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Chapter thirty-nine
Elio
I’ve been waiting for this moment since the minute I walked out of her life−or rather, kickedherout ofmylife−months ago.
Inviting her over to the commissioning of my newest hotel was only a means to that end. She arrived just after the party began, and with so many guests, I haven’t been able to speak to her personally, but now, I’m going to whisk her away and let her know how much I missed her... how much I need her.
I used to think I was a pro at dealing with loneliness because, until her, it was nothing compared to the growing feeling of despair inside me after we broke up that day. I couldn’t stop thinking about her or the part of me she’s carrying inside her... my baby…ourbaby.
I spent days trapped in my own head, questioning every action I took towards her and replaying every single conversation I could remember us having.
Somehow, the conviction that she betrayed me stung the sharpest. I never thought she’d hand me over to the media without hesitation.
It wasn’t just anger I felt when I found out; it was more like being ripped open with a knife. I wanted to reach out to her and ask why, ask what I did to make her want to destroy me when all I ever did was to love her…protect her, but instead, I chose the easier way, just send her out of my life and clean up the mess she left behind.
Cortez did a thorough research on all the media houses in New York, trying to figure out where Mia might’ve submitted an article about me, but he found none. No media house received or published anything scandalous about me.
Aria never betrayed my trust. I figured she must’ve spoken to Mia as a friend, and that was the end of it.
After that, I spent too many nights trying to understand why that realization made my chest ache unbearably, instead of making me feel relieved. It dawned on me that for the first time in my life, I’m actually scared of something. I’m too damn scared to admit that Aria means the world to me and I can’t fucking live without her.
On top of that, she’s carrying my child. The thought of it presents the possibility of a future without bloodshed and nasty, dark secrets for me.
I want Aria. I want my family. I want it all.
As I advance towards her, shoes thudding on the polished marble floors, I can’t believe she actually accepted the invite and is now here, standing before me, beautiful as ever, in this breathtaking red dress.
She’s added some weight. Her once slender cheeks are now plumped up, making her even more beautiful than I remember. I bring my eyes lower and hold my breath at the sight of her tummy, now round, protruded, and cute.
Seeing her like this makes me wonder how she’s been faring these past months. Did she have any weird new cravings? Was she comfortable?
Hell, those are questions I asked myself every moment we were apart.
“Aria,” I call out to her. Her lips are painted in a bright red shade, accentuating her skin’s milky color.
She raises her eyes from her cell phone, which she’s been typing furiously on, and a small smile touches her lips. That’s all the reassurance I need to pull her into my arms.
The sizable bump in her stomach pokes at the waistline of my pants as my hands close around her. My baby is in there—our baby.
Right now, I don’t care about anything else. I don’t care about the fight we had over trust issues, or the doubt I know still lingers in her heart.
Aria exhales, her fingers tightening around the edge of her leather jacket. She’s scared. I can see it in the way she won’t meet my eyes… in the way she shifts from foot to foot like she’s bracing for something.
“Elio…” Her voice is soft, almost hesitant. “We need to talk.”
“I know…I can’t exactly leave the party right now, but I can get us a private place until we’re done. Is that okay?”
She nods gently, pulling the jacket tighter around her frame. Reaching to grab her purse, my other hand circles the small of her back, leading her to the elevator and taking us to one of the private suites.
As the elevator dings softly, a warm golden glow envelopes us, emanating from the LED lighting embedded in the marble floors. The plush, gray carpet under our feet muffles the sounds of our footsteps as we walk towards the suite. Aria’s examining looks all around her show how impressed she is with the ambiance.
“This is exquisite…and expensive.” She adds the last part with a whisper.
My eyes dart once again towards the bump in her stomach, my chest swelling with pride. She falls silent as I open the door to the suite, her eyes lighting up the minute she walks into the creamy-hued suite complemented with rich, dark wood accents and taupe-colored furnishings.
“Have a seat.” I lower her into one of the plush, oversized sofas. She groans contentedly as the fluffiness envelopes her, sliding her feet out of her heels.
“What should I offer you? Water? Soda? Maybe a beer?” Her eyes widen at the last statement. My mouth stretches into a wide grin as she bats her eyelids at my joke.