Adeline's Ροv
Reign keeps looking at me without saying anything.
It's too late for me to go hide. He’s seen me. He knows. He’s gonna judge me now.
“You…” He dozed off.
“Get out, Reign.” I whisper, not being able to speak.
“Valerie's the one who's pregnant, right? Rhyett knocked her up and you two are here shopping for her. She's pregnant and…” His eyes dropped to my belly again. “That’s a food baby. You can't be- Of course it's a food baby, you're fourteen…” He shook his head as if shaking off the ideas he’s getting right now. “You’re smarter than this. Obviously it's not what I'm thinking.”
My eyes start to water as I keep looking at him. I didn't want to tell my secret to anyone. And Reign was the last person I wanted to see me with a bump.
His opinion doesn't matter to me. But it's the feeling of my secret being out of my hands, that's killing me.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn't assume anything. It's totally normal to have a small paunch under your baggy clothes. Not everyone works out.” He said it more to himself than me. “And you look so pretty. Fat suits you.”
“Shit!” He slams the bouquet on his face. “I didn't call you fat. I just said you look pretty with a little bit of weight. And I absolutely adore you like this-”
“Reign, get out!” I say more firmly this time.
He takes a breath. “Tell me you're not…”
“It's none of your business. Get out or I'll call someone to throw you out.”
I’m panicking.
I don't want him to see me so vulnerable.
“You can't be… You were supposed to have my kids.” He says quietly.
My eyebrows knit together as a wave of anger surges through me. “I wasn't supposed to do anything for you. Stop thinking ahead of yourself. Get out of your fantasy and get out of this room!” I yell at him.
He drops the flowers on the floor looking at me like he's not believing what he sees. “Why didn't you tell me?”
“It’s none of your business! Get out!”
I threw a hanger at him. He grabbed it before it hit him and slowly let it slide through his hand to the floor. He looked helpless, I am too.
“If you told me you had a boyfriend I would’ve stopped pursuing you.” He said pressing his hands on his eyes like not seeing me would change the reality.
“Why do I need a man for you to stop bothering me? Why is my ‘no’ not enough on its own?”
He opens his eyes again and looks at me with eyes so sad that I wonder if this is the first time he's ever been heartbroken.
“You’re right.” He finally says.
“It was all my fault.” He runs a hand through his hair. “I should’ve understood that you don't like me. I- Fuckkkkkkkkk!!!!” He groaned in frustration. “Why am I so dumb?”
I took a step back not sure if his sadness would be dangerous to me. At no cost I would let his emotions hurt me or my babies.
“You were clearly not enjoying it. You only blushed because I said the things any girl would want to hear. But you clearly hate me. You've said it so many times.”
“I didn't say I hate you.” I don't know why I felt the need to clarify.
“But you don't like my existence. You hate the Mafia thing, you hate my attitude, my arrogance, even my dad. You hate my whole shitty personality!” He looked so out of sorts. “You weren't even hinting at it. You said a clear ‘no’. Why couldn't I just hear you?”
He shook his head again. “I thought if we met everyday you might start seeing something in me that would attract you. But I should’ve known you don't want me no matter what I do.”
I stay silent. If I had any idea of what to say, I would've spoken by now. I want to tell him it's not my fault if he gets heartbroken but a silly part of me sympathizes with him.
I don't like seeing this broken side of him.
“I'm really sorry. I'm so sorry I kept… I shouldn't have done that. I should’ve taken this rubbish out of my mind when you said you don't want any of it.”
He fists his hands like he's in pain and can't control it. “Please forgive me, I'll just… Gosh how do I leave you now. I'm obsessed with you. I’ve planned our whole life together. How can I light it all on fire now? I'll die, I'll die if I-” He takes a shuddering breath.
“I should stop. I really need to stop. I shouldn't force you more than I already have. It's all my fault. I shouldn't make it more difficult for you.”
“You know what?” Suddenly he took out a gun from his waistband and rushed towards me.
