CHAPTER CXIV
~~~
Chase stared into her eyes, cupping her cheeks. “I’m not happy,”
“Why?” Her throat worked on its own. “You don’t like the birthday gift?” When he said nothing, she continued. “This child is ours, Chase. It’s a symbol of our love,”
He rasped out. “Love?” He took her silence as a go- ahead. “We were never in love, Sophia. The child you’re carrying is not a symbol of love. It can’t be brought to this world,”
Her knees buckled and tears streamed down her cheeks. She passed him a pained smile. “You’re joking, right?” She shook her head. “You’ve got to be joking, Chase. This- this child was made out of love. I don’t know when it was made, but I know we made it together. We wanted the same time the time we made it,”
“I don’t joke around,” He whispered. “We can’t be parents like this. You can’t be a mother at this age. You’re just nineteen, Sophia and-,”
She cut him off with a smack on his chest. “Age doesn’t matter! So what if I’m just nineteen? So what if you’re thirty? Eleven years is not a problem,” She cried out.
He made his way to touch her. “Listen to-,”
She shoved him away. “Don’t talk to me! Leave me alone!” Her head suddenly felt heavy and her legs gave out.
The last thing she remembered was seeing Chase’s worried face before she blacked out.
~~~Exclusive © material by Nô(/v)elDrama.Org.
“Chase-,”Sophia’s eyes opened and she sat up on the bed with a jerk.
“You’re awake,”
She turned towards the source of the voice only to find Lucas, Luciano and Valerie staring at her.
“I-,” She looked round the room. “Where’s Chase?”
“He left for some work immediately the doctor who examined you left. He should be back in the night or so,” Valerie shifted on her feet.
Sophia’s face fell. “Ohhh-,”
Lucas shoved his hands in his pockets. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay, I guess,”
“You guess?” Luciano said and she looked at him. “You don’t even know how you feel?”
Lucas’ voice came out stern, filled with warning. “Luciano,”
Luciano turned to Lucas. “Don’t you understand that she’s losing her fucking self to someone who doesn’t even give a rat’s shit about her nor the child she’s carrying?” He nudged his chin towards her. “Look at the mess she has turned to. Dammit, Lucas. Fuck off!” Angrily, he stormed out of the room.
Sophia clamped down on her lower lip and fisted the comforter draped over her body tightly in her hands as a tear rolled down her cheek.
Valerie couldn’t control herself any longer. Seeing her sister in such a terrible shape did things to her heart and she rushed towards her, engulfing her in a warm hug. “It’s okay, Soph. It’s going to be alright,”
“I-,” Sophia shook her head as more tears streamed down her cheeks. “I- he doesn’t care about me, Val. He doesn’t even care about our baby. He- he-,”
“Don’t say horrible things like that, freckles,” Lucas wrapped his arms around his sisters. “He cares about you and the baby. He just needs time to let everything sink in,”
~~~
Barefooted, so as not to wake her up, Chase gently opened Sophia’s bedroom door and walked in, quietly closing it behind him.
He stalked towards her bed once he saw her sleeping figure and went on his knees. His chest tightened in pain as his eyes landed on the dried streaks of tears on her cheeks. It was obvious she had cried herself to sleep.
He had made her cry.
His thumb gently stroked her cheeks as if to wipe off the tears. He stared at her lashes as they kissed her cheekbone while she slept like a baby, to her lips which were pulled into a cute pout, then her chest heaving up and down. To stop himself from looking at her stomach while his eyes followed her hand to where they were kept, he averted his eyes back to her pretty face.
A quiet sigh left his lips. He couldn’t afford to wake her up. He couldn’t let her see him like that. It would cause more problems for them and she would stress herself as well as the baby.
She loved him. That was the harsh truth he had finally agreed to come to terms with when he looked into her eyes after the day Saige tried to kill her.
She didn’t know about his childhood days. She only knew how much of a cruel man he was, but still, loved him against all odds without questioning him or his character.
Finally averting his eyes to the place he itched to look at, he stared at her flat tummy. He raised one of his shaky hands and placed it on her cold one that laid on her stomach too, as if trying to feel a connection with the embryo growing in her womb.
His first child. Their baby.
He whispered. “il mio bambino,” A small smile appeared on his lips and he leaned in to peck Sophia’s stomach, imagining it as the child.
{“My baby”}
He always wanted a child. He wanted to be a good father to his child, but he wasn’t sure he could ever be one. Not with the way he was trained. Hurting Sophia wasn’t his intention either and as much as he wanted her to keep that baby, he couldn’t let it come to the world.
It was better if the baby wasn’t allowed to breathe the air of the world because it would grow up without a father.
Chase knew what was going to happen in less than a year. He knew what would happen to himself and he couldn’t bear to think of Sophia in pain. He couldn’t imagine seeing her as a single mother without him beside her.
Not only that.
The world was cruel and he didn’t want his child to suffer in that world like he had done. He didn’t want his child to go through the same fate its own parents went through.
Reluctantly taking his hands from her stomach as he felt her stirring in her sleep, Chase stood up and leaned in to peck her lips, then another one on her forehead. “Credimi, questo e il miglior regalo di compleanno di sempre, Gattina,” He smiled. “Vorrei poter essere li per te. Vorrei poter essere li per esaudire il tuo desiderio di desiderare una ragazza. Anch’io voglio lo stesso ma non posso. Non sono un uomo destinato alla felicita, Gattina e posso’ Non ti trascinero con me. Mi dispiace di averti ferito cosi tanto,”
{“Trust me, this is the best birthday gift ever, Kitten”} {“I wish I could be there for you. I wish I could be there to fulfil your wish of wanting a girl. I want the same too but I can’t. I’m not a man destined for happiness, Gattina and I can’t drag you with me. I’m sorry I hurt you so much”}
After casting one more glance at her, he walked out of the room.