Chapter 12
MADALINA
W hat's wrong with you?” Lorna lifts her head up from the book she’s reading when I return from another trip to the bathroom.
“I must have eaten something that doesn’t agree with me.” I lie down on the sunlounger beside her and close my eyes. We were supposed to be having a relaxing day around the pool but my stomach seems to have other ideas.
“That's like the fifth time you’ve been since I’ve been here.” She laughs. “If you have stomach flu, I do not want to catch it.”
“It’s not stomach flu. I’m not even being sick, I just constantly feel like I’m going to be.” I’ve been feeling this way for a few days now and it’s not only annoying, it’s worrying too.
“You're on the pill, right?” I question Lorna, knowing this will lead to her asking more questions.
“Yes, why?” She places the book down and gives me her full attention.
“Do you still get your periods?” I ask, very cautious of the fact that I’ve been married for nearly six weeks and I haven’t had one.
“I do now, but the one I was taking last year stopped them completely. I’m sensitive to what I take so I’ve switched around a lot, in the past. What brand do you use? I’ve probably tried it at one time or another.” She smiles.
“I don’t know, they’re just in a white bottle.” I notice how confused she looks by my answer.
“Usually, they come in a packet, with days of the week written on them so you know if you’ve missed one,” she informs me as she sits up.
“Oh, I’ve never missed one. I wouldn’t,” I assure her.
“And they are just loose in the bottle, like aspirin?” She continues to look concerned.
“Yes, come with me, I’ll show you.” I grab a robe and put it on before leading her upstairs to my bedroom and picking the bottle up from the nightstand.
“Who prescribed these?” She examines the bottle, popping the cap and looking inside.
“I don’t know, one of Dario’s physicians, I assume. We’d gotten into a fight about using protection and then I woke up and they were there. I remember Nic telling me that Thadeo owns a few clinics around the city, I’m sure he got one of the doctors on the payroll to prescribe them.”
“So, you didn’t see a doctor yourself? You didn’t get a blood pressure check, or have a consultation?”
Now the look on Lorna’s face is really making me panic.
“No, I told you. Dario got them for me, it was a peace offering. He didn’t want to admit he was wrong so he showed me instead.” I snatch the pills back out of her hand defensively.
“Oh, you poor na?ve girl.” She shakes her head at me.
“What are you saying?” I stare back at her, praying that it’s not the same thing I’m thinking.
“I’m saying that your husband has played you.” She looks at the bottle in my hand with a sad look on her face.
“No, he wouldn’t, we’ve been in such a good place. I know he can be an asshole, but we came to an understanding about this.”
“So when was your last period?” She folds her arms across her chest.
“I figured it was about three weeks before the wedding.” I open my robe and slide my hand over my lower stomach. I have noticed my pants getting a little tighter over the past weeks but I put it down to all the amazing meals Dario's chef makes.
“We need to get you a test,” Lorna tells me.
“No, I don’t need to do a test. I’d know if I were pregnant.”
“Madalina, you haven’t had a period in nearly two months, you feel sick, what more evidence do you need?” She stares back at me.
“Okay, let's go get a test.” I throw on some clothes while she heads back down to the pool to grab her own and I try to stay calm and tell myself this is all just a misunderstanding. The pills still could be legit, and the reason I haven’t had a period. I know Dario can be controlling, I’m actually learning to enjoy his dominance a little, but he wouldn’t be capable of this.
I head downstairs and see that Lorna is already in an argument with Lucian who’s standing in front of the door to block her.
“Well, get Dario dick-face on the phone!” She yells up at his 6ft 10 frame and when he looks across to me and shrugs, I step in.
“What’s the problem?” I ask my friend calmly.
“Your husband’s donkey here seems to think he’s going to stop you from leaving the house,” she answers.
“I’m sorry Mrs. DeMarco but that's the boss's rules. He doesn’t want you leaving today.”
“That's fine.” I smile politely back at him, before turning to Lorna, “You can go to the store and get us what we need. I’ll just wait here.” I raise my eyebrows at her, reminding her to be compliant, the last thing I want right now is to raise Dario’s suspicions.
“Fine. I’ll be back.” She glares at Lucian before lifting her purse strap on her shoulder and storming out the door.
I head back up to my room and wait for her there, staring at the pills Dario gave me and hoping that this is all an overreaction. I was really starting to trust him, allowing myself to embrace the connection there is between us instead of fighting it. I was hoping that this marriage wasn’t going to be the disaster I expected. If he’s lied to me about this I can’t see a way that I could ever forgive him.
Lorna returns half an hour later, closing my bedroom door and taking the test out of her purse. Suddenly, I feel a different kind of sick. The nervous kind.
I can’t be pregnant. I don’t want to be a mom yet. I’m not even twenty years old and I still don’t really know Dario. All these different sides I keep seeing from him confuse me.
“Come on. You need to know.” Lorna already has the box ripped open, the test stick in her hand and I quickly snatch it from her and head into the ensuite. I take off the cap and make sure to pee where the instructions tell me to, and then placing it on the surface beside me I grip the basin and stare at my feet while I count the seconds in my head.
“Madalina.” Lorna bangs on the door, but I don’t answer. Right now, I’m just trying to breathe. I can’t wait any longer, I’ve lost track of the time, so I pick up the test in my shaking hand and when I see the word PREGNANT very prominently displayed in the window, I immediately drop it to the floor and rush to the basin so I can throw up.
“Madalina!” Lorna continues to knock on the door and I quickly pull myself together, collecting the test and shoving it in the bathroom cabinet. It takes me a few attempts to practice my smile in the reflection of the mirror, but when I get it right I open the door.
“Negative,” I tell her, breathing a fake sigh of relief. “I guess the pills are real and we’re just paranoid.”
“Well, you are married to a crime lord, you can’t blame us for having a few doubts.” Lorna seems to buy what I tell her and moves away from the door so I can step out.
“So what now, back down to the pool? Or we could try out that cinema room,” she suggests.
“I think maybe it’s best you go, chances are I do have the stomach flu.” I try to sound upbeat while controlling my shakes, and when she comes toward me and places her hand on my forehead she nods in agreement.
“You look pale and you're clammy as hell. You should get some rest. Call me later.” She avoids kissing me like she usually does and picks up her purse from the bed. “Close call, huh?” She giggles before she heads out the door and I flop onto the bed, staring at the blank wall in front of me while I absorb the fact that I’m pregnant by a manipulative, lying asshole.
I feel trapped, deceived, and hurt. Not to mention scared as hell.
How am I supposed to raise a child with a man I can’t trust? I have no idea what to do next, I’ve been completely blindsided and despite the huge problem I should be facing, all I can focus on is making that bastard hurt.