Before either of the n could say anything, Alia returned. Her blood chilled in her veins when she noticed Matteo and Aiden standing at the counter, the pharmacist looking helplessly back and forth between them. When she locked eyes with Alia, it looked as though she had spotted her saving grace.
"Miss!" she said, relieved.
The pharmacist passed the dication directly to Alia, repeating everything she had told Matteo just now but at a speed three tis faster than before. Once she was done, she all but scuttled away, mumbling about how she needed to tend to other patients.
"Alia..." Matteo started, but she paid him no mind.
Instead, Alia stared at the prescribed dication in her hands. Right at the bottom of the deck were the pamphlets for first-ti mothers on how to deal with their pregnancies, and those particular pieces of paper seed to weigh like a truck on her hands.
"We should take this sowhere else," Aiden said, eyeing the crowd. While no one paid them particular attention, he didn’t want to be a source of their entertainnt in the event they did decide to turn around.
Alia nodded, saying nothing, and she and Matteo quietly followed Aiden down to the carpark.
Aiden imdiately bade them goodbye and returned to his car, the jackets that he had loaned Alia in his hands. They still slled faintly of her and were still warm with her body heat.
Inside the car, he peered in their direction. This was a conversation they needed to have as new parents. Aiden was an outsider who did not belong in this equation. He was just thankful he never had to go through this phase, though Aiden supposed it would be a different situation altogether if he had a child with a woman he actually loved.
Shifting the gears, Aiden stepped on the gas pedal, quickly leaving a trail of smoke behind.
On the other hand, Alia and Matteo stood in silence. He wordlessly held the car door open for her and she stepped inside, with him doing the sa once she was secure. Then, he reached over to her seat and did her seatbelt for her.
"Oh, you didn’t have to. I can do it myself―"
"Were you going to tell ?" Matteo suddenly asked, causing Alia’s eyes to widen. She looked down anxiously at her lap, biting her lip.
"So she did tell you..." she muttered. "Frankly, I was hoping I was reading too much into the situation―"
"Alia," Matteo sternly said.
Alia sighed. "It isn’t the right ti," she said.
"To tell ?" Matteo asked. "Or to have a child?"
"Both," Alia said. She raised her gaze and t his eyes with resolve. "You have a lot of things going on right now, with X’el and then with Emline and your family. What’s going on with can wait."
"I don’t want to wait," Matteo said. "All these other things... their importance pales when in comparison to you. Especially if you’re... we’re..."
His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed, and his eyes flitted to look at Alia’s stomach. It was still fairly flat, especially with the loose blouse she was wearing. No one would’ve been able to tell that she was with child at all. It was no surprise that Matteo hadn’t realized it.
"How long have you known?" Matteo croaked.
Aiden’s words blared inside his mind. While spouses kept secret from each other, it wasn’t sothing he hoped would happen for him and Alia. Those marriages often ended badly― his parents were the pri example.
"Just," Alia answered. "Isaac ntioned it and advised to check, but I’ve never really... properly confird it until today when the doctor ran the tests."
She had been so afraid it might be true that she had been trying to forget about it. However, now that she knew for sure, Alia couldn’t help the warmth that blossod in her heart. She placed a hand over her stomach― there was no bump, but she could almost imagine the sensation of having sothing there already. It was only a matter of ti.
"Matteo..." Alia worriedly glanced at him only to see a complicated expression on his face. Instantly, she felt her stomach fall. "If you don’t want the child, I could just―"
Before she could finish her sentence, Matteo leaned forward and held her tightly in his embrace. He placed one hand on her back while the other cupped the back of her head, holding her so close that it was as though he wanted nothing more than to ld themselves together into one.
"Thank you," Matteo murmured against her skin, his face buried into the crook of her neck. "Thank you for giving a family."
Alia’s breath hitched. For so reason, she felt her eyes start to water and her nose soured. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around him as well, feeling his body relax against her hold.
"I promise to set everything back on its course," Matteo said. "I’ve failed to protect you once. I won’t fail a second ti. We’ll have our happy little family, safe."
When he finally pulled away, Alia noted that Matteo’s eyes were a little red around the rims with unshed tears. He leaned in and kissed her eyelids one by one, and she giggled at the ticklish sensation.
"And loved."
***
Kelsie jumped when she heard a loud pounding against her car window, and she turned just to see a bloodied face co into view. Horrified, she let out a screech, but it was quickly cut short when the window shattered with a loud bang in the background and a hand reached in.
It wrapped around her throat, a choked gurgle leaving her lips as she instantly reached up to pull the assailant away. However, despite his beat-up state, it was obvious she was no match for him in strength.
"Unlock the fucking door," he growled out, and Kelsie hurriedly did as she was told.
Only after the resounding click echoed through the air did he finally let go.
Kelsie gasped for air as she heard the back door open and close, and the car wobbled a little as the person stepped into the car. She gulped down air as though she was starved of it, her heart thundering across her ribcage.
"What the fuck happened to you?" Kelsie asked once she got past her initial shock, annoyed. "I just saw the news. You still have the guts to co find after what you’ve done?"
"Bring back to your apartnt and let hide the next few days there," Caleb ordered.
"Why should I?" Kelsie shot back. "You’re wanted for sexual assault and kidnapping, Caleb. You’ve cheated on and you expect to―"
Her words were cut short when she felt the cold barrel of a gun placed against her forehead.
"Drive," Caleb said, a cold glint in his eye. "Don’t make repeat it."
Reviews
All reviews (0)