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Again, I followed suit, trying to emulate his breathing pattern.
A small laugh escaped him, lightening the atmosphere.
"Better?" he asked, a teasing smile dancing on his lips. I nodded, feeling the knots in my stomach slowly loosen. He chuckled, asking playfully, "Are you sure?"
I nodded again, a bit more confident this time, though the nervous fluttering in my stomach persisted. He leaned in slightly, his eyes warm and encouraging, waiting for me to gather my thoughts.
"What I wanted to say is... I'm pregnant."
And this time, it came out perfectly.
Chapter 32
Emilio
"WhatIwantedtosay is... I'm pregnant."
My world seemed to screech to a halt. Time stood still as Griselda's words echoed in my mind. Pregnant. It felt like I had lifted off in a hot-air balloon, seeing things from afar, and as I tried to wrap my head around the magnitude of what she had just revealed, I slowly came back down.
"You're... what?" I managed to stammer out, my voice a mixture of shock and disbelief. The words felt unreal, like a dream.
"I'm pregnant," she repeated, her eyes reflecting a blend of shy nervousness and hope.
My thoughts were still too high in the clouds to grasp this sudden reality. How did she even find out?
I stammered, asking her, "How did you find out that you're pregnant?"
“That’s what you want to know? Well…” She took a deep breath and spoke slowly, choosing her words with care.
"It happened when you were making plans to deal with the Mancini family. Andrea had come over to give you something, but you weren't around. During that period, I had been feeling unwell, and when Andrea saw me, he insisted on getting me a checkup at his hospital."
I was stunned by this revelation, my mind processing the timeline.
That was three months ago!
And Andrea had known?!
"And you didn't tell me?" I asked, struggling to understand.
She continued, "I didn't want to worry you at the time. A couple of days later, I received the results of the tests, confirming that I was pregnant but with your father’s passing and you being busy and preoccupied, I didn't want to add any more stress to your plate."
Guilt gnawed at me. She had kept this a secret, thinking she was protecting me. I wished she had shared this with me sooner, but I understood her intentions.
"Why didn't you tell me later on?" I inquired.
"I was freaking out," she admitted. "I thought you might freak out too about having a kid with me, and I didn't want to stress you out."
She took a deep breath, determination in her eyes.
"But now, I have to be real with you. I want to keep this baby, and regardless of your reaction, I had to spill the beans."
As I finally wrapped my head around the news, a rush of feelings hit me. The fear for her safety started to fade, making way for the realization that I was going to be a dad. It sunk in deep, and I understood that our lives were about to do a complete 180.
A whole bunch of new thoughts and emotions started growing in me. A child was on the way, a tiny human that would be part of us. Maybe the timing wasn't what we had in mind, but it was a blessing.
I was going to be a dad.
The news pushed aside the weight of what I had heard at the will reading.
