A hard kick pressed against my palm. “A fighter it is then.”
Another kick. Leaning down until my face was over the bump, I pressed my hand a little firmer. “You need to let Ay—your,” I paused, my throat suddenly closing up, “your mommy rest. She is tired.”
I waited for another kick. When it happened, I shook my head, my heart feeling a little fuller than before.
I looked up to see Ayla still staring at me. “Are you hungry?” I asked, sitting up. She didn’t answer, not that I was expecting her to.
“You need to eat.” I continued talking even when there was no response from her. “If I tell Lena to bring some food, will you eat?”
I was already reaching for my phone. Quickly calling Lena, I told her to bring a tray of food up for Ayla.
I faced Ayla again. “Lena made your favorite fried noodles. Remember how much you loved them?” I sat down beside her and caressed her hair. “You would fight anyone for the last plate.”
I talked and talked, telling her about Maddie and the things they would do together. I told Ayla how Lena adored her.
I waited for any sign of life in her green eyes, but there was none. She stayed silent. Just observing me.
When Lena finally brought the tray up, I helped Ayla sit.
She stared at the food and then looked up at me again. I brought the fork to her lips, waiting for her to take a bite. But she didn’t. Lena coddled and urged her to eat, but Ayla stayed unmoving.
With my hands shaking, I brought the fork down and pushed the tray away. “She’s not going to eat.”
“But Alessio, she needs to eat. It’s not healthy,” Lena argued.
I felt Ayla shift beside me. She laid down and turned toward me. Ayla stared at me for one final time before closing her eyes.
Her breathing was evened out in a span of seconds, her body going limp as she fell asleep.
My Angel really was broken, her wings clipped cruelly.
“Alessio,” Lena whispered, her voice croaky with tears. I shook my head, keeping my eyes on my sleeping Angel.
Lena took the tray, and I heard her leave, the door closing behind her.
With my heart heavy, I moved closer to Ayla and held her to me.
When she sighed sleepily in my chest, my arms tightened around her waist. Her bump was pressed against my stomach, and I felt the baby shift one last time before it settled down too.
A few minutes later, both mother and baby were sound asleep.
But I stayed awake, my mind refusing to let the sleepiness take place. It was impossible to close my eyes. Every time the darkness surrounded me, all I saw was Ayla trapped in the dungeon. Pregnant, hurt, and alone.
So I held Ayla and watched over her as she slept.
For the first time in my life, I was clueless. And weak. I didn’t only fail Ayla, but I also failed the baby she was carrying.
It didn’t matter if it was mine or Alberto’s. The baby was innocent. It was part of Ayla. My hand moved to her round stomach again. Holding the bump in my hand, a sudden surge of possessiveness filled me.
Instead of pushing it away, I welcomed it. And with it, I let my anger fuel. Alberto wasn’t only going to pay for hurting Ayla. No, his pain would be twice as much now.
Ayla shifted in my arms, snapping me out of my thoughts. I looked at the clock to see some time had passed since she fell asleep. Ayla sleepily blinked her eyes open, and they made contact with mine.
We stared at each other, both our gazes unflinching. After some time, I felt her slightly moving in my arms. Releasing my tight hold on her, I watched her sit up.
She looked around the room, her eyes focusing on the wall in the corner. Without sparing me another glance, Ayla got up, and I quickly sat up in shock. My eyes followed her like a hawk, looking for any reaction.
But even when she slowly moved toward the wall, her expression held nothing.
I followed behind her, my stomach in knots as I waited for her next movement. If only she would talk. I was left trying to figure Ayla out. And with her silence, it was difficult to think like her.
I paused in my steps when I saw her stopping in front of the wall.
Confused, I took a step forward but froze when Ayla knelt down and sat against the wall. She finally brought her lifeless eyes to mine. My heart may have stopped beating then.
Or maybe I stopped breathing?
I was suffocating as I watched Ayla lay down against the wall, curling into herself. When realization finally dawn to me, I closed my eyes tightly, trying to shut the image in front of me. My fist curled at my side, my jaw grinding.