Aurora's POV:
I stand in the kitchen making myself some food to eat. Tristan has meetings all day so I won't see him till night time.
Suddenly I hear the bell ring and I rush to open the door. I do so, peaking to see who it is, finding Stella standing in front of me.
"Stella? What are you doing here?" I exclaim, giving her a smile but it soon fades when I notice the state she's in.
"What's wrong?" I ask as I notice the deep frown on her face and her bloodshot eyes.
"Can I come in?" She sniffles as I usher her in with a concerned look on my face.
"Yes, but are you okay? You're trembling." I ask, rubbing her arms up and down as I close the door behind me.
"Yeah, I-I'm fine." She trembles, visibly worried. I've never ever seen her like this.
I open my mouth to talk but then I hear a burst of tears coming through the baby monitor. I sigh to myself, standing up from the couch
"Please, sit down. I'll be back in a minute. I just need to put him back to sleep." I tell her before running to the other room, getting Eric's pacifier and rocking him so he falls asleep faster.
I then return back to Stella who sat on the couch, checking her surroundings with a worried look.
"Is anyone here?" She asks, looking around as I shake my head.
"No, Tristan's at a meeting. It's just me and Eric. Please, drink this." I mutter, giving her a glass of water as I usher her to lay back."Try to calm down." I tell her, holding her to warm her up with the blanket.
"Stella-" I start before she bursts into tears, cupping her face and hyperventilating. I stand up from my seat and sit next to her on the couch, holding her tightly as she continues to sob. I've never ever seen her in a state like this. And she still hasn't told me what's wrong. I'm getting worried now.
"Stella, please tell me what's wrong. I can help you." I comfort her as she grips tightly onto me, her heavy sobs making my heart clench.
I pull her out of my embrace and hold her hands, warming them up with mine.
She looks to me with bloodshot eyes and I give her a comforting smile. She needs to know I'm here for her. I'm not going to let her be upset.
I wait for her to gather her breath which she does eventually.
"I-I'm pregnant." She mumbles, wiping her cheek dry.
"Oh." I stutter, shocked and not knowing what to say. I understand why she's scared. Stella has never wanted kids.
"Was it an accident?" I ask and she nods. I really don't know what to say to her. I just want it to be known that I'm in her corner if she needs me but at the same time, I don't want to overstep any boundaries.
"Yeah." She nods, starting to cry again.
I've always known Stella didn't want kids. It's been that way since the day I met her and it hasnt changed since then. So I know why this would make her upset.
"Do you know who the father is?" I ask, hesitating as I do.
"It's Isaac. He's been the only one I've been with for a while now." She confirms as I nod to myself. "How could I have been so stupid?" She shakes her head, bursting into tears yet again.
"You're not stupid, Stella." I tell her, attempting to make her feel better.
"I used protection and everything." She mutters to herself, shaking her head.
"So did I. The first time I got pregnant. It's not always effective so please don't blame yourself." I draw from my own experience. I know how terrifying it can be. The feelings, the overthinking, the clouded judgement... It's frustrating and I know what she's going through.
"Are you going to tell him?" I hesitate to ask. I want to help her but I don't know how. I don't want to intrude but I also don't like seeing her sad.
"I don't want this, Aurora. You know that more than anyone." She gets defensive, distancing herself from me.
"I-I know. How can I help you?" I ask her, making it known that I'm by her side and she has my support.
"Just stop asking me stupid questions." She says, pushing me away and standing up. "I'm going to tell him but he does not get to tell me what to do here. I've made up my mind." She gets defensive, pushing me away.
"I'm not gonna let anyone sway me into anything. And I'm not going to allow you to gulttrip me either. Just because you have a kid, doesn't mean you get to decide for me." She raises her voice, standing up from the couch as I look up at her, confused.
Where did that come from? I wasn't guilttripping her into anything and I understand why she'd get so defensive. It's okay if she lashes out on me. I can take it and I know how scared she is so I'm not going to take it to heart.
The thing is with me is I always knew I wanted a family. I've always loved babies and I've always wanted kids. And now I'm so blessed to have a beautiful baby boy whom I love so dearly. And to be in a loving relationship with my husband as well. They are my family. But so has Stella for the past six years. She's always been there for me when I needed her.
I've been so lucky with the fact that I got to choose when to have kids and wether or not to have them. Nothing was forced upon me and I want the same for her. I don't want her to be miserable. Stella likes to play the field, she likes being single most of the time and she doesn't want kids. She's been very firm about it. And that doesn't make her any less of a woman in my book.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you upset. You know I support you. Stella, I'm not telling you to do anything you don't want to do." I apologize. "Do you want me to go with you to the doctors for a check up?"
"No. I jus- I just... I have to go. " She sighs, wiping her tears, grabbing her jacket and walking away.