I immediately stepped back and my heartbeat picked up pace as I started thinking it's my last day.
He’s gonna kill me because he couldn't have me.
He’s egoistic. He can't take a rejection.
Before I could grab anything to defend myself, he’s already in front of me with wild eyes. He grabs my hand and forcibly hands me the gun.
“If I ever show you my face again, just shoot me. Okay? I promise I won't be mad. And no one will ask you a single question, I'm giving you my word. You have all the right to kill me if I bother you again.”
I gulped, shocked at his reaction. “Reign… what are you saying?”
I drop the gun on a table nearby and take hold of his hand. He’s cold. So cold that I cover his hand with both of mine to warm it up.
“I was just a crush. You can move on, it's not that hard.” I say slowly so he understands my words.
His breath calms down as he keeps looking at me with all his focus. He doesn't say anything. There was a peaceful silence like we've just closed a chapter.
“You’re single now.” He blurted out.
He said it with so much conviction that it felt like he knew it. It's not an assumption but a fact. He's sure I'm single.
I immediately leave his hand and step back giving him a nasty look. I thought I could talk him out of it but he's adamant on proving each of my efforts useless.
“No! I didn't mean it like that. Fuck, fuck, fuckkkkkkk! Why would I say that?” He facepalmed. “Why do I always ruin it?”
“You should go now.” I say without an ounce of emotion in my voice.
“I…” He steps towards me again. “I swear I was just… I shouldn't have asked that. You're right, I should just move on.” He licks his lips, seemingly getting nervous. “Your call records only showed your step and current family. You don't even leave your house unless it's for the workshop. How are you supposed to have a boyfriend? I just assumed you were single so I kept-” He stopped talking and took a deep breath again.
He really did his research. If I ever thought he wouldn't stoop so low to stalk me —since he claims to be a gentleman— I was wrong.
“Why am I even taking about this? Do something. Shut me up!” He rubbed his eyes hard like he’s trying to gain control of himself.
“Are you still with that guy who… are you?” He said and immediately shook his head. “It doesn't matter. Gosh! It really doesn't matter if you're single now. I can't be a father. I've barely held a baby in my life. I can't take this on full time. I can't ruin someone's life just because I horribly fell for their mother.”
I knew he'd back off when he got to know I'm pregnant. Why would any sane guy want to date a girl who has a child at such a young age?
But his rejection made me feel awful.
Reign, who claimed to be obsessed with me, is leaving me for something I didn't do.
He’s so disgusted that he doesn't even want to be friends anymore.
“It’s the dude from yesterday, right? Jordan?” He says out of nowhere.
I open my mouth to speak but no words come out. I'm so offended that I don't even know what to say.
So I opt to slap him across the face.
His head falls to the side with the impact and a crisp sound of my palm touching his cheek echoes through the room as my hand starts to hurt.
“You don't have any right to ask who the father of my child is!” I shout at him.
A red print started forming on his cheek as he breathed hard. After a few heart beats, he lifts his face back up and looks at me surprised and worried by my reaction.
“Right. Fucking right. You're always right.” He mumbles. “I shouldn't ask you that. Neither should I assume anything. It's your choice, it's your body, it's your life. Whatever you want to do you can. If you want to date a guy more than five years older than you then how is it my busine-” He cuts himself off.
It was like he had two personalities and both were overlapping, speaking over each other with totally different matters of concern. One was his heart which was still finding ways to work this out and the other was his brain which was thinking rationally.
“But it can't be him. You gave him a fake number. You were clearly uncomfortable with him. How would you have slept with him-” He abruptly cuts himself off again as another thought crosses his mind.
“Maybe you did like him back then when you made the baby but he's creepy for you now. Or maybe it's someone else, it's before your mother died, right? Back when you were in Australia?”
At this moment, Reign represents every person who I'll ever meet. All of them would think a thousand scenarios. All of them will assume things about me. All of them would try to connect the dots.
