Chapter 14 – Fireworks and Fury
Aria sat curled on the living room couch, a blanket wrapped around her frame like a shield. The TV played reruns of a romantic drama she had no interest in. Her body ached, not from physical strain, but from the constant emotional warfare going on inside her.
Pregnancy wasn't at all what she'd imagined it to be—assuming she'd ever really imagined it. But one thing was certain: no one warned her about the moods. Her hormones seemed to be staging a coup d'état against her sanity. Some days she woke up crying. Others, she wanted to throw her phone at the wall or punch a pillow. Or someone. Most especially someone named Kade Val.
She was halfway through her third cup of chamomile tea when the doorbell rang.
Her heart skipped a beat. Not out of surprise—she somehow knew it was him.
Kade.
Because he'd shown up every day for the past four days.
She didn't answer. Didn't move. Maybe if she stayed quiet long enough, he'd think she wasn't home.
"Aria," his voice came through the door. "It's me. Please open up."
She rolled her eyes and sank deeper into the couch.
Silence.
Then came the second ring.
And the third.
She sprang up, tossed her cup down onto the coffee table a little too harshly, and stormed to the door. Swinging it open, she glared at him, jaw tight. "What now, Kade? Are you here to beg again? Or remind me you're the all-powerful billionaire who gets what he wants?"
Kade, dressed in a soft gray sweater and black jeans, looked startled by the fire in her voice. "No," he said calmly. "I just wanted to see how you were doing. And maybe bring you this." He held up a brown paper bag. "Your favorite—those mini cinnamon rolls from Harlow's downtown."
She stared at the bag, nostrils flaring. "You think cinnamon rolls will fix everything?"
"No," he replied, his voice low. "But I'm hoping they'll remind you that I'm not trying to hurt you. I just… want to be here."
She stepped aside reluctantly, allowing him in only because her legs ached from standing.
"You shouldn't keep coming here," she said, closing the door behind him. "People already know I'm pregnant. You showing up constantly is just adding fuel to the fire."
He didn't respond. Instead, he walked to the counter and placed the bag down, then turned to face her. "I don't care what they think. Let them talk. I care about you. And the baby."
Her eyes narrowed. "Oh really? You care now? After you threw me away like a child two years ago?"
"That's not fair."
"Isn't it?" she barked, the heat rising to her face. "You called me a kid. Said I wasn't woman enough for you. Humiliated me and slept with another girl behind my back. Now suddenly, you're playing the role of father-of-the-year because we had one drunken night?"
Kade exhaled, trying to keep calm. "I didn't come here to fight."
"Well, tough luck," she snapped. "Because I'm mad, Kade. And I deserve to be."
She rubbed her temple, chest heaving. She felt the storm building—one she couldn't hold back.
"You don't know what this is like for me. I wake up sick. I'm tired all the time. My emotions are all over the place. And I'm doing it alone," she said, voice cracking. "Because I won't raise my baby with someone I don't trust."
A heavy silence filled the room.
Kade's eyes softened. "Then let me earn that trust back. I'm not who I was two years ago, Aria."
"That's easy to say," she muttered, walking past him. "But I don't have time for promises that come too late."
Suddenly, the smell of cinnamon hit her. Her stomach flipped—and not in a good way. She darted for the bathroom, barely making it to the sink before her nausea erupted.
Kade moved after her instinctively but stopped short at the bathroom door. He could hear her retching, and the sound cut through him like glass. He wanted to help, but he knew better than to crowd her now.
When Aria emerged ten minutes later, pale and teary-eyed, she avoided his gaze.
"I'll get you some water," he offered.
"I'm fine," she said curtly, though her shaky legs told a different story. "Just leave, Kade. Please."
But he didn't. Instead, he stepped forward slowly, as if afraid any sudden move would make her run.
"I'm not perfect. I've made mistakes—stupid ones I wish I could erase. But I swear, Aria, this baby… it changes everything."
"Funny," she said bitterly. "It changed everything for me too. Except now I don't have the luxury of walking away."
His expression tensed.
Before he could speak again, her phone buzzed from the counter.
She moved to pick it up—and froze.
Her breath hitched.
Kade noticed. "What is it?"
She swallowed. Her eyes scanned the message again and again, willing it to disappear.
"It's… nothing."
He stepped closer. "Aria?"
She turned to him slowly, face unreadable.
But something was definitely wrong.
Terribly wrong.