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And there’sthereason why this can’t go anywhere.
Reality comes crashing back. I have to keep Ade safe. And the only way I can do that is to stay away from him.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Ella
Afterthismorning’snausea,Claudette and Ade urged me to take a nap while they joined the others to stack firewood.
Physically drained from vomiting and emotionally frustrated, I lie in bed, looking out the window. I’m resting but sleep won’t come.
I might as well get up and get on with the day. There’s plenty of work to be done, and it will help me take my mind off things.
Before I roll out of bed, laughter echoing through the woods catches my attention. I’d recognize the melodic deep rumble anywhere by now.
It’s Ade’s.
I strain to catch a glimpse of him to see what has him so amused.
He’s running, in fact, chasing after someone. I squint to make out the person weaving in and out of the trees.
Miriam.
Of course it had to be her. She’s holding what looks like a baseball close to her chest. She’s surprisingly fast, evading Ade’s attempts to tackle her. But just as she reaches the clearing, he attacks, throwing his arms around her waist and lifting her off the ground. He spins her in a circle a few times until she drops the ball.
Laughing, they both fall to the ground.
The air in my lungs constricts with envy.
With each breath, the air gets heavier, as if the weight of it all is pressing down on my chest.
I should be happy about this.
If Aiden had another love interest, it won’t be so hard for him to accept that we can’t happen.
But I’m anything but happy. It hurts to think of Ade with Miriam… or any other woman.
His heart and soul belong to me—that’s what he said. But Miriam and Aiden are bonding more and more.
I tear my gaze away from the overly friendly play and fall back onto my pillow, my mood further plummeting.
Pulling the blanket over my head, I hide from the world.
I’ve had enough of today. Too bad there’s still more than half of it left.
After brooding over the unfairness of my situation for another half an hour, I force myself to get up and head to Miriam’s office.
She’s behind her desk when I enter. Smiling up at me, she asks, “Are you feeling better?”
“Yeah,” I mumble and sit down on the chair opposite her.
Avoiding Miriam’s gaze becomes a necessity. If I look at her, my mind will conjure up vivid images of Ade effortlessly twirling her around, their laughter resonating in my ears. Tendrils of jealousy grip my heart with an iron fist, sucking the joy out of every fiber of my being.
Get it together, Ella.
Miriam hands me a catalogue of herbal supplies and a blank order form.
“Tara wants to get some last-minute supplies. She’s been devouring every piece of information on pregnancy care and wants to stock up on a few things. She marked what she’s after. Can you go through this please and fill out the form? Fingers crossed all of this will arrive before we get snowed in.”
