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TWELVE
~ Zane ~
Something was still bothering me as I led her through the streets.
“Are you happy?” I asked.
She nodded, “Getting there. Now that Seth is out of my life and you’ve become such an integral part of it, I think I’m on track for happiness. With you.”
“Well, before we look too far into the future. Let me remind you of some of your happier past.”
I pulled her into Aurora Park. It was dark, and no one was around. We had the entire place to ourselves. As Jian grew up, I used to take him here all the time, but it had always been one of Elina’s and my spots. We shared so many fond memories here.
“The playground,” she grinned, “Do you remember when we had our first drink on the swings? We thought we were so badass back then.”
I gave her a playful nudge, “I still think we’re pretty badass and, seeing as no one is around, why don’t we relive it?”
I pulled two small shot-size bottles of vodka out from my pocket. She giggled in delight as I handed one to her before we rushed over to the swings. I felt like a school kid all over again as we sat down, gently swinging back and forth as we downed the contents. A warm buzz flowed through me, and I knew it wasn’t just the alcohol. It was her.
“Don’t suppose you have a joint in there to relive our first pot smoke under the slide?” she laughed.
I shook my head, “Unfortunately not. But good idea for next time!”
We continued to laugh and share happy memories from our childhood as we swung idly side-by-side and let the alcohol take its effect. It seemed to have loosened both our tongues. And, before long, I was ready to ask the question that had been lingering on my mind since her argument earlier with Seth.
“Why didn’t you want to have children?” I asked.
Elina planted her feet on the ground, bringing the swing to a halt. I felt something twist in my stomach, and I knew something was wrong. I quickly rushed over and knelt in front of her, placing a hand on each of her legs and staring deep into her eyes.
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to…,” I began.
She shook her head and gave me a weak smile, “But I do want to. I should have told you a long time ago. I would have if it weren’t for Seth. I wanted to tell you so bad.”
“What is it?”
“I can’t have kids. I have an endocrine system disorder, which makes it near impossible for me to get pregnant. Seth and I wanted kids for a long time and kept trying but to no avail. I guess it started to break us over the years, and when I went to the doctors, they confirmed my worst fears. After that, we stopped trying, and eventually, we rarely slept in the same bed together. Maybe that’s why he went looking elsewhere.”
Standing up, I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into my chest, “I’m so sorry you had to live with that for so long. Thank you for telling me. And no, he still shouldn’t have gone looking elsewhere. You were his wife. If he was so desperate to have kids, there were other options. Cheating on you was not one of them. Now I understand why you can’t stand the sight of him. I should have never let him show up again.”
“You couldn’t have stopped him. I’m just glad you were there. Your presence gave me the strength to stand up to him today, and I can’t thank you enough.”
I gently lifted her face to look at me, “No, you were strong enough by yourself. You always have been and always will be. I was just lucky enough to witness it. You truly are amazing, Elina Miller.”
Gently, I leaned in and kissed her on the top of her forehead. She snuggled into me, and we remained like that for a few minutes before heading back home.
I knew from that point on; we would be inseparable.
