CHAPTER CXII
~~~
SOPHIA’S EYES SNAPPED open when she heard a light knock on her bedroom door. She muttered a small ‘come in’, and fully sat up on the bed as the person opened the door before walking in and closing it behind him.
“Hey,”
Sophia gave him a small smile. “Luciano, hello,”
He walked further into the room, his eyes darting to the bandage on her arm and forehead. “How are you feeling?”
“Just a little bit pain,” She smiled. “Chase said it will go away soon,”
“Yeah. You got them a few days before,” He said. “I hope I didn’t disturb you?”
“No no,” She said. “Please sit,”
He slowly sat on her bed and ran his gaze over her face, the truth finally striking him hard just in case he had refused to believe the truth. She really looked like their mum. She had their mum’s hair and eye color. The freckles smeared below her eyes weren’t any different.
“Is there any problem?” She asked, smiling. “You seem to be in the mood to talk to me,”
“I’ve always wanted to talk to you, sweet cheeks,” He said. “You were-you were just always all around Don,”
“You didn’t look happy the other day when he- uhh-when he-,”
He completed her sentence. “Announced your marriage? Yes,” He breathed out. “I wasn’t happy about it,”
“And now?” She asked. “You’re still not happy about it?”
“Obviously,”
Her heart skipped. “Why?”
“Because he isn’t for you, sweet cheeks,” He sighed. “Look, I know I sound like a betrayer or something, but truth is, I care about you a lot. Don was never trained for love. He won’t ever love you. You’ll only get yourself hurt,”
“Are you trying to say that I-,”
He nodded. “Whatever you’re thinking, yes,” He breathed out. “You’re only signing yourself up for heartbreak. I don’t want you to end up like Saige,”
“No -” She shook her head. “He- he loves me,”
“Has he ever told you he loves you?”
Her heart dropped because she knew the answer already. Tears glistened in her eyes as she stood up from the bed and stared down at him. “He- he- he loves me. I’m sure of that. He might not say it out loud, but I can see it in his eyes. He- he can do anything for me. He cares for me. He’s nice towards me. Isn’t that what love is all about?”
Luciano shook his head and stood up from the bed, shaking his head at her. “That’s not love, sweet cheeks. It’s not love,” He moved closer and ruffled her hair, a ghost smile dancing on his lips. “I hope you wake up from this illusion before it’s too late,”
Before his words could sink in, Luciano was gone out of the room, leaving her alone to her thoughts.
~~~
She couldn’t get Luciano’s words out of her mind. They haunted her like the nightmares Chase had helped her get rid of in his own way. But the question was, would he be able to get rid of those words from her mind?
He could. Only his love could.
Sophia sat down on the stool in front of the kitchen counter and rested her chin on her palm while her elbow rested on the marbled counter.
“Are you okay, ma’am?”
Sophia blinked back the tears from her eyes and looked up at the head of the maid in her late fifties, staring at her with a worried look. “I-,” She croaked out, feeling a huge lump forming at the back of her throat. “I- I’m okay,”
The lady gave her a motherly smile and sat next to her on the other stool. “Forgive me for evading your personal space, Donna, but I don’t think you’re okay. You don’t look okay at all, both physically and mentally. Your eyes say a lot,”
Donna. That was the only thing playing in Sophia’s head as the lady said it. She had become the Donna as per Chase’s words, but she had never worked as one. It had almost been a week since the whole incident. Sometimes, she found herself wanting to go and see Saige in the dungeon but whenever she remembered that she was the one same woman who tried to kill her, she would back off.
“Donna,”
“Can I get an ice cream, please?” She looked up at the lady.
“Sure, I’ll get it for you from the fridge,” The lady stood up and walked to the fridge. “What flavor?”NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.
“I want the chocolate flavored one,”
The lady smiled and took it out of the fridge. She walked towards Sophia and placed the bowl in front of her, and sat back on her stool. “Don had ordered more ice cream for you in the fridge since he noticed that you’ve suddenly taken this liking to it,”
Sophia twirled the ice cream spoon between her fingers and looked up at the lady. “Have I?”
Guilia, the lady, nodded with a smile. “You didn’t notice your sudden obsession for ice cream?”
Sophia shrugged. “I find myself craving it always,” That was true.
Guilia raised a brow at her, and a teasing smile played on her lips. “And?”
Sophia frowned. “Is there meant to be anything else?”
