39. Elio
Chapter thirty-nine
Elio
I’ve been waiting for this moment since the minute I walked out of her life?or rather, kicked her out of my life?months ago.
Inviting her over to the commissioning of my newest hotel was only a means to that end. She arrived just after the party began, and with so many guests, I haven’t been able to speak to her personally, but now, I’m going to whisk her away and let her know how much I missed her... how much I need her.
I used to think I was a pro at dealing with loneliness because, until her, it was nothing compared to the growing feeling of despair inside me after we broke up that day. I couldn’t stop thinking about her or the part of me she’s carrying inside her... my baby… our baby.
I spent days trapped in my own head, questioning every action I took towards her and replaying every single conversation I could remember us having.
Somehow, the conviction that she betrayed me stung the sharpest. I never thought she’d hand me over to the media without hesitation.
It wasn’t just anger I felt when I found out; it was more like being ripped open with a knife. I wanted to reach out to her and ask why, ask what I did to make her want to destroy me when all I ever did was to love her…protect her, but instead, I chose the easier way, just send her out of my life and clean up the mess she left behind.
Cortez did a thorough research on all the media houses in New York, trying to figure out where Mia might’ve submitted an article about me, but he found none. No media house received or published anything scandalous about me.
Aria never betrayed my trust. I figured she must’ve spoken to Mia as a friend, and that was the end of it.
After that, I spent too many nights trying to understand why that realization made my chest ache unbearably, instead of making me feel relieved. It dawned on me that for the first time in my life, I’m actually scared of something. I’m too damn scared to admit that Aria means the world to me and I can’t fucking live without her.
On top of that, she’s carrying my child. The thought of it presents the possibility of a future without bloodshed and nasty, dark secrets for me.
I want Aria. I want my family. I want it all.
As I advance towards her, shoes thudding on the polished marble floors, I can’t believe she actually accepted the invite and is now here, standing before me, beautiful as ever, in this breathtaking red dress.
She’s added some weight. Her once slender cheeks are now plumped up, making her even more beautiful than I remember. I bring my eyes lower and hold my breath at the sight of her tummy, now round, protruded, and cute.
Seeing her like this makes me wonder how she’s been faring these past months. Did she have any weird new cravings? Was she comfortable?
Hell, those are questions I asked myself every moment we were apart.
“Aria,” I call out to her. Her lips are painted in a bright red shade, accentuating her skin’s milky color.
She raises her eyes from her cell phone, which she’s been typing furiously on, and a small smile touches her lips. That’s all the reassurance I need to pull her into my arms.
The sizable bump in her stomach pokes at the waistline of my pants as my hands close around her. My baby is in there—our baby.
Right now, I don’t care about anything else. I don’t care about the fight we had over trust issues, or the doubt I know still lingers in her heart.
Aria exhales, her fingers tightening around the edge of her leather jacket. She’s scared. I can see it in the way she won’t meet my eyes… in the way she shifts from foot to foot like she’s bracing for something.
“Elio…” Her voice is soft, almost hesitant. “We need to talk.”
“I know…I can’t exactly leave the party right now, but I can get us a private place until we’re done. Is that okay?”
She nods gently, pulling the jacket tighter around her frame. Reaching to grab her purse, my other hand circles the small of her back, leading her to the elevator and taking us to one of the private suites.
As the elevator dings softly, a warm golden glow envelopes us, emanating from the LED lighting embedded in the marble floors. The plush, gray carpet under our feet muffles the sounds of our footsteps as we walk towards the suite. Aria’s examining looks all around her show how impressed she is with the ambiance.
“This is exquisite…and expensive.” She adds the last part with a whisper.
My eyes dart once again towards the bump in her stomach, my chest swelling with pride. She falls silent as I open the door to the suite, her eyes lighting up the minute she walks into the creamy-hued suite complemented with rich, dark wood accents and taupe-colored furnishings.
“Have a seat.” I lower her into one of the plush, oversized sofas. She groans contentedly as the fluffiness envelopes her, sliding her feet out of her heels.
“What should I offer you? Water? Soda? Maybe a beer?” Her eyes widen at the last statement. My mouth stretches into a wide grin as she bats her eyelids at my joke.
Taking out a bottle of water, I twist it open for her, and while she drinks deeply, I clear my throat.
“Aria, I’m truly sorry about everything that’s happened between us,” I begin with a deep breath as she slowly peels the bottle from her lips. “I want to be a part of your life and our baby’s life.”
She puts the bottle of water on the coffee table in front of her, flicking her eyes to stare directly into mine.
