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“That won’t be a problem. Does Sophia know about the pregnancy?”
“Yes, we required her consent for the blood test to confirm the pregnancy.”
“Can I see her?”
“Sure, but only for a little while. She needs her rest.”
As I walk out of his office, a thousand emotions filter through my head. There are so many things I want to say to Sophia, but I don’t know how to even begin. I pause outside the room, not knowing how to start the conversation. I am relieved she is alive, and a streak of pride runs through me at knowing that I will be a father soon, thatwewould be parents. A rare moment of genuine euphoria that I haven’t felt in a long time. I walk into the room, and Sophia stares back at me but doesn’t say a word. She’s pale with dark shadows under her eyes. I pull out a chair and sit by her bed, looking down for a couple of seconds.
“I thought I lost you for a second there,” I say slowly, almost tripping over the words.
“You almost did,” she says.
“How are you feeling now?” I say eyeing her, but she won’t meet my gaze.
“Better than I was before,” she mumbles.
“You did a good job disarming him,” I say, reaching out to touch her, but she pulls away.
She finally peers up to meet my eyes and looks at me coldly, uncanny to her father’s equally chilly glare. I suck in my breath, trying to recalibrate my thoughts and feelings. I wasn’t used to her shutting me out and was surprised by how much it pained me.
“What do you want, Rocco?” She asks, folding her arms.
“Where do you want me to start?” I say, putting my hand on hers. Although, she doesn’t pull away this time.
“The beginning,” she says through clenched teeth.
“Did you know that you were pregnant?” I say, intertwining my fingers with hers.
“No, it was when I started bleeding… I realized what was happening and that I might have been miscarrying,” she says, her voice thick with emotion. “It’s yours.” She wipes her eyes on the blanket.
“I know it’s mine,” I say, bewildered. “The doctor said there might be a few complications, but I know we’ll be fine. No matter what.”
“I don’t know about that, Rocco. It hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing, has it?” she says, biting her lip.
“I need for you to forgive me, Sophia. But to do that, I need to apologize. Something that I probably have never done and if I had, it likely didn’t mean anything. I’m not a man who likes to admit he’s wrong, but I’m sorry for all of this. I just couldn’t accept that you lied to me about Anton. I thought you were betraying me the whole time. By the time, I realized you weren’t, it was too late. My own fears and insecurities blinded me, and I nearly lost you because of it,” I say uncomfortably. “I don’t wear my heart on my sleeve, ever, but I need you to know that if I could go back, I would.”
“I didn’t expect that,” she says, looking stunned.
“Neither did I, but it was deserved. I put you through hell, and if you lost your life, I wouldn’t want to live my own anymore,” I say, swallowing my emotion. “How can I make this right, Sophia?”
“I don’t know.” She sighs. “I beat myself up for so long about Anton, about you, and now I just don’t have the energy. I don’t want you to be with me simply because of the baby. That wouldn’t be fair to either of us.”
I look up at her to see the apprehension in her eyes. She doubts me, but I have never felt so sure about anything in my life.
“I love you, Sophia. I knew it from the first time I met you. We’ve been through so much together, but I want this to be a new beginning for us, a fresh start.”
“You really mean that?” she asks, wide-eyed.
“Yes, I do love you. Even when you make me watch crappy nineties movies and redecorate my bathroom in pink. I love you, no matter what. This baby is a fighter, just like his mama, and I know he’s going to pull through.”
“He?” She says surprised.
“I just have a feeling,” I say, stroking her stomach through the sheet.
“I love you too, Rocco. Just in case you were wondering,” she says, putting her hand over mine. “It’s going to take time for me to trust you again, but I’m going to try.”
She looks so beautifully fragile that I find it hard not to reach across her and pull her in my arms. Her hesitation towards me is deserved, but I know I will do everything in my power to make it work.
