A Joke, A Lifelong Regret Chapter 03
The muscles in Aria’s face twitched.
The memory crashed back between us like cold water flooding in.
Freshman year of college. Aria and I got cornered in an alley by a group of guys from one of the local gangs fighting over turf. The police in that neighborhood never showed up before the knives did.
When they saw us fighting back, the one in front pulled out a blade and drove it straight at Aria.
I jumped in front of her without thinking.
My blood soaked through her entire dress.
The doctor said the internal damage was severe. Getting pregnant would be nearly impossible.
I never once regretted what I did.
Until now.
Aria’s jaw tightened. Tears ran down her face in heavy drops. “I never forgot.”
Damian saw the pain on her face and immediately crossed the room toward me, pulling me into his arms, trying to bury the conversation.
“Hey. Not being able to have kids doesn’t matter. Just the two of us is perfect, right?”
Ten-years-from-now Damian’s voice cut through again.
[What is Elena’s problem? She can’t have kids. It’s not like she lost a limb. Does she have to drag it up and make Aria feel guilty?]
His voice dripped with contempt. The devotion on his face right in front of me.
Both of them, layered on top of each other.
His forearm still carried the scar from a year ago.
That scar was what made me let him in.
And now these same hands had touched Aria. Had held her, had whispered things that only belong between two people who love each other.
My fingers started shaking and I couldn’t make them stop.
I pushed Damian away and pulled back. “I’m tired. I need to rest.”
Damian nodded and lowered the bed. “I’ll come check on you later.”
Aria’s expression flickered. She followed him out.
The moment they were gone, I called the investigator I trusted and had him pull Aria’s recent
medical records.
Less than ten minutes later, the file came through.
Seven weeks pregnant.
Counting back, it landed exactly on the anniversary of my parents’ deaths.
That night, I couldn’t sleep. I kept thinking about them. I’d even texted Aria: I really miss them.
She’d written back: Elena, don’t be scared. I’m right here.
Turns out her version of being there was in Damian’s bed.
The grief and fury rose up so fast I almost went under.
But I wasn’t going to become the lunatic from Damian’s version of the future.
That man wasn’t worth it.
I screenshotted everything and backed it up to an encrypted drive.
That evening, Damian came to visit.
He’d brought shrimp ravioli soup from Little Luca’s. My favorite.
But the second he leaned close, I caught the scent of Aria’s white rose perfume on his jacket.
I bit into a ravioli. Before I could even swallow it, my stomach lurched violently.
I spat it out and started coughing.
Damian’s face tightened. He rubbed my back, his voice somewhere between exasperated and gentle. “Slow down. Nobody’s fighting you for it.”
I looked up at him. My throat was still tight. “Damian. This is chive filling. Not shrimp.”
Something shifted in his expression.
I’m allergic to chives.
He’d known that from the beginning. Two years together and he’d never once gotten it wrong
“The staff must’ve mixed up the orders.” He recovered quickly, the guilt on his face looking completely real. “I’m sorry, Elena. I’ll have someone run out and get you another one.”
He looked genuinely sorry.
But the earpiece told a different story.
[That’s Aria’s order. She loves chive. You grabbed the wrong container. She’s pregnant. She can’t go without eating.]
The earpiece had barely gone quiet before Damian shot to his feet.
“I’ll just go get it myself. I don’t want them messing it up again.”
Before I could say a word, he was already gone.
The door eased shut behind him.
The soup sat on the table, still steaming.
The white haze rose slowly, then went cold.
I wiped my eyes and made myself smile.
Damian Vale.
Aria Bellamy.
If you don’t have a heart, then don’t blame me for what comes next.