38. Aria
Chapter thirty-eight
Aria
Three Months Later
The sizzle of butter frying in the pan fills the quiet of my small apartment, cool evening air drifting in through the open kitchen window. My body moves absently around the small space, stirring the eggs as they cook, my mind drifting back and forth between my old life and the life I’m living now.
It’s been three months since I packed my bags and returned to law school, away from Dad and my best friend.
The loneliness has wrapped itself tightly around my bones now, like an old companion. Some days, I handle it well by filling my hours with school, books, and mindless distractions. On other days, like today, it sits heavier than usual.
A low growl riles my stomach, reminding me that I haven’t eaten much today. I should be taking better care of myself, at least for the baby’s sake, but it’s hard when I feel like I’m doing this all alone.
Mia would have been all over me if she were here. She would have nagged me, forced me to eat properly, and probably dragged me out to some ridiculous yoga class for ‘pregnancy mindfulness’ or whatever new thing she read about pregnancy. But she’s not here.
A sigh escapes my lips. I miss her so much. I miss Dad, too.
He would have bored me to death with stories of what my mom did or didn’t do when she was pregnant with Mario and me.
A small laugh rips past my lips as I picture his wrinkling face immersed in telling the story of his dear, late wife.
And Elio... I wonder what he’d have done. Rubbed my swollen, sore feet? Stopped me from going to work? Carried me all the way to the car just so I didn’t have to use the stairs?
The smile on my face grows bigger as his face comes to mind. I could imagine him rubbing my aching back on days when it cramped up or dashing off to prepare one of my cravings when I suddenly wanted weird stuff.
I guess I’d never know.
I haven’t seen or spoken to Elio since that day he showed up here at school.
At first, I carried the grudge that he broke my heart, but then I realized that it’s his heart that’s been torn to shreds by mistrust.
I’ve picked up my phone many times, fingers hovering over the call button, heart pounding with anxiety from wanting to hear his voice, but every single time, I’ve dropped it back down.
Our separation is probably for the best. Elio doesn’t trust me anymore, and I don’t want myself entangled in his web of shadows and darkness. But God, do I love him...so much. More than I think is safe. No matter how much I tell myself that this is the right choice, I can’t stop wishing that things had turned out differently between us.
Once again, I release a deep sigh with the thought that some things aren’t meant to be saved.
I pick the phone back up to call Mia. She’s the only one who can come over to me right now without throwing a fit.
“Hi, girl.” Mia’s called me that since she first knew I was pregnant. She said she didn’t want it to be weird for me when my kid eventually started calling me Mommy.
“Hey. Are you busy? Do you think you can come over?”
“What? Did your water break? Do you need to go to the hospital?” I can hear the sound of keys and her breath coming out in short puffs.
“Look, it’s nothing dramatic, okay? I just need company.”
“Sure, I’ll be there soon.”
With a sigh, I turn off the stove and grab a plate. It’ll take at least thirty minutes for her to arrive here, but just as I scoop the eggs onto the plate, the doorbell rings.
I pause, plate in hand, heart stuttering in my chest. That can’t be Mia. I barely have friends here in law school, and the ones I have don’t show up unannounced.
Setting the plate down carefully and wiping my hands on a towel as I move toward the door, my hand feels for the baseball bat I’ve always kept in my apartment, my fingers closing around it before heading towards the door.
When I open the door, there’s a young man wearing a black baseball cap, holding a package and standing at my doorstep.
My stomach clenches as he bows and gently thrusts the package into my arms without a word. I watch with furrowed brows as he retreats into a black Mercedes parked under a tree just across from my apartment.
I look at it. The package is elegant and unmarked except for my name in neat, precise handwriting.
To: Aria Donatelli.
A tremor runs through me. It’s been three months since anyone addressed me by that last name. I turn the fairly large box in my hands, my fingers brushing against the smooth surface. The weight of it sends my mind spiraling back to the memory of the last package Elio had sent me earlier in our ‘ engagement’ for the charity gala event! That gorgeous dress.
That night flashes before my eyes, along with the fight we had because Elio was being an overprotective jerk.
But, this time, I should be wary of this package. There could be a thousand and one things in it. Among them could even be the papers to annul our marriage.
