Unveiling
~
June 5th, 2019
Southampton, New York
Twenty-First Week Pregnant
Vera's P.O.V.
6:19 pm.
Leone hugged me from behind, kissing where my shoulder and neck met. My eyes cherished our figure in the mirror, appreciating standing in his arms. "You look beautiful," He murmured into my ear. I blushed, leaning up to kiss his cheek. His strong hands were cupping my belly which created goosebumps to arise over my body. She felt his hands and she enjoyed it.
Biting my lip, I smoothed over my white dress that hugged every inch of my body. For the invitees, I requested no one would leak online because it was a private event. I didn't have many close friends, but the people I chose to invite were considered family-friendly.
Walking downstairs with Leone's hand embracing mine, the chatter and music flowed into my ears as we were approaching where the party was being held. We wanted to take advantage of the warm weather in New York by keeping the event outdoor in my parent's backyard.
At this point, Leone was aware of who the father of my baby was. Leone wasn't sure how to react when I had told him. His widened eyes were unreadable, but he accepted like the person he was. When I was with him, he made me feel like a queen and he was my king.
Cheers erupted as we emerged from the mansion; congratulations were thrown my way. Everyone wore either pink or blue, to declare their belief on my baby's gender. Lilly, Cherie, and Leone were wearing all-white to stay neutral. I wore white because I wasn't sure if my baby was to be a boy or a girl. I was completely clueless.
My mother wore a baby pink dress that didn't match my father's tie for once. He wore a navy blue tie instead. He beamed as they walked towards Leone and me. He planted a peck on my forehead, grinning down at me before greeting Leone properly.
"My gosh! You two look beautiful together!" My mother complimented enthusiastically. "You guys aren't matching for the first time," I noted with a laugh. My mother rolled her eyes, scoffing. "Yeah. You're father and I aren't seeing eye-to-eye on this one." She answers, chuckling afterward.
Lilly and Cherie neared as my parents departed to greet other guests. She squealed as Cherie giggled at her excitement. "I am so thrilled!" Lilly had been chanting that for days, making me desirous for the results. I felt Leone rub my back, easing my nerves.
Norah and Luca were approaching from the corner of my eye. Norah styled herself with a royal blue mermaid dress as Luca wore a baby pink patterned dress shirt. They were those nonchalant couples that everyone wanted to be.
"I'm team boy." Was the first thing that came past Norah's lips. Luca scoffed. "No, it's going to be a girl. I'm sure of it." He stated confidently. They continued to bicker back-and-forth. "It's a boy! Do you want to fight over this?"
"You're the one who's opposing! I can't believe I wanted to marry you!" Luca shot back. He smirked as her jaw dropped. He laughed, chasing after her. He chanted that he was joking, but she turned her head the other way.
I giggled, looking up at Leone. "I feel like I'm tearing people apart." I murmured with a chuckle following after.
Xavier shyly followed Aleksander who swung his arm around me all of a sudden. He was wearing a pink shirt that hugged his body. Xavier wore the same color, but a Polo dress shirt complimenting his neat appearance.
"It's definitely going to be a girl," Aleksander says, smirking. I furrowed my eyebrows amusingly. "Weren't you saying it's going to be a boy last week?" Xavier claimed. Aleksander scoffed. "Okay, now I'm saying it's a girl." He says as if he's stating the obvious.
From the corner of my eye, I see the rest of the Valentino clan heading their way over to me. Evalena was wearing a navy blue suit that complimented her body amazingly, matching with Ezio's. Beckham was wearing a baby pink suit, which didn't look awful at all. Everyone here knew how to style themselves extremely well.
My eyes fell on Ezio's toned figure. The suit hugged his muscles in the right places. My mouth watered at his appearance, but I quickly shook off the explicit thoughts, realizing my boyfriend was standing next to me. Oh, how I wish morals were thrown out the window right now.
Evalena squealed which caused Aleksander to groan. "Alek! You look so adorable!" She says, her grin hinting otherwise. Aleksander squinted his eyes, giving a sarcastic smile. She squeezed his cheeks to which he slapped off.
As Ezio's laughter rolled into my ears, our baby began to move, eager to hear their father around. Our eyes met briefly before his girlfriend, Cambria, emerged from out of nowhere. She wore a beautiful pink dress with a slit on her left leg. She was way too beautiful compared to me.
My white gown was slit from both sides, showcasing my somewhat tanned firm legs. I felt sexy despite the need to feel insecure from my belly. A handful of pregnant women do, but I didn't at all. I still couldn't imagine when my belly grew to its biggest potential.
"You look beautiful!" Evalena complimented to which I appreciated shyly. From my peripherals, I could notice that Ezio was observing me. I wanted to sink under his eyes. They felt as if they were burning me, but in an immeasurable way that I wasn't allowed to feel.
