Chapter 96: Complacent
Dante didn’t argue with her and he simply nodded his head even as he went ahead to help her towards her room. His grip on her arm was firm but distant, careful, as though she were something fragile that he was obligated to protect rather than someone he genuinely wished to hold. The hallway was quiet, the soft glow of the lights reflecting against the polished floors as their footsteps echoed faintly in the silence.
Dora relieved to get back to her room not daring to open her mouth lest she urge him to stay with her even as she watched him leave. Her fingers curled into the fabric of her gown, knuckles whitening as she stood there, forcing herself to remain silent while the door slowly closed behind him. She didn’t trust herself to speak, afraid that if she did, her carefully restrained emotions would spill out uncontrollably.
Leaning against the door with tears in her eyes as she thought back to what had happened and what she had realized. Her breathing grew uneven as the weight of the night finally settled on her chest, pressing down hard enough to make her heart ache.
He’s never going to care about me!
The thought rang loudly in her mind, cruel in its clarity, leaving no room for denial. Realizing that that was the person he was which meant that she needed to care about herself. The realization came slowly, painfully, sinking into her bones as she accepted it for what it was rather than what she wished it could be.
Stepping away from the door she instantly turned around and headed towards her bed falling on it without making any effort to take off the black gown she had on. The mattress dipped under her weight, the fabric pooling awkwardly around her legs as she lay there unmoving.
Pulling out the pins that held her hair in a bun even as laid down her bed eyes fixed on the ceiling. One by one, the pins clinked softly against the floor, her short hair spilling around her shoulders in loose strands as she stared blankly above her, unseeing.
Tears slowly spilled down from her eyes even as she did her best to hold it in. Her chest tightened as she swallowed hard, refusing to let out a sound despite the ache building deep inside her.
I should give up she thought to herself knowing that regardless of how she felt the baby was not her own. The truth hurt more than she wanted to admit, slicing through her heart with ruthless precision.
It was better that she harden her heart and prepare to be separated than to keep on chasing a pipe dream that could never come true. A dream that had never truly been hers to begin with, no matter how desperately she had clung to it.
Tears falling from her eyes even harder as she realized that it was the only thing she could do if she intended to keep her sanity. Her shoulders trembled slightly as the tears soaked into the pillow beneath her cheek.
Tears were still sliding down her face when she slowly drifted off to sleep with her arms curled around herself refusing to think of anything else that would make her sad. Exhaustion eventually claimed her, pulling her into a restless sleep filled with nothing but heavy darkness.
The next morning when she woke up she didn’t struggle to get out of bed as she continued to lay there with a blank gaze. The sunlight filtered weakly through the curtains, casting pale patterns across the room that she didn’t bother acknowledging.
She didn’t care whether or not Dante would be eating in the dinning room or leaving earlier than usual. All she cared about was lying there. The world outside her room felt distant and irrelevant, as though it no longer involved her.
Seeing no reason to run around when the situation was already hopeless. The future stretched out before her, bleak and unavoidable.
It wasn’t until she heard a knock on her door one she knew belonged to Guila that she finally stirred even as she heard the door being pushed open. The familiar rhythm of Guila’s presence pulled her slightly out of her thoughts.
Footsteps followed before she felt Guila’s presence right beside her bed. The mattress dipped slightly as Guila leaned closer, studying her with concern.
"You need to get up, bath dress up and exercise!" Guila said and Dora was almost tempted to ask why. Her voice was firm, leaving little room for argument.
"All I need to do is eat to feed the baby!" Dora mechanically responded even as she felt Guila lean forward and snap off the bed cover over her even as she spoke. The sudden rush of cool air made Dora shiver slightly.
"You need to remain healthy both mentally and physically!" Guila told her with a confused expression on her fave one that showed that she didn’t understand why Dora was suddenly being difficult and acting differently than she normally would. Her brows furrowed as she spoke, clearly unsettled by the change.
"Maybe my hormones are out of wack!" Dora joked but the words were barely out of her mouth when Guila instantly instructed that she would be heading to the hospital for a checkup. The humor fell flat, hollow even to her own ears.
Dora instantly refused grabbing the bed cover to cover herself from near to tow almost like she was freezing but Guila didn’t let her. Her fingers clenched desperately around the fabric.
Moving to snap the bed cover off just like before but this time around tossing it to the ground. The finality of the action left Dora groaning softly.
"You are going? Either that or I could have the doctors brought here!" she told her knowing that it was an option that Dora wouldn’t want with all of them crowding around her. Guila crossed her arms, clearly resolved.
Dora couldn’t help but groan even as she laid on the bed which was all she wanted to do. Her body felt heavy, weighed down by more than just exhaustion.
But a moment later she struggled to get off the bed even as she headed to the bathroom turning on the hot water and filling the tub intending to spend her last peaceful moments in it when she heard Guila’s voice.
"You have ten minutes and I’ll return!" Guilt said even as Dora ignored her as she got into the tub with a blank gaze still pasted on her face. The steam slowly filled the room, wrapping around her like a fragile cocoon.
Guila was simply being caring in the only way she knew how to be. Dora couldn’t blame her aware that she herself had no place to feel sad.
Her contract from the beginning was to give birth to Dante’s child and leave. A frown on her face even as she whispered out loud lowering her hands to her belly and rubbing it.
She was already three months along and her bump was slightly bigger.
’I guess I’ll just have the baby and leave!’ she told herself aware that it was the only thing she could starting at her stomach even as she sloy hardened her heart.
The child belonged to Dante and not her.
She took her bath and got dressed in comfortable shirt and pants before heading to the hospital for the checkup which was just as annoying as she remembered it. The ride there passed in silence, her thoughts dull and distant.
The doctors were even more careful and incessant the second they found out who she was being Dante’s wife. Ensuring that all was well and the baby was fine. Their constant reassurances did little to ease her mind.
After she was done, the thought of visiting her step mother and father crossed her mind but after thinking about it she decided not to. The wound was still too fresh.
She was still pissed at her father whom she realized did stupid things and then expected her to fix it or even sacrifice herself for it. It was vastly different from the loving father she was used to.
So the moment she was done with the checkup her intention was to head home like usual as she bade goodbye to the doctor and stepped out of his office. Her steps were slow but deliberate.
Ettore her bodyguard and one other bodyguard stood behind her as she made her way to lobby and towards the entrance that led to the parking lot. Their presence was silent but imposing.
But she had just gotten close to the door with Ettore moving to pull it open for her when she saw an older man step in. The air seemed to shift subtly as he entered.
He was elegantly dressed with dark grey hair. With the amount of guards behind him it was clear that he was rich and not the small kind.
But what caught her eye were his face structure and eyes which seemed a bit familiar even as she thought nothing more of it stepping to the side to let him pass. A strange sense of recognition brushed past her thoughts.
Noting how his gaze also lingered on her face for a bit more than usual even as he hurriedly stepped past her heading forward in what appeared to be a hurry.
Dora thought nothing more of it even as she stepped through the entrance and straight to the car. Impatient to get back to the estate and relax.
Doing nothing but making a baby and getting her mind ready to leave the second the baby arrived.