“Elio, I- I don’t know,” she hesitates, her chest heaving as her eyes flicker everywhere but at me. “I mean, you’re the father and I can’t deny you, but I have my fears.”
I hold my breath as she continues. I’d anticipated this...
“So before we talk about you becoming a part of our lives…” her hand moves instinctively to pat her stomach, “I need to know what kind of life we’re bringing this child into. I don’t want them growing up in violence. I want them to feel safe... loved.”
I nod, taking a step to crouch in front of her. “I know.” I hate the mere fact that she even has to bring up such an issue. Every child deserves to be loved. I?more than anyone else?know that. I want to give our child every bit of my love, a privilege I never got from my own father.
Lowering her gaze from mine, she asks, “Then what are we going to do?” Her voice is so small, but I can still hear the underlying worry in it.
I exhale sharply, raking a hand through my hair. “Aria, I can’t just walk away from the mafia. You know that.” My voice drops, but I keep my eyes on her, making sure she understands me. “This is all I’ve ever known. Leaving isn’t something I can do overnight. It’s going to take time. And I need you to help me.”
She swallows hard. “I just… I don’t want my child to be raised by a criminal, Elio.” Her voice trembles, but she doesn’t look away. “I don’t want them to look at you one day and wonder if you’re the villain in their story.”
Her words cut through me like a knife. I feel them in my bones, in the hollow parts of me I never knew existed.
“I don’t even know how to be a father,” I admit, my voice raw from pain. “I don’t know how to love a child the right way because I was never loved the right way. The only thing I know how to do is to protect. But I don’t know if that’s enough.”
She leans forward, her hands reaching for mine. “Then we’ll figure it out together.”
My eyes linger on her, this woman has every reason to walk away from me but doesn’t want to. She sees my darkness and still reaches for my hand.
But then she bites her lip, her face crumpling. “Elio, all this time, I meant to tell you something.”
I nod, bracing myself.
She exhales shakily. “I shouldn’t have told Mia about you. In our earlier days together, I was scared and confused, and I thought I was doing the right thing, but eventually, I realized it was all shades of wrong. All I did was betray you. And for that, I’m sorry.”
I don’t say anything right away. I let her words sink in, let the sting of them settle. But I’m not angry. Up until a few weeks ago, I would have been, but not anymore.
Instead, I huff out a small laugh. “Most of what you told Mia about me was fake anyway.”
Aria blinks. “What?”
My shoulders heft in a shrug. “I didn’t trust you enough to tell you the truth at the time, so I let you believe what I wanted you to.”
She gapes at me. “You...” Groaning, she swipes at the tears trailing down her cheeks. “Of course you did.”
“I’m sorry,” I say softly. “For complicating your life. For dragging you into a world you should have never been part of.”
She lets out a breath, her shoulders sagging. “You didn’t drag me, Elio. I walked into it. And I’d do it again... for you.”
Something warm spreads through my chest, something that’s always been there but I’ve failed to acknowledge all this while.
Taking a slow breath, my fingers tighten around the small velvet box in my pocket. I’ve carried it with me ever since the moment I realized I needed to turn things around with her.
Now that she’s right here before me, I’m not letting her go.
Retracing my steps, I slowly drop to one knee.
Aria’s breath catches. “Elio…”
I pull out the sapphire ring, flipping the box open. “Aria, will you do me the honor of having me as your husband?” My voice has never been steadier. “This time, for real. No games. I want you…both of you, in my life forever.” I glance at her stomach lovingly. “And if I can’t do life with you, then I don’t want to do life at all.”
Her lips tremble, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. She looks at the ring, then back at me, and I can see the war inside her reflecting in her uncertain expression.
Then, finally, she nods. “Yes,” she whispers.
Relief crashes into me like a tidal wave. I slide the ring onto her finger, then stand, pulling her against me.
She looks up at me, her hands trembling as they clutch my shirt. “Elio, I…I…” She swallows hard, her throat bobbing. “I love you.”
Everything inside me stills. I never knew how badly I wanted to hear those words from her. And now, hearing them, makes me feel like the most fortunate man in the world.
Cupping her face with my palms, I press my forehead tenderly against hers. “I love you, too.”
Her breath shudders, and then her mouth is on mine, her arms around my neck with her body pressed so close I can feel her heartbeat against mine.
My mouth roams against hers, latching onto her lips like she’s the only thing keeping me alive.
As we stand together, lips intertwined, heartbeats pounding in one accord, I swear to myself… to her…to our unborn child, that I’ll do whatever it takes to give them the life they deserve.