INSATIABLE CRAVINGS
Insatiable Cravings - Episode 135
Subtitle; {Loving You Is A Loosing Game}
TAGS: Age-gap, Mafia, Forbidden Love, Drama, Tragedy and Betrayal.
Settings: United Kingdom, Russia and others.
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
~ Genevieve ~
It still feels surreal—this notion that I’m pregnant. That there’s a life, an actual life, growing inside of me.
I mean, yes, I noticed I’d missed my period. But I chalked it up to stress. Overworking myself. Pushing too hard, maybe. I never imagined it was something greater, something… monumental.
But now I know.
I’m pregnant.
I, Genevieve King, am five weeks gone.
And to say I’m anxious or unbearably nervous would be putting it far too lightly. It’s a storm of emotions swirling inside me. First came the fear—that raw, unrelenting kind that grips your chest so tightly it feels like your lungs have forgotten how to breathe. Then the panic, a cold dread that crawled over my skin like frost. And then… awe. That one settled in my bones like a quiet, holy thing. A sacred disbelief that I’m carrying a whole, tiny person inside of me.
And then joy. A joy so fierce it frightened me in the best of ways. It made my hands tremble as I pressed them to my belly, again and again, desperate to connect with the little life forming inside me.
My lungs stung as I exhaled slowly, fingers hovering over my phone. The need to ring Dominic surged through me, burning hot and urgent.
But I didn’t. Couldn’t.
Not yet.
He’s under enough strain as it is, fretting about keeping Rory and me safe from Viktor. If I told him this, he’d be over the moon, I know he would… but the panic would set in straight after. I can’t do that to him. Not now.
I’ll wait. I’ll tell him when the time feels right.
Now I just need to keep my mouth shut every time we’re on the phone, keep myself from blurting it out like a lovesick idiot.
Which, let’s face it—I totally am.
And it’s not just Dominic. I’ve got to keep this from everyone else too. Not even my best friend can know—not when she still winces at the mention of his name and is liable to spill the beans by accident. Adrianna and Everett? Absolutely not. They’d panic. One of them more dramatically than the other, of course.
So for now, it’s just me, Cora, and the doctor. We’re the only ones who know.
••
This being my first pregnancy, I’ve been treading carefully. Watching everything I eat and drink, minding how long I work out, even limiting how many hours I bury myself in case files.
I can’t risk anything. This little soul inside of me—it’s too precious. Too beautiful.
It’s been three weeks since I found out, and somewhere along the way, the fear and panic started to ebb. What’s left is pure, unfiltered joy.
It’s all-consuming. Overwhelming. Glorious. Each day, I feel it like a current beneath my skin, like a song stitched into my bones. It tugs at my heartstrings, a melody of anticipation—I can’t wait to hold my baby.
My baby. The one I created with the man I love. He or she is ours. Mine and Dominic’s.
Still haven’t told him, of course. Even when we talk, I sense his worry—it clings to his voice like smoke. So I keep it to myself.
I know I should tell him. It’s not fair of me to keep it quiet, not when I’ve had go at him for doing the same. But I refuse to heap more on his shoulders.
And yet, I know when I do tell him, he’ll be ecstatic. I’ve got so many pictures of my not-yet-visible bump ready to show him when I return to London.
✷✷✷✷
That return came sooner than expected. My case wrapped up quickly, another win to my name, and I figured it was time to head home for a while.
“How long will you be gone?” Cora shouted from her bedroom, tossing clothes haphazardly into her suitcase.
She’s going home too.
I shrugged. “No idea. You?”
“Probably a month. Or less.”
I glanced up from my phone. “I’m going to miss you.”
“Aww.” She poked her head out with a cheeky grin. “I’ll miss you too. We’ll talk every single day, alright?”
“And you don’t think that’ll be a hassle?”
“Not particularly.”
We left it at that. She resumed her packing, and I went back to scrolling through my phone.
••
The moment the plane landed, I peeled my gaze from the window and prepared to disembark. A couple of minutes later, I stepped outside, and the cool air slapped me square in the face.
Walking towards the cab rank, I kept glancing around. To anyone else, it might’ve looked like I was scanning for a taxi. And technically, I was. But also—not really. You get the gist.
Eventually, I found one.