Cambria beamed, congratulating me for the baby. I bit my lip, pondering if she only knew her boyfriend was the father of my baby, our baby.
I greeted the Valentino's parents. Mr. Valentino resembled a precise copy of Aleksander, but mature. Mr. Valentino was kind in when he congratulated me as to where Mrs. Valentino was still as stiff from the last time I'd met her. Ezio's features resemble more to his mother than his father's, meanwhile, Evalena compared to either of them whenever you compared.
Mrs. Valentino was dressed in a navy blue wrap dress covered by white floral design, complimenting her mature appearance. Her husband matched the design by wearing a baby pink floral tropical button-up that was tucked into his white shorts, his collarbone being on display. I admired they matched regardless of their choice of gender.
Beckham decided to swipe Leone from under my nose. As everyone else dissolved into the party, I was left alone with Ezio.
I wasn't sure how to start up a conversation with him, but apparently, he did. "What do you think?" He asked me unexpectedly. I rose my eyebrows in wonder. "The sex of your baby." He clarified. He was leaning against the high-rise table. He seemed relaxed, not desiring to act in bothersome behavior.
I shrugged in response. "I'm not sure, but I'm sort of leaning towards a girl," I reply, fiddling with my fingers. He nodded, taking a sip of his drink.
Silence fell between us, but neither of us complained. Both of us enjoyed observing the party as the sun was beginning to lower. I felt every beat my heart fluttered.
When around Ezio, I've always felt ways I shouldn't have. I kept stealing side-glances without him noticing when I shouldn't be. Both of us were in a relationship now, and all we had was a one night stand. It shouldn't be anything more than that.
"This is a bit personal to ask, but was there another guy?" He asked.
This gave me a slight whiplash; the atmosphere switching over. "What do you mean?"
He sighed softly before crossing his arms. "In January, that's when you got pregnant, I'm assuming?"
I nodded hesitantly as my heart hammered, feeling my blood pump vigorously through my veins.
"There must've been another guy because there's no way it could be mine, right?"
My mouth fell agape. Before I had the opportunity to respond, not that I wanted to, I heard Cambria's voice fill in my ears, calling over Ezio. I couldn't bring myself to remain the eye contact he was trying to hold. I felt his eyes glare daggers at me. I chose not to respond.
"Babe, I want to introduce you to someone," Cambria replies softly into his ear. He nodded slowly, his eyes remained on mine as I peeked from beneath my eyelashes.
"Vera?"
Looking up, I noticed Leone returning to me. His charming smile pulls me from the drowning tension in the air. Sweetly caressing my shoulder, he encouraged me to greet all the guests at the party. They were close friends from high school that I trusted not to betray me.
High school was a time that I didn't wish to remember, but I'm glad to learn the lessons from it. I've grown and matured over time because of certain things that happened during my teen years. I'm not proud of who I was before, but I am for who I am now.
Although most things from my past still haunt me, I try to overcome, but there are some things that you can't heal from alone or without any guidance. I have nightmares every once in a while from that night. From then on, I've learned to put my trust in certain people, and not just in everyone I've been acquaintance with.
I didn't notice the sun was setting across the horizon already as my head was wrapped in old memories. The sky was an orangeish-pink color, giving tropical vibes that calmed my nerves.
I noticed Lilly nearing me. She winked and I giggled in excitement. It was time to reveal the gender of my baby. I couldn't fathom the feelings that were pumping through my veins.
She neared me towards the edge of the yard, near the bay where there were boxes labeled fireworks. I gasp, realizing Lilly put a lot more into the party than I thought. I smiled at her, thankful to keep her by my side.
I brought my arms out, wanting a hug from her. As she wrapped her arms around my waist, I squeezed her. "We came so far, didn't we?" I said, pulling away. She grinned, "And here you are, having a baby. It's crazy."
I agreed by nodding.
She stepped away, raising her voice to announce it was time to reveal. Soon, everyone gathered around. Leone stood a few feet away from me, grinning. My eyes flickered to Ezio who was caught in a conversation with his sister. She noticed I looked her way and waved ecstatically at me. Ezio's eyes followed hers, landing on mine. I threw a small grin her way, avoiding his attention.
Lilly tapped me on the shoulder, bringing me back into reality. She handed me a lighter, saying "When you're ready, light up that box—"
"--Will I have time to step back?" I interrupted, hesitant to light the box if there's a chance I'll miss the moment. She shook her head in response.
"When you're ready, light it up. I'll help you if you're having some trouble." She assures me before walking back into the crowd, standing next to Cherie who was near Leone.
"It's going to be a girl!" Aleksander shouted, having others erupt in laughter. I roll my eyes as Xavier punches his shoulder, letting out a chuckle. "A boy!" My father shouts back. The crowd erupted in a humorous argument of the sex of my baby. I giggled, testing the lighter to see if it was functional. Evalena shouted to have everyone come down to a simmer, a chuckle following after.
