Chapter 3

• ARIA'S POV
• The phone slipped out of my fingers and landed on the bed. Dante's words echoed in my head, each one feeling like a knife twisting in my stomach.
• “...you are not allowed to get pregnant with my child. If you are, you better get rid of it. Immediately.”
• I sat there, numb, staring at nothing. How could he? How could he be so heartless?
• "Breathe, Aria," I whispered to myself, but the air felt thick, choking me.
• Minutes crawled by. Or was it hours? I couldn't tell.
• Suddenly, a loud buzz cut through the quiet.
• My phone.
• I glanced at it, feeling a mix of hope and dread. Maybe Dante had…
• With a shaky hand, I reached for the device. "Unknown number," the screen read.
• I let out a frustrated sigh. "Great. Just what I need. Some telemarketer trying to sell me crap I don't want."
• I almost tossed it aside, but something made me hesitate. Call it a woman's instinct or just plain curiosity, but I found myself opening the message.
• Just then, I gasped and quickly covered my mouth with my hand.
• There, on my screen, was a picture. But it was not just any picture. It was Dante with his arm around Linda - both of them grinning like they had won the lottery. They were in what looked like a doctor's office, and Linda... oh goodness, Linda was holding an ultrasound picture.
• "Linda is pregnant??" I whispered, my voice cracking. "No, no, no. This can't be real."
• I zoomed in, desperately searching for some sign that this was fake. A badly photoshopped edge, a weird shadow, anything. But it was real. As real as the little life growing inside me.
• A laugh bubbled up from my chest, harsh and bitter. "Is this a joke?" I asked the empty room. "Am I being pranked? Dante!"
• "Ahhh" I choked out, bending over as a wave of nausea hit me.
• It all made sense now. This was exactly why he didn't want me to have his child.
• I stumbled to the bathroom, barely making it before I threw up. As I sat on the cold tile floor, I pulled out my phone again, staring at the damning picture.
• "Why, Dante?" I whispered as I traced his face on the screen. "Why would you do this to me? To us?"
• Suddenly, it felt as if all the air had been sucked out of the room. I couldn't breathe. My chest tightened, and I gasped, trying to force air into my lungs.
• Then, as if the universe decided I hadn't suffered enough, a sudden sharp pain ripped through my stomach. I bent over, clutching at my belly.
• "Ouch!" I whimpered. "Please, no."
• The pain subsided for a moment, tricking me into thinking it was over. But seconds later, it came back even stronger. I tried to stand, but my legs were weak. I half-crawled, half-dragged myself back to the bed.
• My fingers reached for the emergency call button and I pressed it repeatedly in quick succession.
• A nurse burst into the room, her eyes wide with concern. "Princess Aria? What's wrong?"
• "The doctor," I managed to gasp out through the pain. "Get the doctor. Please."
• She nodded and quickly left, and I just lay there, curled into a ball, silently praying for the pain to stop.
• It felt like an eternity, but it couldn't have been more than a few minutes before the door burst open again.
• Dr. Rita rushed in with three nurses by her side. Her face was a mask of professional concern as she approached my bed.
• "What's going on, Princess?" she asked, her voice calm but urgent.
• "Pain," I managed to say. "My stomach. It hurts so bad."
• She nodded to the nurses. "Help her lie flat."
• Gentle hands helped me lie on my back. I winced as Dr. Rita's cool fingers examined my stomach.
• "Princess," she said, her voice serious. "You're in the early stages of pregnancy, and your body has recently undergone significant stress. Your fetal position is very unstable right now."
• Fear gripped my heart. "What does that mean? Is my baby okay?"
• Dr. Rita's eyes softened. "For now, yes. But I need to strongly advise you to be extremely careful for the rest of your pregnancy. Any more stress or physical strain could result in a miscarriage."
• Her words should have scared me. They should have made me want to lie still and do everything in my power to protect this little life inside me. But all I could think about was Dante and Linda.
• "I want to go home," I said suddenly, trying to sit up.
• Dr. Rita put a hand on my shoulder. "I really think you should stay here for observation. At least for tonight."
• I shook my head. "No. I can't... I can't be here. I need to go home."
• "Princess," one of the nurses cut in. "Please listen to the doctor. It's for your own good, and that of your baby's."
• However, their words seemed to blend into the background like a distant hum.
• All I could see was that picture. All I could hear was Dante's voice telling me that he didn't want me to get pregnant for him.
• "I'm leaving," I said, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. The room spun for a moment, but I clenched my teeth and stood up.
• "Please, Princess," Dr. Rita pleaded. "Think about your baby."
• I turned to look at her, and I saw her flinch slightly at whatever she saw in my eyes. "My baby?" I laughed, but it was a broken sound. "The father of my baby is having another baby with his… his lover. Tell me, doctor, how am I supposed to think about anything else right now?
• The room fell silent. I could feel their pitying stares, but I couldn't bear to meet their eyes.
• "I just really need to get out of here," I said, my voice flat. “I need some fresh air.”
• Without waiting for a response, I turned on my heel and walked out. The doctor's words faded behind me, lost in the pain I was feeling. My feet moved of their own accord, carrying me down sterile hallways that all looked the same.
• I didn't know where I was going. I didn't care. All I knew was that I had to get away, I had to escape the suffocating sympathy and the harsh reality of my situation.
• As I walked past an open door, I heard voices coming from inside and it caught my attention. There was something about the voices that felt familiar.
• I immediately slowed down, drawn to the sound like a moth to a flame.
• And in that moment, my world shattered all over again.
• There, in the hospital room, stood Dante and Linda. My Dante. The father of my baby. His arms were wrapped tenderly around another woman.
• I froze, unable to move, unable to breathe. Linda was leaning into him, her face a picture of shy happiness. Dante's back was facing me, but I could see the gentle way he held her.
• "I can't believe we're really doing this," Linda's voice drifted out, soft and filled with wonder.
• Dante's laughter, once my favourite sound in the world, now felt like a painful stab in my heart. "I know, honey. It's crazy, right? But I'm so happy."