Guilia smiled sweetly at Sophia. “You didn’t tell me about the part where you lose your appetite or end up throwing up at the sight of food,”
Sophia blanched. “You noticed? Please don’t tell Chase I’ve been skipping my meals because of that. I really don’t know what’s wrong with me. I- I always throw up even if I don’t eat anything. I’ve been meaning to tell him that I’ve been feeling sick. I also have this morning fever and-,”
Guilia cut off Sophia’s rambling by cupping her cheek. “I think you’re pregnant,”
Sophia’s heart stopped, and her lips parted. “What- what do you mean I-what do you mean I’m pregnant? Am I going to have a baby?” A smile appeared on her lips, and she got down from the stool while Guilia did the same. “As in, I’m going to have a baby? Like… Chase and my baby? Our baby?”
Guilia nodded with a smile. “But we can’t be so sure, dear. You need to run a test,”
Sophia’s smile fell. “How then are we going to do it?”
“I’ll be leaving the compound later to get a few groceries. I’ll get a test kit for you. Is that okay?”
Sophia nodded giddily.
~~~
Sophia stared at the pregnancy test kit on the bathroom counter in front of her as her heart drummed against its ribcage while she waited for the results.
Instinctively, her palm went to her flat tummy, and an unconscious smile appeared on her lips at the thought of having a baby. Chase’s baby.
To think of it, an idea of having a baby had never crossed her mind. She had never imagined herself as a mother at a young age, but at that moment, she had already pictured herself in that position.
In her head, she could see she and Chase, holding their little baby girl with a smile on their faces as a happy, complete family.
Guilia’s voice from her bedroom broke Sophia’s chain of thoughts. “Shouldn’t the results be ready by now?”
Sophia flinched and turned towards the door. “I zoned out for a while. I’ll take a look at it now,”
“Okay then,”
Sophia turned and gasped at the sight in front of her.
Two lines. Positive.
She held the wall for balance and tears blurred her eyes as her other hand flew to her stomach again. She didn’t know why she was suddenly emotional.
“Donna?”
She opened the door and walked out of the bathroom before walking to her bed, ignoring Guilia who had a worried look on her face.
“Is everything alright?” Guilia asked.
Sophia said nothing. She fisted her shaky hands beside her as her lips trembled. Tears rolled down her cheek and it scared Guilia.
Guilia rushed to the bathroom and took out the test as she read it. She walked back to Sophia and squeezed her shoulder in an affectionate way. “It’s positive,”
“I know,” Sophia said. “I know,”
“Then what’s the problem?” Guilia sighed. “What’s it?”
“I- I- I miss my mama, “She blurted out, turning to Guilia as more tears streamed down her cheeks. “I miss her so much,”
Guilia pulled her into a motherly hug and patted her back. “Whenever you need someone to talk to, just know that I’ll always be here for you as a mum. I can’t replace your mum but I can try to show you little out of the love she would have given you if she were here,”
“I- I can’t believe I’m going to be a mum too,” Sophia pulled away from the hug and wiped her tears, a smile on her face. “It’s too hard to believe. I- I’ve never imagined myself as a mum. It’s too much to take in,”
Guilia smiled and palmed her cheek, wiping her tears. “With time, my dear, you’ll get used to it, trust me. It’s normal for pregnant women to feel like that. You get over emotional and have a lot of mood swings,”
Sophia pouted. “Is it stupid to say that I love my baby already?”
“No,” Guilia said. “Most mothers fall in love with their babies immediately. It’s normal,”
“I want to give birth to a girl,” She said, her palms resting on her stomach. “I want a baby girl who will look like her daddy. I want my baby to have Chase’s hair type and color. I want her to have similar eyes to his’. But she should have some things like me too,” She giggled. “I just want more of Chase’s features,”
“When do you plan on telling Don about his baby?” Guilia asked. “He has the right to know about it, you know,”
“I-,” Sophia stood up and walked towards her reading table as Guilia’s eyes followed her movements. She picked up the calendar on the table and trailed the pad of her fingertips on the date she circled on the calendar with a smile on her face. “Chase’s birthday is coming soon,” She turned to Guilia. “I’ll tell him on that day. It’s going to be his second birthday gift,”
“That’s nice,” Guilia stood up and walked to Sophia. “It’s going to be a nice birthday gift. I think you should think of an excuse to make this surprise work better. Why don’t you go to a hospital and get a test done?”
“It’s going to be perfect!” Sophia faced Guilia fully, giddiness in her tone. She clasped her hands together and stood on her toes as a wide smile danced on her lips. She squealed. “I’m sure he’s going to love it! I can’t wait to see his reaction!”