Page 52 of Forget-Me-Nots

I cried.

And cried.

And cried.

I didn’t even know how much time passed when I stepped out of the bathroom with the tests in my hands. My eyes were swollen. My cheeks were wet.

Gabriele stood up immediately and came closer to me. He looked so worried for me that my heart ached. I couldn’t even remember he was the guy who was going to hurt me. I just wanted him to comfort me.

I held out the tests. “All positive.” And started crying again.

Gabriele gave me what I wanted. He pushed the tests to the floor and wrapped his arms around me, one on my face and the other cupping the back of my head. I buried my face into his neck. I found comfort in his warmth. I couldn’t find it in me to hate him even though he was going to kill my baby.

He was still my sanctuary.

I cried so hard that after a few minutes, my knees gave out, and Gabriele took me into his arms. He carried me to the bed and snuggled me into his muscular body. I wanted him to protect me from the world.

I wanted him to protect our baby.

How could he make me get rid of it? It wasourbaby. Our child. Ours.

“What are we going to do now?” I asked between cries.

He pushed my head into his neck. “Not now, darling. We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

“Okay,” I accepted so easily. At least he gave me this. He gave me time to be comforted by him. He gave me a chance to pretend it was okay, and he was not going to hurt me.

So, I pretended. I breathed his scent, filling my insides with him, and fell asleep in his arms. I let him take care of me before he ruined me forever.

Chapter 17

Kira

I woke up to an empty bed. Gabriele’s strong body was no longer holding me. And even though it felt bad when I first woke up, it was actually good. I knew we had to talk now. Our act was done, and now it was time to discuss everything that was going to kill me.

With him gone, it was up to me to decide when we were going to talk about it. I thought about taking a bath and relaxing before doing that. I was still in yesterday’s clothes, so it was probably a good plan, but I couldn’t do it. There was no way I could relax with all the memories inside my head. I needed to get this over with fast.

I only washed my face and brushed my teeth before I made my way downstairs. Gabriele was in the kitchen. There was a Starbucks cup on the counter, and he was busy cooking something.

“Good morning,” I said, only to announce my presence because there was nothing good about this morning.

Gabriele turned towards me, a little surprised. He didn’t seem happy, but there was a little smile on his lips. He was definitely not as crushed as I was. “Good morning, darling. I was making you bacon cheese sandwich.”

My chest tightened. “Thank you,” I murmured and sat on the stool. I reached for the cup. Another one was on the counter close to Gabriele, so I figured this one had to be mine. Maybe coffee would help me get my head together.

I took a sip and grimaced at the fruity taste on my tongue. It was not bad but not what I was expecting. “This is tea.”

Gabriele turned to me, and for the first time since I met him, he seemed a little shy. “Oh, yes, I was going to get you decaf but looked it up and saw it was still not very healthy for the baby. I thought tea was the best option.”

I felt my eyes burning but didn’t let tears come. Why did he have to be this cruel? He was acting so caring. He was acting so protective of our baby. Why was he doing that if we were going to get rid of it? “Does it even matter?” I murmured but drank my tea.

His jaw flexed to my words, and he turned back to making the sandwiches. After a few minutes, there were two sandwiches in front of me and one in front of him.

It was my favorite, but I couldn’t find it in me to eat. Just like I couldn’t take a bath. I had to hear him say it. I had to accept how cruel he could be. “What are we going to do, Gabriele?”

I couldn’t look up, but I could sense how tense that question made him. “We’ll do whatever you want, Kira. If you want, I can even find a clinic today. I can come with you, but if you don’t want me, I can call Priscilla too.”

I held back the tears but couldn’t help my voice to crack. “And this would be what I wanted?”

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