No one will let me live in peace.
They'd want to know. And I will pay for their curiosity my whole life.
I grab the gun and point it at him. “Get out now or I swear I'm gonna shoot you.”
I was losing my patience and I was so close to having a full on mental breakdown which I didn't want him to see.
“Addy.”
His eyes soften looking at me and a sad smile appears on his face. Maybe in his sick mind he thinks pointing a gun at him is a romantic gesture but it clearly isn't from my side.
“I will kill you Reign.” I threatened again.
He steps closer and tries to grab the gun when I warned. “Don't or you'll die young.”
“I'm just telling you how to use it.” He said and put off the safety from the gun. “Keep your hand tight on the back so you won't get hurt with the impact.” He adjusts my hands. “Now point and pull the trigger when you see fit.” He says and steps back as the gun’s pointed directly at his heart.
I blink twice not understanding what's happening. He should be gone by now, not teaching me how to use a weapon.
Why is he encouraging me to shoot? Does he want me to end up in jail or is he so hurt that he’s gone suicidal?
“Reign please.” I could only beg now.
I've yelled at him, I’ve slapped him, I’ve threatened him with death but none of it has worked. He isn't leaving till he says every horrible thing I don't want to hear.
When he doesn't make a move to leave, I give up. I let my arms hang loose at my sides and drop the gun. I'm overwhelmed with all the emotions and the longer he stays here, the worse I'll get.
I feel so helpless.
I want to go home and cry my eyes out.
As I watched him his eyes widened and he immediately came closer. I didn't make a move to fight him or reject his touch when his hand came up to my face.
Maybe he wants to slap me back.
“Princess, don't cry.” He whispered, wiping a traitorous tear with his thumb.
“I'm sorry. Please don't cry because of me.” He cupped my face with both of his hands and tilted it up so I looked into his eyes. “I'm a fool. I say things I shouldn't. I do stuff that I should get punished for. I don't know how I always end up ruining everything. I'm sorry I hurt you. You don't deserve to deal with my stupidity. It's my problem that I’ve gotten crazy about you. I shouldn't expect you to like me back. I'm not the guy you'd ever want. I'm the worst.”
More tears fill my eyes and I can't help but feel bad for him. For myself.
I wish he never came into my life. I never wanted to live with the guilt that I broke someone's heart.
I just want a life with my babies. Was that too much to ask for?
More tears slid down my face and he tried wiping them off. “Please, stop crying. I beg you.” His voice broke as he said that.
He pushed me to his chest and wrapped his arms around me. I was so desperate for comfort that I hugged him back. He slowly rubbed my back and a warmth spread through me.
“I'll leave. I promise I'll leave you alone if that's what you want. I won't ever come after you again. Just stop crying. I can't see you like this.” His chest vibrated with each word spoken.
He pulls back and looks at me with glossy eyes like he's a second away from crying. “You're the sweetest soul I’ve ever met, Addy. I’ll remember this face.” He brushes his thumb on my jaw.
“I'm sorry for everything that happened between us.” He kissed my forehead and I let him. “I won't bother you anymore.”
When he finally steps back I feel strange. I knew this was gonna end one day but it was so sudden and unexpected. It left me with emotions that hurt. And that I couldn't name.
“Take care of yourself, princess. I hope you have the cutest baby in the world.” He smiled at me one last time and stepped back.
“If you ever need anything, I'm just a call away. I promise I won't expect anything in return.” And with that he was gone.
I broke into another fits of cries as the door shut. I grab a bottle of water from the table of refreshments and down the entirety of it.
I really need to calm down. My babies must be worried for me. Even my breathing has been unstable this whole time.
My gaze fell on the yellow flowers on the floor and my feet moved on their own and stopped when I'm standing in front of them. I kneel down and look at the small card stuck to the bouquet.
“Princess, I hope we can be friends someday.
Reign Astor.”
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Guys, tell me how was the chapter????