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When I return to the office, Aria is waiting, a mix of worry and curiosity displayed on her pretty face.
“Don’t worry, Princess! Everything is under control,” I tell her. She looks like she wants to say more but then simply nods and walks out quietly.
There’s this miserable feeling on my inside, like a wide chasm…as if something essential’s missing. Safe to say, I feel like a ship drifting out on the sea without a compass.
For the first time, I’m starting to question whether these blood-stained hands I have are worth the rewards. Maybe my life would have been simpler and more peaceful if my father had been a better person.
The image of me in a white coat stitching wounds instead of creating them flashes before my eyes, and I double over with laughter. Or maybe I could have been building bridges instead of raving them down in flames.
Maybe, I would have been addressed as “Doctor Elio” or another respectable occupation… one I don’t have to hide under layers of lies to protect.
My fingers press down on my eyes as I shake my head.
“What’s with the childhood dreams, Elio?” I grumble, pulling a stick of cigarette out of my drawer to clear my head. Wishing for a different life is only going to make me weak. Instead, I must face the one I’ve been given head-on.
For now, the storm Aria’s father is raining on me seems to be contained. But I know it’s only a matter of time before the next wave hits, especially since someone is out there, knocking my kings off their chessboard with their queens.
Chapter twenty-four
Aria
On my way home from work, as I’m about to respond to the taxi driver’s joke, my brain takes a sudden pause as a violent wave of nausea suddenly seizes me. My hands reach to clutch my stomach as my mouth becomes void of moisture, and my vision becomes slightly blurry. I can feel the old man’s eyes on me now.
“Miss? What’s wrong?”
I wave a hand weakly. “Pull over.”
“What?”
“Pull the car over, hurry!” I yell.
He swerves to the side of the road just as I shove the door open and stumble out. My stomach revolts against me, and everything pours out at once, acid burning my throat.
The cheeseburger I had for lunch is all over the place as the sour taste lingers on my tongue. The world feels unsteady, like someone is trying to tilt it from under my feet.
I wish I could say I’m surprised, but I’m not. I’ve been feeling nauseous since this morning, but I thought the urge would be next to nothing once I closed from work.
My hands reach for my bag still slung over my shoulder, taking out a tissue to clean up the mess on my mouth as I climb back into the car, legs trembling.
The driver doesn’t ask anything, but the curious gaze he holds me in says more than enough. I’m sure it’s not what he’s thinking.
“I think it’s something I ate,” I mumble, not meeting his eyes. “Stop at the next pharmacy. I need to get some medicine.”
“Yes, ma’am.” A few minutes later, he pulls into a small parking lot. I get out without a word, the chilly evening air biting into my skin as I make my way into the store, scanning the aisles until I find what I’m looking for: a pregnancy test kit.
My eyes hover around the box for a few minutes, my heart thundering in my chest. “It’s just precautionary,” I say aloud to myself, just to rule it out. Nothing more.
When I climb back in, the driver wastes no time in starting the engine.
“Thanks.” It comes out as a squeak.
***
His hulking frame greets my sight as I enter the Donatelli premises.
Elio is standing by the door, intense eyes peering into something one of his men is showing him on an iPad. His gaze roams my face like a child ogling over sweets. A delighted expression crosses his face momentarily before a frown takes over.
“Aria,” his smooth voice calls out, “You look pale.”