On the way to Dominic’s, I made a detour—to my sister’s. Two reasons. One, I missed her terribly. She’s due any day now. And two, I needed to know how she broke her own baby news to Xavier. Because I’ve got absolutely no idea how to tell Dominic.
I just need to hear her story without actually telling her mine. Dominic deserves to know first.
I took a breath and pressed the doorbell. The shrill chime echoed, prickling my ears.
Just then, the crunch of tyres on gravel turned my head. Xavier was pulling up.
“Oi!” The surprise in his voice made me grin. “Aren’t you supposed to be in China?”
“Well,” I smiled instinctively. “I missed you lot, so… here I am.”
He came round the car and opened the passenger side. A small pair of feet climbed out slowly, then a little girl emerged. She looked about five, maybe six. Pale skin. Long, ash-blonde hair in tangled waves. She spotted me and cautiously lifted her gaze.
My heart squeezed.
She was beautiful.
Her eyes were the colour of sapphires. Shining. Unblinking.
“Genny, this is Aly,” Xavier said softly, eyes warm as he looked down at her. “Aly, this is Genevieve—my brilliant sister-in-law.” He stroked her hair. “Can you say hello?”
Aly glanced at him, then me. “Hi.” A soft, barely-there whisper. “I’m Alyssa.”
“Hello, Aly.” My grin widened. “How are you, sweetheart?”
“Fine.”
“That’s good, love.” Xavier guided her forward. “You’re glowing, by the way. What’ve you been eating?”
I swatted his back as he punched in the door code. “Are you calling me fat?”
He gasped theatrically. “I’d never!”
We entered.
“Where’s my sister?” I asked, wheeling my luggage in and scanning the space.
“Let’s find out.” He led Aly to the sofa before hollering up the stairs. “Sweetheart!”
I flinched at the volume. He laughed at me.
“Baby!” Another shout. Then footsteps. A door creaked. Then she appeared.
She was halfway through scolding him when her gaze caught mine and her mouth fell open.
“Genevieve—what are you doing here?”
“Surprise.” I threw my arms wide in a dramatic flourish.
She beamed and tried to hurry down the stairs, belly and all. I met her halfway.
“Missed you,” I said, pulling her into a side hug.
“Missed you too.” She cupped my face with both hands. “Hmm. You look different.”
“Different how?” I asked cautiously. “Good different, or…?”
“Oh, the good kind. You’re glowing.”
“And me?” Xavier piped up.
Her eyes narrowed, shooting him a look—equal parts unfiltered love and playful disdà in. “By the way, how’s Aly?”
“She’s in the living room,” Xavier replied, his earlier teasing tone dissolving into something quieter, more serious. “I don’t think anyone’s coming for her.”
“Who is she?” I asked gently.
“I found her wandering around that new site I’ve just purchased,” Xavier began, as we walked back towards the living room, adjusting our pace to match Adrianna’s. “Took her straight to the police so they could track down her family. She stayed in their custody for an entire week. Her photo was all over the telly, on the radio… but no one came forward. Not a single call.”
He fell silent the moment we reached the living room.
Alyssa was sat on the sofa, eyes fixed on the television, though it was painfully obvious she wasn’t really watching. Her expression was blank—too still, too distant—as though her mind had drifted somewhere far away.
“Hello, sweetheart,” Adrianna said softly, her voice warm and maternal as she sank onto the couch beside her. She gently combed her fingers through Aly’s tangled hair, mirroring Xavier’s earlier tenderness. “You must be starving. Shall I make you something to eat? Anything you fancy, just say the word.”
Alyssa looked up at her briefly, then shook her head.
“No? Alright, how about a drink, then?”
Another shake.
Adrianna’s brows furrowed. “Nothing at all?”
Aly’s eyes shimmered, and her lips began to tremble. She dropped her gaze, as if trying to hide the tears now spilling silently down her cheeks.
But we’d already seen them.
“Hey, hey, hey,” Xavier said quickly, crouching down in front of her. “No need to cry, love. You’ve had a long few days, haven’t you? How about a nice warm shower, yeah? You can freshen up, then have a nap.”
Her bright blue eyes flicked to his and lingered there, searching. “You’re not going to send me back, are you?”
