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ROWAN STAARKOV ~ BACK TO THE PAST Blood. So much blood. It was everywhere, on my hands, my face, my torso, my feet, the ground, the walls-everywhere. Over the years of being an assassin, I've grown used to the sight of it, Valentine once told me that I would find the art in it-beauty. But the only thing I see when I look at the mess, I made is sin, guilt, and change.
It reminds me of the monster I became and the naïve little boy who got kidnapped in the first place. And now I'm not so little, if he were to attempt to kidnap me now, he'd be dead within seconds. But it started with the little boy who lost everything, and now here I stand, bigger, stronger, broken-surviving.
After I complete a mission, it's always like this. Where I stand above my now dead victims, soaked in their blood. It's like a moment of silence for the dead, where all of my loud thoughts can devour my mind before someone snaps me out of it.
I no longer saw red.
I did when I killed them though.
Red.
Red.
Red.
"Diavolo, I think you want to take this," one of the armored men said. Wiping my bloodied hands over my jeans, I grabbed the phone he handed me and pulled it up to my ear.
"Hello?" I answered in a low tone.
There was heavy breathing on the other end like they were in pain like they were trying to breathe in and out to soothe themselves. "Rowan, you need to come home-the baby-ah!" Gianna groaned in pain, I could hear Leo and Luka's voices in the background and constant shuffling.
"Did your water break?"
"Yes, and my contractions are closer to together-the baby is coming now-hurry, baby," Gianna cried. My walking sped up as we all headed to the vehicle quickly.
"It's okay, little bird, breath for me-I know it hurts-stay on the phone and listen to my voice." Gianna's breathing is deep and quick, a car door slams on the other end indicating that she got into the car. I didn't wait for anyone to get into their SUVs, I sped off to the hospital we are set on having this baby.
Gianna and I stay on the phone while I soothe her and she listens. Her pain only heightened and my pulse pounded harder. The overwhelmed feeling of the fact that the woman I love is about to have my baby is finally hitting me. My hands shook and my knee bounced.
"Little bird, I'm here," I tell her.
"Me too, I see your car."
I hung up and quickly switched out my shirt and wiped all of the blood off of me with a spare towel. When I got out, I rushed to the SUV where Gianna was at. Leo and Luka were helping her out of the car, her hair was matted, her cheeks flushed, and her limbs shaky. "Come on, Solnechnyy sve, just hold on," Luka whispered.
I quickly wrapped my arms around her, picking her up bridal style and rushing into the emergency room. She cradled her large belly and whined in pain, "I need a fucking doctor, my fiancé is in labor!" Everyone rushed to our assistance, they had me place her on a stretcher before they led us into the elevator and into a room.
My hand gripped Gianna's while the nurses and doctors got everything set up. I helped Gianna into a hospital gown and was careful about laying her down. "Okay, Ma'am, I need you to keep your legs open and bent as far as you can, I need to see how dilated you are." I gripped the back of her knee and pulled her leg back, she laid her head back on my other arm while nurses poked and paraded her, hooking her up to the equipment next to us.
"It looks like you are ten centimeters and ready to push, the head is already making its way out of the cervix so when you contract again, I need you to push as hard as you can," the doctor informed. Gianna nodded and gripped my arm tightly, digging her nails into my skin.
"You got this, little bird, I'm right here," I whispered into her ear. When a contraction came, I pulled her leg back and pushed her upper body forward as she pushed. Her teeth hammered together and her grip tightened on me, a cry of pain escaped her through it all.
When she was done, Gianna let out a heavy breath before she pushed again not too long after. I saw the head making its way out of her and it wasn't a pretty sight to see but I didn't care, our child was right there and Gianna was fighting like hell.
"Our baby is right there, little bird, she has my hair," I chuckled, Gianna chuckled through tears before pushing again. The doctors told us that the head was fully out and for some reason, I couldn't look yet, tears rimmed my eyes as I buried my face in Gianna's neck.
After a couple more pushes, I watched the rest of our baby slip out of her and let out a loud cry. I went over and reach out my glove-covered hands, they handed me out baby, and placed her in my arms. After I cut the cord, I pulled down Gianna's gown, revealing her chest and placing our baby on her skin.
"Sofia, little bird, we got out baby girl," I kissed her cheek and head, watching Gianna cradle our princess.
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Sofia had my dark hair, a lot of hair-which would explain the heartburn Gianna has gotten during the pregnancy. Her nose was a mixture of me and Gianna's, with long lashes like Gianna's, dimples like me, and pouty lips like Gianna's. But overall, Sofia looked a lot like me when I was a baby and reminded me of my mother's baby pictures.
My heart melted when she wrapped her tiny fingers around mine, or the small sounds she made, and the dimply smile she gave when either of us held her. Our baby girl was beautiful for a newborn, not all babies are supposed to look like a human when they are born but to my surprise, my little girl looked angelic in every way.
Gianna had to go through the after stages of birth, turns out she had to give birth all over again to the placenta and then get stitches. After antibiotics and breastfeeding, she knocked out while I rocked out princess to sleep.
Leo, Luka, and Angelina called to see the baby-Valentine kept himself out of the call along with Axel. Both of them had a right to see our girl, but Valentine wasn't completely accepting of our baby and Axel from what everyone thinks isn't part of the family like that. I still have my suspicions, though, and I do believe he could have seen the new addition.
I leaned back in the hospital bed, and Gianna cuddled up next to me while our baby was in my arms. My eyes wandered to the bunny laying on the side table, it was two shades of light pink and dark pink, with button eyes, and a knitted body.
It's the same one my mother made me when I was a baby. My parents thought I would be a girl so they made it pink, but even as a boy I kept the doll. When I was five, I looped a string to the back of it and carried it around on my shoulder like a satchel, that is why I still have it because it was on me during the kidnapping.
Now I want to give it to my baby girl, and hopefully, she will cherish it as I have for the past twenty-two years.
I looked down at Gianna's sleeping figure, her face buried in my bicep and her hand wrapped around it. Leaning forward, I kissed her temple and whispered something I've wanted to say since she gave that last push. "Thank you for giving me a purpose-a reason to live, Gianna Rose Starkov."
