Chapter 68: Hiding it
It was something she found hard to come to terms with as she stood in front of the mirror with a stunned look on her face.
Her hands slid down to her belly, which still looked the same size, even as her heart lightly thumped in her chest while she struggled to stop herself from gasping at the shock she had received.
It wasn’t bad news. It was news she had expected, yet somehow she couldn’t bring herself to crack a smile. All she could feel in her chest was the constant, light thumping of her heart.
Not wanting to stay in Dante’s room longer than necessary, she headed out and went to her own room, closing the door behind her as she fell onto her bed. Her head still felt foggy, and the nausea had yet to subside, but she could care less.
Almost impatient, she wanted to call for Guila and a pregnancy test, since the ones she had bought were already finished.
Staring at the ceiling, she couldn’t help but wonder if she had actually gotten pregnant the first time she slept with Dante, considering how soon her symptoms were already showing.
It had only been, at most, a month.
A few minutes later, she finally got to her feet and headed to the bathroom to take a shower, dressing up before heading out toward the dining room.
Time had long passed. She wasn’t surprised when she glanced at her phone and realized it was well past nine, which meant Dante would have long left.
Getting to the dining room, she saw that it was indeed empty. Guila stepped into the room just a few seconds after Dora sat down to eat.
A deep frown appeared on Dora’s face as she took in the smell of the food on the table, which somehow managed to make her nausea even worse.
She was still staring at the platter, trying to figure out what best to choose, when she heard Guila speak, eyes fixed on the schedule in her hand.
"As I previously pointed out, your acting lessons will continue, followed by etiquette and nutritional classes related to women’s fertility!" she said. Dora slowly nodded her head, picking up the plainest dish and piling it onto her plate.
Even if she was pregnant, the last thing she wanted to do was spread the news—even to Dante’s trustworthy servants—aware that the first danger she had come across had come from them.
"The classes will have to wait!" Dora told her as she began to nibble on the food on her plate, aware that the last thing she wanted to do was throw up or outwardly show her displeasure toward the food.
"...I’ve decided to visit my family today!" she continued, fully aware that stepping out with Ettore was the only way she could get the pregnancy test she wanted, even though she might have to convince Ettore to keep it a secret—something she wasn’t even sure he was capable of doing.
Quickly, she ate what she had on her plate at a steady pace, making sure not to draw attention to herself as she got up the second she was done.
"What time will you be returning?" Guila asked, since she handled Dora’s schedule for the day as well as the affairs of the estate.
"By evening, I should be back!" Dora responded before heading upstairs to pick up a small bag, which she carried as she stepped out of the mansion.
Ettore was already waiting by the car door, moving to open it for her even as Dora hurriedly got in, her hands tightly folded together on her lap as she settled into the seat.
Ettore quietly settled beside her as the driver began to drive. The destination was the hospital where her family was, which Dora determined would also be the best place to get a pregnancy test from the pharmacy—if she could manage to get Ettore away from her.
But the car had just parked in the lot, giving her a couple of minutes before they had to get out, when Dora suddenly spoke.
"Can you keep a secret?" she asked him, her voice soft, gentle, and full of a beseeching expression. But the words had barely left her mouth when Ettore, dark shades hiding most of his middle-aged face, instantly shook his head.
"From Mr. Bellini? No! No, I can’t!" he said bluntly. "I protect you, but I work for Mr. Dante!" he added, making it painfully clear that being beside her was a job—nothing more.
Dora was stunned. She hadn’t expected such a frank, cold answer from someone she thought had grown closer to her over the past few days.
"It’s something small! A tiny favor that—" she began, but he cut her off with a calm yet fierce tone.
"I report everything notable to Mr. Dante! That’s the instruction, and I intend to do a good job!" he said, stepping out of the car and leaving the door open, waiting for her to proceed with her usual routine.
It would be a lie to say she wasn’t affected by the complete lack of emotion in his voice as she slowly got out of the car. Annoyed that even the one person she half expected to belong to her didn’t let her explain before shutting her down—making it painfully clear she was just a job.
She had thought highly of Ettore before, but the moment she stepped out of the car, her gaze sharpened into a frown as she stared at the man whose eyes were hidden behind those sunglasses.
Clearly I’ve made his job too easy! she thought as her heart rate increased while she headed toward the hospital. She tripped on bare ground before she even made it through the door.
"My—my leg!" Dora screamed, a scream sharp enough to pierce the air. Ettore looked confused as he knelt beside her, eyes on her legs, which showed no sign of injury.
"It looks alright to—" he began, but Dora didn’t let him finish. She unleashed another scream, louder, more dramatic than the first. "HAA! It hurts..."
