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I leaned forward, placing a feather-light kiss on her lips. “I am telling you this again. I am not giving up on you, so don’t give up on us.”
My lip tilted up in a small smile. “I am more stubborn than you. What I want, I get. And I want you.”
Her eyes stayed fixated on the creek, and I sat down on the ground. I waited, giving her some time to admire the view. I palmed her stomach, feeling the baby move at my touch.
The little one always moved whenever I touched Ayla’s stomach. It didn’t matter if it was in the middle of the night, the baby always responded to my touch.
Sometimes I felt like maybe we bonded. There was no stopping the way my heart clenched whenever I felt the baby move.
After some time, I got up and swept Ayla in my arms. Holding her to my chest, I walked back to the house.
When I finally got inside, I saw Lena’s eyes widen, and she rushed upstairs. Viktor came forward to help me but I walked past him. Making my way to my room, I walked into the bathroom instantly. Lena was close behind me.
“It’s okay. I’ll clean her up. Can you bring a tray up? She needs to eat,” I said, settling Ayla on the edge of the tub.
Lena nodded mutely and shuffled out of the bathroom. I turned Ayla around so her feet were in the tub.
“This is going to hurt a little,” I muttered. I cleaned her feet, rinsing away all the dirt and blood. All this time, Ayla didn’t make a sound or even shift. It was me wincing in pain for her.
When her feet were cleaned, I saw that the dirt and little blood had made it appear worse than it was. I sighed in relief and dried her feet before helping her out of the tub.
“Feeling better?” I asked, holding her in my embrace. She sighed in my chest, and I smiled, rubbing her back. With her baby bump in the way, I couldn’t hug her properly. But I held her as close as I could.
When my leg started to ache unbearably, I carried Ayla to bed and pulled the covers around her.
The tray was already on the nightstand. Sitting down in front of her, I picked up the spoon.
“Do you need anything else?” Lena asked.
I shook my head and held a spoonful of rice to Ayla’s lips. She took the first bite silently, and my heart soared. After so many days of trying and begging, she started eating yesterday.
For a week, Sam had her hooked up with an IV. It was the only way to get something in her body.
I fed Ayla another bite, and she ate, chewing and swallowing slowly.
Lena moved away from the bed. “How is Maddie?” I asked before she left the room.
She didn’t answer for some time, and I knew what her answer would be. “There is no change.”
The door closed, and I sighed, my heart heavy for Maddie. She had refused to leave her room. Or eat. She was a living ghost. I thought when Maddie heard Ayla was back, she would come to see her, but she stayed away.
Maddie had yet to see Ayla. In some ways, it was better this way. I didn’t think she had the strength to see Ayla in this state.
I continued to feed Ayla, taking a few bites as I watched her eat. Her gaze stayed fixated on me, as always. It was almost like a routine.
So I fed her and talked. She ate in silence and…maybe listened to me.
I talked about everything, sometimes mentioning Isaak and Lyov.
My father had been taking care of business all this time. He didn’t complain. No, he fell right back into the position of the Boss. Even though I refused to admit it, I was thankful he and Isaak were taking care of things.
They visited Ayla once. No words were spoken. It was quick, but I saw the look in their eyes. I knew they were seeing their women in Ayla. When Lyov had seen the baby bump, he had paled and walked out in a daze. Since then, he hadn’t come back.
When the tray was finally empty, I got up and stretched. Ayla’s gaze followed my movement, and I winked. “Do you want to go to the piano room?”
Silence.
I chuckled and lifted her off the bed. Placing a kiss on her head, I carried her to the piano room. I brought her there every day, hoping it would bring back memories.
I placed Ayla on the bench. She stared at me, and I gave her a small smile, even when the pain intensified.
This used to be our moment. And now, even that was gone.
“Do you remember playing?” I asked, kneeling beside her bench. Ayla looked at the piano keys but didn’t respond.