Leaning down, I attempt to light up the box, bracing myself for an immediate spark, but it never came. I groaned after attempting multiple times, then turning back to Lilly. Norah was recording the scene on her smartphone. I stuck out my tongue and threw up two fingers, a peace sign, before I let out a few strings of laughter.
Noticing the orange sky turning violet, darkening into the night, I frowned, eager to observe the color of the fireworks light up the sky.
"Here," Lilly answers, grabbing my hand and helping me light the box. The fire ignited the small rope on the box which had us rise to our feet immediately, stepping a few feet back.
Hearing the firework pop out from the box awakened my senses. I felt Leone's arm around my waist as all of our eyes were glued to the blank sky.
An eruption of cheers and fireworks exploded as the blue sparks shot out, surprising all of us before our eyes. My eyes watered at the beautiful lights spelling out 'Baby Boy'. Tears fell onto my cheeks as I felt Leone's arm picking me up, twirling me around. I lean down to meet his lips, laughing in excitement.
Letting me down, everyone came to congratulate me on my baby boy. My baby was a boy all along: I thought with a smile. From the corner of my eye, I observed Ezio's emerald eyes burning into my figure. I felt my breath hitched before he stormed out from the backyard, disappearing into my house. My excitement quickly diminished, feeling my heart pound with an uneasy feeling.
Gulping, I was considering to follow after him, but I wasn't able to for everyone was attempting to congratulate me. My father came up and kissed my forehead, embracing me into his tight arms. Tears were shed, touches of laughter were heard, happiness was spread around that late evening. I wouldn't have it any other way.
It was time to cut the baby blue dyed cake that was encased with white fondant with pearls sprinkled on the edges. Everyone cheered as I pulled the cake out, revealing the blueberry-flavored dessert.
As everyone had calmed down, I told Leone I had to use the bathroom for a moment. I excused myself before entering my parents' mansion. Heading towards the bathroom, a masculine figure lurking in the dark appeared in my peripherals. I slowly approached the figure, realizing it was the one and only, Ezio.
I chose to remain in silence, but I knew he was aware of my presence for all you could hear was my white heels clicking against the marble floor.
"Ezio?" I murmured, breaking the silence. He didn't even respond physically. His feet were planted as his body was facing towards the window. I could hear my heart pound up to my ears, my blood pumping vigorously.
"You fucking whore!" He spat, causing me to jump out of my skin. He turned around, closing in the proximity, just enough for a piece of paper to slide between us.
"It's mine, isn't it?" He distastefully charged. His eyes were burning into mine, but I remained quiet and kept my teary eyes on my fiddled hands. "Answer me!" He roared, his voice echoing through the corridors.
Tears were stinging in my eyes as I softly nodded. "There was another guy because that baby can't be mine! We used protection that night!" His voice lowered, but it was loud enough. I had a small fear that someone would be able to eavesdrop, even if we were deep into the estate.
"We didn't," I mumbled a bit too lowly.
"What?"
I gulped. "Not during the middle of the night," I revealed a bit louder, looking up at him. His eyes were squinted before he crossed his arms, his bulging muscles intimidating me. "And you didn't think to get rid of it?"
"I did, but—"
"—but, you wanted some kind of attention, didn't you?" I remained quiet, not wanting to fight back. "Did you keep the baby to trap me somehow? You psychotic bitch!" He spat, his face close to me once again. "I will not be apart of this baby's life." He muttered.
I was shaking from the tears escaping my blue eyes. I couldn't help myself to not remain vulnerable under his eyes.
Looking deep into his emerald eyes, I saw no remorse which frightened me. His breath was heavy when I tried to search for any sort of guilt, but his exterior was ice cold. I pursed my lips, refraining to make any sounds similar to a whimper. He scrutinized me one last time before storming off, leaving me and our child alone in my flood of tears.
• • •
okay! i took a break because my mental health and grades in school got w o r s e. but i'm fixing myself now and writing is my therapy so here i am :)
what did you think of this chapter guys??? a lot of things went down including the gender of the baby! a beautiful baby boy :) i'm so excited when he comes ahhh!! i'm already coming up with names!
also, ezio found out and reacted nasty too?? we don't support him anymore, he's canceled! (just kidding he's fineeee asf how could we??)
also, i'm back to my regular updating schedule which is updating once every weekend :) i am beginning to get the treatment i need for my health and hopefully i will be better than ever!
thank you for the support while i was gone. i wasn't posting but i was around, seeing you all vote and comment! it really makes my day! i'm thankful for you all. when i'm having a breakdown, i check my notifications and see you all supporting genuinely makes me feel so much better.
also, soon enough i'm going to be changing the gifs of everyone characters because some people don't agree with their appearance and i don't either? they will still have the same features but different people with better gifs.
love you all so much and thank you once again! i'm glad to be back (:
Don't forget to Vote, Comment, and Share!
- alli