There was a mont of silence in the waiting room before Alia gave a small, but definite, nod.
"Alia!" Matteo exclaid in shock. "You can’t be serious! You know I would never―"
"I know, I know, I trust you," Alia said, reaching out to hold his hands. She had plenty of ti to think about things while she was waiting outside for news about her grandfather. Her father had also spoken about it as she sent him ho.
The only ti where Emline could have possibly slept with Matteo was when she had drugged him. Matteo would never have touched her otherwise.
However, drugged or not, she had to know the truth so they could all move forward. If Matteo had indeed sired a child on Emline, how could she in good conscience marry him while Emline and her child hovered between them like a ghost? How could they even proceed?
Knowing Emline’s attitude, she would use that child to oust her from Matteo’s life eventually.
Even if Alia had no love for Emline, she already felt pity for the child who would be used in such a callous manner.
Either that, or she would drag Matteo’s reputation down the mud in retaliation for staying with her. There would be no washing that stain for as long as they all lived.
Alia wanted to spend the rest of her life with Matteo, but if it ca at such a cost...
She could only sigh.
No matter what, she had to get to the truth of this matter, and she knew that if she did not agree to Emline’s request, she would never agree to get the DNA test done― which would then open up a whole other can of worms, as the three of them would simply hang around in limbo, not knowing truth from lies.
"Which is why I need to know the truth," Alia said simply. "Matteo, I will not love you any less, or think of you any less. But speaking as your future wife... I should know if you will be having another child outside."
"You won’t be his wife," Emline cut in, her arms wrapped protectively over her baby bump. "Once you know that this child is Matteo’s, you’ll have to undo your engagent and leave him imdiately!"
"Emline, be reasonable here," Matteo interrupted. "Even if you make Alia leave, I wouldn’t get together with you either since I have no intention of having a child with you, to begin with. You’ll be having a child out of wedlock. If you wish to inflict this brand of suffering on yourself, be my guest."
Emline’s eyes watered. "You... Matteo... how could you treat so heartlessly?! I’m carrying your child! Not only are you not offering any support, you’re leaving in the lurch?"
Matteo sighed. "I do not love you. Having a child with you would not make love you any more. Frankly, I would rather you abort it."
Gasps filled the room, and Emline began to cry. Annalise whirled around and tried to lunge for Matteo, but he side-stepped out of the way.
"Scumbag!" Annalise scread. "How can you ask my daughter to abort my future grandchild? Are you even human?! If Horace Hawthorne hears this, you’ll hear no end of it from him!"
Even Alia was surprised at the harshness of Matteo’s words.
"Matteo, abortion? Really?" Alia muttered in his ear.
"It’s better that way," Matteo said evenly. "If the child is born, they will simply be used as a pawn for her to further her interests. She wouldn’t love them enough to care for them."
His wintry gaze focused on Emline, who seed to be shivering as she hunched her shoulders.
"She doesn’t love anyone more than she loves herself," Matteo said, and Emline let out a watery chuckle before she eventually lost it, laughing wildly to herself while tears stread down her face.
"So this is it? After all this ti, this is how you see ? Fair enough, Matteo Montgory, don’t say I didn’t warn you! I gave you plenty of chances to do the right thing, but you refused. Even my cousin, your fiancée, was willing to step aside but you’re not. I’ll make you pay for this! All of you!"
"Darling, calm down, watch your blood pressure," Annalise chastised frantically, but her words fell on deaf ears. Emline whirled around and left the room, wiping away her tears, her mother chasing after her.
"Matteo, why did you do that?" Ronan exclaid, smacking a hand on his forehead. "We need her blood for the DNA test, and now she’ll never be willing to give it!"
"So? There are many ways to take her blood." Matteo scowled darkly. "In the worst case scenario, I can wait until the child is born to test them. Assuming the child even makes it full-term."
He would not put it past Emline to arrange for a convenient accident that would cause her to lose the baby the mont she successfully wedged herself into his life, just so that it would tie up any loose ends in a tidy, bloody bow.
"Matteo!" Alia scolded, aghast at his words. He had never been so unkind. "That’s a terrible thing to say."
"But it’s true. Anyways, I would not want to marry her even if she was giving birth to an entire league-winning football team," Matteo said. "If she loved this unborn child so much, she should be thinking about how to raise them instead of using them."
"Like any child related to you could play football," Ronan chid in as he slumped on one of the chairs. "You useless striker."
"She is thinking about how to raise them. That’s why she ca to look for you― because she believes she can’t do it alone," Alia pointed out.
If she was in the sa situation, what would she have done? She imagined herself being pregnant with Caleb’s child when news of his engagent with Kelsie Friesent hit the tabloids and shuddered.
She would have definitely demanded a proper answer. Her parents would have demanded compensation. But she would not have accepted Caleb after his betrayal.
The only difference between them was that Emline loved Matteo to the point of madness.
Alia’s mind suddenly recalled Emline’s words at the wedding. "Matteo, did she actually look for you before the wedding?"
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