Chapter 23: Poor Aria

Aria’s POV

“It can’t be true”.The words kept escaping my mouth like a broken record.

I stared at the ultrasound screen,at the tiny shape and flickering heartbeat of the human which was now growing inside me.

My legs gave up,I gripped the edge of the exam table so hard my knuckles turned white.

“It can’t be true,” I said again. “The other doctor,the first one said I was six weeks pregnant. She showed me the scan and it was confirmed it was conceived on our wedding night. The baby is Lucians.”

The doctor looked at me with something close to pity. “There has to be a mix-up with the initial records. The measurements and tests I did now is consistent with twelve to thirteen weeks.”

I shook my head so hard it hurt. “No,no. That’s not possible Doctor. I would know if I had been pregnant for three months.”

Lucian on the other hand was motionless,he just stood by the wall with his hands in his pocket.

“Lucian,” I whispered. “Say something. Tell them it’s yours.”

He didn’t answer or even look at me.

Ethan’s laugh broke the silence,it was a mixture of satisfaction and victory.

” I told you Lucian,” he said. “The baby was mine.”

I spun on him. “Shut up! You’re lying! Just like you’ve been doing the whole time!”

Ethan leaned against the doorframe, his face doing nothing to hide the smirk. “The test doesn’t lie, Aria. You do.”

Lucian finally moved.He pushed off the wall and walked past the officers,Ethan and I without a glance straight out the door.

“Lucian!”

I stumbled after him.

The doctor caught my arm. “Mrs. Voss, you need to stay calm—”

I yanked free and ran.

When I burst into the hallway,Lucian was already halfway down the corridor and outside the hospital without looking back.

“Lucian! Wait!”

He didn’t slow down.

“Lucian, please!”

I caught up with Lucian at the gate and grabbed his sleeve.

He spun.”Get off me Aria” he said with finality,his hands raised like he was about to hit me.

“It’s yours,” I said, still holding him. Tears mixed with rain which was now drizzling on my face. “Even if the results are true,it would only mean it happened way before I even met you.”

He stared at me for one long second that I thought he believed me,then he looked away.

A cab pulled up,he got in, slammed the door and drove away.

I stood there in the rain alone.

The doctor appeared behind me holding an umbrella.”Mrs. Voss,” she said gently. “Let me escort you back inside,you shouldn’t be out here in your condition.”

I didn’t move,my husband had just left me standing in the rain pregnant with a baby he now believed wasn’t his.

Ethan stepped out from the shadows near the entrance smiling.He walked closer and leaned in until his mouth was near my ear.

“Where is your savior now?” he whispered,then he laughed and walked away into the dark.

The doctor who was standing there the whole time escorted me to a waiting garage and helped me get into the car, while handing me a cup of coffee.

“Good luck”she muttered before she shut the car door and the driver made his way into the streets.

The ride was quiet until I got a call from Andre.

“Aria where are you? I just saw the news and it said the test showed the pregnancy was three months. Everyone’s losing their mind and Ethan’s trending with ’I told you so’ posts.”

I closed my eyes.”He left me,” I whispered.

“Who?”

“Lucian.”

“Where are you? I’m coming to get you.”

“I just left the hospital,” I said. “I’m heading home,let’s just see tomorrow.”

“Are you sure?.”

I hung up before it would turn into another inquiry.

When I got home,the penthouse lights were on, signifying that Lucian was home.

I felt a mixture of the sense of relief and anxiety.

As I got in,Lucian was there sitting on the couch and staring into a book that he held firmly in his hand.

He looked up when I walked in.

Andre appeared from the kitchen and stepped in front of me. “She’s not staying here tonight.”

Lucian’s gaze flicked to him and then back to me.

“She’s my wife Andre,This is her home” he said.

“She’s pregnant and you just walked out on her after the test.”Andre shot back

I stepped around Andre.”Why did you leave me at the hospital alone?” I asked.

Lucian looked at the floor.

“I needed to think,” he said.

“About what?I didn’t know about this just like you do.How is any of this my fault?”

He looked up.”I have spoken with the first doctor who did the initial scan.”he said ignoring my questions

I held my breath.

“She confirmed that there was a mix-up with your vial. The six-week result was another patient’s.”He explained

The room tilted.

I grabbed the back of the couch to steady myself.

“So what now?” I asked.

Lucian’s jaw clenched.

“I believe the test,” he said.

“That’s fine Lucian but you can’t blame me for this,I didn’t know I was pregnant. You have to trust ” I whispered underneath my breath, trying so hard to stop the tears that were already forming in my eyes from rolling down.

Lucian’s eyes snapped back to mine.

“I don’t know what or who to trust anymore Aria. But I do have a way forward from all of this.”

I stared at him,the tears finally slipping down my cheeks.

“Your leave is over starting tomorrow,” he said quietly. “You’ll still live in this house for now until I decide whether or not to continue with the marriage. But you will resume work immediately tomorrow at 8 a.m. You’re going to leave here only as a housemate and I only want to see you at the office. At home you’re to maintain the east wing away from me”

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