Chapter 122
Chapter 122
#Chapter 122 – The Morning After
I feel a growl rumble in Victor’s chest in response to my plea. I smile as I kiss him, pulling him down on top of me as he fumbles at his belt. I know he likes it when I beg.
“Please, Victor,” I murmur, my eyes closed as I cup his cheek in my hand, feeling him kick himself free of his pants. Then, he returns his face to mine, kissing me soundly as he settles himself between my knees, sliding his hand down my abdomen, across my stomach, dipping it between my thighs.
He growls again when he feels how wet I am for him.
My eyes open to look into his as I feel his c**k press against my entrance. I shudder, then, at the feeling of it, in anticipation, in need.
He pauses, though, and I search his face, seeking an explanation for the delay.
“I love you, Evelyn,” he says, his voice soft and serious, “God damnit, I’m so in love with you.” I stroke his face, then, memorizing it, running my thumb over his eyebrows to smooth the worry I see forming between them.
“I know, Victor,” I whisper back, “I know. I love you to.”
He kisses me, then, fiercely, and I can feel the joy and the possession running through him as he pulls me towards him with a hand behind my neck and another against my lower back. Victor holds me close against him as he slides into me. I groan deeply, the sound muffled by his mouth against mine as he kisses me, holding me through each pounding pulse of his hips. He holds me against each shudder of my body as I feel the tension building in me, against each tightening muscle of my body until I spill over the edge, clutching him as I go.
Victor follows soon after, biting my shoulder as he reaches his climax, marking me as his own. I feel the sharp bite of his teeth cut my flesh and hiss, welcoming the sensation. Panting, Victor looks down at my shoulder and then up into my eyes, an apology in them, as well as a question. Did it hurt?
I shake my head no, smiling at him, glad to be marked by him, glad to be his. Softly, gently, he lowers his head again to my shoulder and licks the wound. It’s not very deep; it will be healed by morning.
I pull him back down on top of me, still panting, and enjoy the feeling of his heavy body pressed against mine. I close my eyes, my head pillowed against the blankets, Victor’s resting against my breast, and lazily run my fingers through his hair as I catch my breath.
The utter calm that I feel surprises me. I frown, considering this, but then realize that every time Victor and I have been together before, it was always illicit, always an act of betrayal. This time is the first time, really, that it’s just been about us. I smile, laughing a little, enjoying the thought.
Us.
Victor raises his head, frowning in confusion, but with humor in his eyes. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing, baby,” I murmur, pulling his head back down against me.
“Baby,” he says, the stubble of his beard pleasantly sharp against the sensitive skin of my abdomen. “I like the sound of that.”
“You’d better,” I murmur, smirking a little at the double entendre.
The next morning, I wake stretched out before the fire, Victor’s naked body pressed against my back, his arms wrapped around me. I can feel the warm heat of his breath radiate pleasantly against my spine.
I smile, biting my lip, almost ridiculously thrilled, despite the very small amount of sleep that I got. I allow myself a moment to quietly reminisce about the rest of our evening alone with each other. Laughing, exploring, kissing, fucking…
I frown for a moment, though, wondering what could have woken me from such a solid sleep when I’m so exhausted. I listen, but there’s no patter of little boy feet that might have spoken to my subconscious. Then what…?
I feel it, then. The telltale ache in my lower back that echoes in the muscles of my upper thighs. My eyes go wide as my hands go instinctually to my breasts. Yes, a tender ache there as well.
I scramble up, then, grabbing a blanket to wrap around myself as I go.
“Evie?” I hear Victor mumble as I move quickly away from him, heading for the stairs. I run up them, taking two at a time. When I get to my room, I run to the bathroom and slam the door shut, quickly locking it. I drop my blanket and sitting quickly on my toilet, ignoring the fact that it’s as cold as ice. I tear off a few sheets of toilet paper, fold them neatly into a square, and then check.
When I look at the toilet paper again, there’s a dim pink streak across it.
God damnit.
God damnit.