I’m tempted to leave it unopened and pretend like the package never arrived. But instead, I clutch it to my chest and step back inside, securing the lock on the door behind me.
Slowly, I move to the coffee table, setting the package down before sinking onto the couch. My hands tremble as I pull the transparent sticker to lift the lid.
Inside, swathed in delicate layers of tissue paper, is a dress with a pair of low heels and a clutch to match.
My breath catches.
Red. Luxurious. Exquisite.
Those words are what come to my mind to describe the dress as I take the layers of tissue off of it. It’s the kind of dress that belongs to a woman who turns heads when she walks into a room.
Nestled beside it is an envelope which I already know, from experience, contains an invitation.
I open it and see an invitation to the commissioning event of Elio’s newest hotel. It comes with instructions to get ready by 5 p.m. and get in the black Mercedes parked outside my apartment.
My fingers tighten around the edges of the card as emotions clash inside me: excitement, confusion, anticipation, and fear.
Could this be our second chance? Or is it something else entirely?
I shake my head, pressing my fingers to my temple. I shouldn’t overthink this. It’s just an invitation to a party. Perhaps Elio just wants to see how his baby is doing.
And yet, my heart is racing.
“We’ll just go with an open mind,” I say to myself, rubbing my slightly bulging stomach, “No expectations or foolish hope.”
But as I glance back at the dress… at the way the silk gleams under the soft glow of my bulb, I know I’m lying to myself. I grab a leather jacket and place it beside the dress; since it’s a late event, it’s bound to get chilly. The last thing I want is to be shivering before Elio Donatelli when we come face to face.
I want to see him and know his real intentions for sending this.
Grabbing the package from the coffee table and dumping it on my bed, I head over to take a shower.
The shower does little to calm the nerves rolling through me. I step out, steam curling around my skin as I wipe a hand over the fogged mirror. My reflection stares back, wide-eyed and restless.
Slowly, I let my gaze drift down to my stomach, where my bump is now visible beneath the towel. I press a hand to it, exhaling softly.
“It’s just a couple of hours, darling. We’ll be home soon.”
Another knock resounds on the door, causing me to drag the dress over my body, hurrying over to get the door. Mia’s cheerful face pops through, but her huge smile is suddenly overwhelmed by a frown.
“Uh…what’s going on?”
A sheepish grin takes over my face as she walks into my apartment. “Does it suit me?”
She jerks her brows in question but manages to give a nod before barraging me with questions. “Where are you going girl? Are you seeing someone?”
I chuckle as her expression becomes more confused by the minute.
“Will you tell me what’s going on Aria Abruzzi, or do you prefer I choke it out of you?”
“Alright, easy now. Elio invited me to…”
“Elio Donatelli?” Disbelief cloaks her face as she lowers herself into my armchair.
“Yes, Elio Donatelli.”
“Girl, are you okay? Have you forgotten who that guy is? What he did to you? How he left you even when he’s aware that you’re carrying his child?”
My eyes roll in their sockets. “Mia, please. I know you don’t like him but hear me out this once. Okay?”
She purses her lips but, thankfully, keeps silent.
“Mia, since I moved here, I’ve been thinking all this time… Elio is a good man.”
She scoffs, but I motion for her to be silent with my eyes. “He has his demons, but he’s someone who truly cares for me. He saved my life, and my dad’s. He makes sure we lack nothing…” A hand reaches to caress my bulging stomach. “Whether I want him or not, he’s going to be in our lives forever. There’s no changing that. And with his gesture today, I think he, too, wants us to have a second chance. Maybe he’ll even be ready to give up part of his old life to gain a new one.”
Mia breathes heavily, eyes locking with mine. “I want you to be happy, Aria. You’ve been through a lot, the last thing I want is to see you heartbroken again.”
“I know, Mia, but these past few months made me realize that, without Elio, I’m not happy. I don’t think I can be.”
She places her warm palms on my cheeks. “Then what’re you waiting for? Go find your happy place, but if he ever makes you cry, he’ll have it coming for him, and I mean big time!”
My arms wrap around Mia, my heart leaping with joy. “That means a lot to me, Mia! Thank you.”
Her arms find their way around my waist. “You’re welcome, Mama.”