He didn’t hesitate. “No. Of course not.”
“You promise?”
He held up his pinky. “Pinky promise?”
Aly gave the faintest nod, then reached out to link her small finger with his.
A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. “Pinky promise.”
She turned to Adrianna then, the smile softening a little more. “T-thank you.”
“You’re welcome, darling,” my sister beamed. Her smile grew even brighter as Aly returned it, even if only slightly. “Come on, let’s get you upstairs, yeah?”
..
Half an hour later, we were all settled in. Alyssa was now fast asleep in one of the guest rooms upstairs, freshly bathed and wrapped in warm blankets.
Only Adrianna, Xavier and I remained awake. It was still early—just after six.
“So… can I ask you something?” The nervousness in my chest had been curling tighter with every passing minute, and it only thickened as Adrianna’s curious gaze turned fully to me.
“Of course,” she murmured.
I let my eyes wander around the room first—subtle, really, but I was scanning for Xavier. He was in the kitchen, busy preparing dinner. The sigh that left me was one of faint relief.
“You’re due soon, yeah?”
She nodded. “Next week, assuming baby doesn’t change his mind.”
A quiet laugh escaped me. “Right.”
I wetted my lips, stalling, my brain scrambling to find the words.
“So… how did you tell Xavier you were pregnant?”
Her brow arched high. “Sorry, what?”
“Your pregnancy. How did you break the news?”
“Why are you asking?”
Here we go. Time to lie—convincingly. Because if there’s one person in this world who can sniff out nonsense, it’s Ria.
“Well,” I began casually, “I’ve been watching a lot of those cute pregnancy reveal videos lately, and I just thought I’d ask. You know, see how it happened for you.”
Her ocean-blue eyes—identical to mine—narrowed slightly, sharp and inquisitive. It was like she was peeling back layers, digging beneath my words. Still, she eventually shrugged.
“I just told him. Straight out. ‘Hey, I’m pregnant.’ That was it. And he was over the moon. I think it was the happiest I’ve ever seen him.”
Oh.
That might actually work.
“I know it’s not the most extravagant thing,” she continued with a wistful smile, “but it didn’t matter. What mattered was the reality of it. That someone was coming into the world. A little person, made from both of us. That alone was magical.”
“I can imagine.” My voice was soft. “It’s been far too long—I need to be an aunt already.”
She chuckled. “Maybe once you’re an aunt, you’ll be tempted to become a mum.”
Her hand rubbed slow circles over her swollen belly. “I won’t lie, Gen. It’s exhausting. And when they’re finally here, it’s even tougher. But it’s worth it. Every sleepless night, every ache… all of it.”
“Yeah,” I murmured, mostly to myself. “I hope so.”
I cleared my throat lightly. “Hey—about Aly. What are you going to do?”
“We’re adopting her,” Adrianna said, and something about her smile shifted. It glowed—radiant, full of love and fierce intent. “Since no one came forward, it’s the least we can do. She deserves a home. A proper one. With people who’ll love her. And that’s us.”
“That’s wonderful. Has she agreed?”
“She did. Right before she drifted off. Poor thing was terrified that she’d wake up and we’d be gone—or worse, send her away again.”
Adrianna’s eyes flicked towards the staircase before returning to me.
“She suits you both,” I said honestly. “Completely. So… she’ll be a Carrington?”
“She will.”
“So technically, I’m already an aunt.”
“Slow down,” she laughed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “The adoption process is brutal. We’ve still got a long way to go.”
“I can help.”
Her brows rose. “Help?”
I sat up straighter, plucked a throw pillow into my lap. “I’m an exceptional lawyer, thank you very much. Never lost a case. It’s not bragging if it’s fact. Let me help you.”
“Seriously?”
“Absolutely.”
She narrowed her eyes. “What’s the catch?”
I gasped dramatically. “Excuse me?”
“You never do anything without a hidden motive, Genevieve.”
“Hey. That’s not true.”
She folded her arms and raised an unimpressed brow.
“Alright, fine. It’s different this time. You’re my sister. You’re giving me a nephew—and a niece! I’m doing this out of the goodness of my heart.”
She hummed, long and slow, her scepticism written all over her face.
I rolled my eyes. “Unbelievable.”
TBC📖✍️
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