I stare at the little white square for what feels like an hour, my world shattering and reconfiguring and breaking apart again and again as I realize that I’m not pregnant, that I wanted, very badly to be, that…
That perhaps this new thing I’ve started with Victor kind of depended on me being pregnant. Did I just want to be with him because I wanted a father for my child?
Were things different now. Was this all a mistake, now that there is no child?
Tears spring to my eyes in my confusion. I drop the paper into the bowl and cover my face with my hands, not knowing what to feel, how to process this.
Is the universe telling me something? Did it give me this phantom child, showing me a glimpse of the life I could have had with Victor, just to emphasize to me that this is not what I’m supposed to be doing?
What was the point of it all? If this really is the universe communicating with me, why would it give me that inconclusive test, make me want it, just to take it all away?
As I cry softly into my hands, I scold myself for these foolish thoughts. This isn’t the universe communicating with me – it’s all merely biological, just a missed period that I’ve taken way too seriously.
I cry myself out in my bathroom and, when I’m done, I feel empty and alone. I try to huff a laugh at myself, then, shaking my head, trying to convince myself that I’m being ridiculous. How can I mourn the loss of something I never even had? Mourn the loss of a baby that was never there to begin with?
I take a deep breath and pull myself together, telling myself that I’m being silly. I can’t stay in here all day, after all. I have things to do.
One more deep breath and I open my door, peeking out into my room, grateful to see that it’s empty. I move to my closet and put on a pair of soft pants and a cozy sweater. Then, sitting down at my vanity, I comb through the knots in my hair and put some moisturizer on my face, hoping it will help the redness from my tears fade.
Deeming myself as put-together as I’m going to get today, I steel myself and open my bedroom door. As I do, I’m surprised to hear noise in the kitchen. It’s still very early in the day – are the boys up?
I take a few silent steps down the stairs and then crouch down to spy through the banister.
Victor is there – fully dressed – washing dishes in my sink. Ian sits on the counter, passing him the next dish to be washed, and Alvin stands next to him, receiving the clean dishes and drying them before stacking them on the kitchen table.
“Will she be happy that we’re doing the dishes?” Alvin asks, looking up at his dad.
“I don’t know if she’ll be happy,” Victor responds, his eyes on the work. “But she will certainly appreciate the help. It’s always best if everyone pitches in.”
I smile, watching them, feeling a little happy despite myself.
“Yes, I agree,” Ian says, looking down at the dirty plates. “Because you know, the only thing that makes mommy really happy is…”
He pauses and I c**k my head to the side, watching him, wondering what he thinks the answer is.
At that moment, Ian slides his eyes directly to me and bursts into a big smile, pointing an accusatory finger my way. “Being a sneaky spy!”
I burst out laughing, truly shocked to have been caught in the act.
Victor and Alvin both turn and laugh too.
“Okay, you caught me,” I say, coming down the stairs.
“Red handed!” Ian says, proud of himself as I come over and give him a kiss on the cheek, and then dip to give Alvin one as well.
I straighten up and look into Victor’s face. He takes a step forward to wrap his arm around me but then he hesitates, looking sideways at the boys, not knowing precisely what the rules are yet.
My heart fills in that moment with a warmth that wipes away my earlier sadness at my lack of pregnancy. These three, here, in my kitchen with me, they’re enough. And in the future? There’s still time.
Smiling, I close the distance between us, reaching up to touch Victor’s face and bring it down closer to mine. I give him a soft kiss on the mouth, lingering for just a moment, and then let him go.
His wide smile is my reward.
“Yessss!” Ian whispers happily, putting a fist up in victory. I laugh at the broad smile on his face as well, blushing a little bit. I haven’t shied away from kissing my boyfriends in front of my kids before but, well, this is different.
“I’m so glad it worked!” Alvin says, his little hands pressed together happily beneath his chin, his eyes shining as he beams up at us. “I’ll go turn the heat back on!” All content is property © NôvelDrama.Org.
With that, he dashes off, Victor and my jaws dropping in shock.