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I caught her staring at my belly.
My stomach grumbled loudly as if it was saying hello.
I groaned.
Even though she seemed genuinely glad about my presence, it didn’t change the fact that I was here because of the baby growing inside of me—which added a whole other level of awkwardness.
“Are you hungry? Thirsty? What can I get you?” Gabe’s mother asked.
“Water would be great.”
Her eyes scanned me up and down. “How are you feeling? Are you experiencing morning sickness? I still remember how awful I felt the first couple of months when I was pregnant with Gabriel.”
I nodded. It was a bit surreal, confiding in this woman I’d only met once, but somehow I longed for advice, to talk to someone who’d been through what I was going through. “It’s a struggle. These last couple of days, I couldn’t keep anything down. Not even water.”
She frowned sympathetically, poured me a glass of water, and handed it to me.
I could see concern enter her eyes.
I’d lost some weight and probably wasn’t looking so hot after the flight and my nap.
“Here, dear, drink this.”
“Thank you,” I murmured, my hands shaking as I took the glass from her. The moment the cool liquid touched my lips, I knew something was wrong.
There was a rushing in my ears, and the room suddenly spun around me.
I fought to maintain my balance.
Out of the corner of my eye, Gabe’s mother reached out to me, said something I couldn’t understand.
Darkness rushed in, and her distant scream mingled with the sound of shattering glass as I lost my balance.
And my consciousness.
* * *
A soft murmur of voices was the first thing I heard when I slowly came back—sprawled out on the kitchen floor.
My head throbbed, and the world seemed out of focus as if I was looking through a foggy window.
Gabe’s face hovered above me, his dark blue eyes filled with concern. Alessandro and Gabe’s mother stood nearby, worry etched on their faces.
“Wh-what happened?” I managed to croak, my throat parched.
“You fainted,” Gabe said tersely, his voice tight with suppressed anger. “You hit your head.”
My hand instinctively went to my head, but Gabe caught it before I could touch the throbbing spot. “Don’t,” he warned, his grip firm but gentle. “The ambulance is on the way. They’ll take care of you. Just lay still.”
“I’m fine.” I tried to sit up, but even before Gabe could push me back, a sharp pain accompanied by a wave of dizziness made me freeze.
“Fuck, Sophie, can’t you follow a single command?”
He was right there, supported me, slowly guided me back down to the ground, and not once did he take his eyes off of me.
It was comforting but also disconcerting.
Why was he looking at me with that unreadable expression?
