Chapter 2
THOR
I watched Antonella’s rigid posture beside me.
She remained in the same position she had sat down in.
Her gaze was lost beyond the car window, her hands clasped in her lap, her fingers tight.
A sign that I wasn’t the only one uncomfortable.
My fingers gripped the steering wheel with force and displeasure.
I was nervous and anxious, a fucked-up combination in my system.
It was the first time we had been alone in an enclosed space.
Just the two of us. The silence. And a shitload of frustration.
“Where are we going?”
“We have an appointment with Marcela for the ultrasound.”
“You want to know the sex?”
“Of course. Don’t you?”
“Yes.”
The silence lasted until we stopped at a traffic light.
“Why didn’t you want to know before?”
She looked at me, thrown off, and shifted in her seat, but said nothing. I exhaled hard, then put the car in gear again.
We stopped at another traffic light.
My gaze drifted to her, and the questions simply came out.
“Have you changed, Antonella? Do you accept the pregnancy? Do you love my son?”
Beneath her long lashes, her gaze connected with mine.
“If I say yes, will you believe me?”
“Unbelievable,” I muttered to myself, accelerating.
“Believe whatever you want, Heithor.”
“That isn’t a smart thing to say,” I warned.
“We have a signed agreement. And unless you want us to move forward with it, I advise you to choose your words carefully and worry about making me believe you’re not the same reckless girl from before.
Forgive me if I’m being harsh, but there can be no misunderstandings about this subject.
I lost too much to keep my son. I won’t put him at risk. ”
In a low murmur, almost inaudible, she asked after a moment:
“Are you going to forbid me from being with him?”
“If I’m not convinced of your acceptance, yes. I fought hard for him to have a chance to come into this world, Antonella, and I lost a lot too, only to risk everything now. I love him. He’s my son. Our son. I won’t allow anyone to hurt him. Not even you.”
I had no intention of bombarding her, or accusing her, although the words sounded accusatory, but this matter had to be clear as water between us. There was no room for any misunderstanding here. Not anymore.
I pulled the car up near the curb in front of the clinic.
“What would you do if you were in my place?”
Her silence told me everything, and I found myself surprised again. It was the first time we had reached an agreement without arguing.
At the clinic, it didn’t take long for us to be taken into the exam room.
“Ready to find out the baby’s sex?” Marcela asked.
Soon the familiar drumming, strong and fast, filled the small room when the image of our baby appeared on the screen, leaving me foolish and proud.
I looked at Antonella… No thoughts, no feelings. I just looked at her, at the way she stared at the screen with uncontained emotion.
Maternal. Tender. Pure expectation.
Everything I had always wanted and thought impossible.
Surreal.
She changed.
“See here? Those are his genitals.”
“His?”
“His?”
“Yes, Mom and Dad. It’s a boy. Very strong and healthy, by the way.”
My chest filled with pride, an immeasurable feeling.
A boy. My big boy. A child who was loved beyond measure and whom I would protect from everything and everyone, even… her.
Her fingers touched mine, drawing my gaze.
I looked, memorizing every little thing about her… the timid touch, the shy look, her rosy cheeks, the suggestion of a smile, which made me smile back. That seemed to encourage her. I squeezed her hand gently.
She looked spectacular, so much that it hurt my heart.
The way her eyes shone with tears, the glow intensifying with something else, something indecipherable. Jesus Christ! If Antonella truly wanted our boy, I would never take him from her.
Everything could have been so different…
“Well, now you can choose the name without fear.”
Back in the office, Marcela went through a series of recommendations.
“… That’s it, Antonella. Did you understand everything?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have any questions?”
Antonella glanced at me, then at the doctor, and smiled, looking embarrassed and just as nervous. “No… er… Yes, but I’ll call later.”
“What’s the problem, Antonella?” I asked.
“I’m sorry. I… I just… I’m just not used to having you here. Well, your presence makes me a little embarrassed.”
Anger tightened my muscles. “You wouldn’t be if you had allowed me to follow the pregnancy closely the way I should have, would you?” She lowered her gaze. “I’ll wait outside.”
As I went through the door, the urge I had was to bash my head against the wall. I hated the way she affected me, throwing me off balance, even without meaning to.
Had I really made a scene because she didn’t want to ask her questions in front of me?
Fuck, I sounded like a sensitive little pussy!
Snorting in anger, I strode into the waiting room.
Antonella barely looked at me when she joined me.
“Forgive me. I shouldn’t have said that. I lost my head.”
“Can we go?”
We said nothing on the way to the mansion. I still tried to start a conversation, but gave up when I realized all I would get were vague nods.
Antonella opened the car door as soon as I turned off the engine.
“Antonella?”
She stopped as if I had electrocuted her, and after a few fucking seconds, finally looked at me, tears in her eyes.
“You don’t have to apologize, Heithor. After all, you didn’t tell any lies, did you?
Just don’t forget that you left because you wanted to.
I never asked you to. And do you want to know why I didn’t want to learn the baby’s sex before?
I wanted to wait for his stupid father so we could find out together, because I believed it was only fair, since this imbecile missed his son’s development because he was off having fun with his filthy whore instead of being here.
Unfortunately, I was wrong about fairness. ”
Antonella climbed out abruptly, while I stared at her in a daze and only came out of that trance when I heard the door close. I blinked, watching her head toward the door that led to the corridor into the mansion.
She waited for me.
I replayed her words…
At what point had the shit turned against me?
What the fuck did Antonella want me to do after everything she’d done to me?
Having fun? That was rich!
If she had any idea of the hell I had been through… Actually, if she didn’t, she was about to. It was time to set the record straight.
With that thought, I followed her trail.
“Antonella?” I called, moving down the corridor. She ignored me and reached the stairs. “Antonella, fuck, come back here right now! We’re not done with this conversation, woman.”
She stopped, and her shoulders dropped. Then she turned around.
I opened my mouth, but Norah’s voice filled the room instead.
“Darling, I was thinking…”
Holy fucking shit.
Fuck it!
Antonella threw a murderous look at Norah and then back at me, and my dick practically shriveled. “I think we are done, Castellammare.”