"Wait, Stella..Please don't go. You can talk to me." I follow her but she walks away, opening the door and walking out but I run after her.
"STELLA, please. Come back." I say but she just gets on her motorcycle and drives away.
I watch her for a moment as she drifts far away into the distance as the guards close the gates behind her. Disappointed And distraught, I close the door behind me.
My heart is breaking for her and I wish she can let me help her. I don't know what made her thing I would judge her or butt in. It's not my decision whatsoever.
Feeling saddened, I climb upstairs going into the nursery. I look down to find Eric awake. Bending down and picking him up, I hold him against me for a while, swaying back and forth as I fall deep into my thoughts.
~~~~~~~~~~
Stella never left my mind all day. I just kept thinking about her. I've been trying to call her all day too but in vain. She doesn't want to talk to me. She hasn't answered my calls at all.
I put Eric to sleep after a long struggle. He's been very active today.
I sat in front of my mirror, wearing nothing but a silk nightgown that went above my knees. Suddenly, Tristan walks in and gets in behind me. He places his hands on my shoulders and plants a kiss on my cheek.
"How was your day, my love?" He asks and I give a faint smile."It was okay." I tell him, brushing through the ends of my hair, feeling my hand cramping up.
"Is Eric asleep?" He asks and I nod. "I'm sorry I was late today." He hums, rubbing on my exposed shoulders as he looks at me through the mirror.
I put my hairbrush down and sigh out. "What's wrong?" He questions. "You look upset. What happened?" I hate how he always figures me out.
"Nothing. I'm fine." I shake my head, giving him a smile.
He kisses my neck one last time before saying: "Whenever you're ready to talk to me, angel." I'm glad he doesn't pressure me into talking. He knows I don't hide anything from him, he knows I'm going to tell him everything.
However, I don't think I can tell him this. It's not my thing to tell. And it feels so weird cause I tell Tristan everything. And so does he... well as much stuff as he can tell me considering he's a mafia boss and there's a code to follow. But whenever he comes home, he tells me about his day and I tell him about mine. And he knows when I'm sad or when I'm hiding smth from him. Not to mention, this affects his family, his brother... I can't believe I'm in a situation like this. I don't know what to do.
"Let's go to bed." He suggests, taking my hand. I stand up from the seat of my vanity and get under the sheets as he walks into the closet
"I'm taking a week off work. I'm going to be working here a little but I get to spend more time with you and Eric." He informs me.
"That sounds nice" I smile, feeling happy that he's staying with me this week. I find myself missing him a lot.
He changes and joins me in bed, wrapping his arms around me as I fall into deep slumber.
~~~~~~~~~~
In the middle of the night, my phone started ringing. I grab it from the bedside table and silence it so I don't wake up Tristan.
Checking the caller ID, it's Stella. Alarmed, I lightly unwrap myself from Tristan's embrace... I tiptoe my way into the nursery to check on Eric, making sure he's fully asleep. Stepping out, I rush downstairs and answer the call.
"Stella." I whisper, checking my surroundings. "How are you feeling?"
"Better." She replies shortly as I nod to myself.
"I'm sorry for today. The stuff I said." She apologises and I smile.
"No it's okay. Don't worry about it. As long as you're fine." I reply in a comforting tone.
"I am. But Aurora, I made my decision." She tells me. "I'm terminating the pregnancy."
I take a deep breath. "Can I come see you tomorrow?" I ask, hoping she'd accept.
"I don't know about that." She hesitates, her voice cracking a bit.
"Please. We'll just sit and talk." I attempt to convince her to which she takes a moment to sigh before replying.
"Okay."
"Aurora, you cannot tell anyone about this. Not even Tristan." She warns me and I vigorously nod.
"No, I didn't. And I won't. I promise." I claim. She must be so scared and I feel so bad but she knows I will never betray her trust.
"Thanks. I have to go now. Have a good night." She says in a monotone voice before hanging up.
Turning the phone off, I go back upstairs, getting back into bed quietly.
"Where'd you go, hm?" Tristan's sleepy voice vibrates against me, catching me off guard.
"Nowhere, just checking on Eric." I tell him, my mind elsewhere.
He pulls me back against him, wrapping his arms around me as I place my hand in his forearm.
I couldn't sleep that night. I'm in between a rock and a hard place here. I'm hiding this secret from Tristan which affects his family. At the same time, it's my best friend's decision and I have to respect it.
This isn't going to end well.
HEYYYYYYY. I can't even begin to describe how much I've missed you guys. This has been the worst year of my life for personal reasons and I couldn't write but I'm all better now.
I have so much planned for this story and I hope you guys enjoyed these chapters. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments💕💕
Published: 13th May 2021.