Chapter 262 FOR ME.

Chapter 262 FOR ME.
\~~~RAINA.

The first time it happened, I blamed the jet ski.

The second time, I blamed the bakery.

By the third time, I was running out of excuses.

I stood in front of the bathroom sink, staring at my reflection while the tap ran quietly in the background.

The nausea had come and gone again, just like it always did.

It never stayed long enough to ruin my day completely but long enough to make me suspicious.

I exhaled slowly and reached for my phone.

Maybe I was overthinking. Actually, I was definitely overthinking.

Unfortunately, that had never stopped me before.

A few taps later, I was staring at a search result.

‘Early pregnancy symptoms,’ and I immediately rolled my eyes at myself but still kept reading.

I frowned at the result, closed the browser, and then opened it again.

Then I searched for something else.

Can nausea happen before a missed period?

I immediately hated myself because it was ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.

I exited the page and then went backwards in my calendar.

I counted more than two times just to be sure and my stomach twisted not from nausea this time but from nerves because the dates weren't helping.

They were making things worse. But, then, I knew so much had changed within me. The random nausea was enough on its own. But, how about the sight of food had been making me feel repulsed?

I pressed my lips together and stared at the screen.

No.

There was no point getting ahead of myself.

Women get nauseous all the time, people get sick, eat bad food, and even get motion sickness.

People definitely did not immediately jump to pregnancy because they threw up near a jet ski.

And yet...

I opened the browser again.

How accurate are early pregnancy symptoms?

God.

I needed help or a hobby. Possibly both

For several seconds, I simply stared at the screen and then I looked back at my reflection.

Maybe…

No.

Maybe.

God.

I hated maybes.

My thoughts immediately drifted somewhere I rarely allowed them to go.

The last pregnancy I'd lost.

A strange ache settled quietly in my chest and I exhaled.

I remembered how shocked I'd been when I found out and how little warning there had been.

There hadn't been nausea, no sensitivity to smells, and definitely nothing that made me stop and think.

I'd carried that baby without even knowing it existed until it was gone.

The memory made me swallow hard.

Maybe that was why I was hesitating now, because hope was dangerous, it made you imagine things, made you believe and then sometimes hurt more than disappointment.

I set the phone down.

No way I was doing this.

Not yet.

Not until I knew and was sure.

The bathroom door opened behind me then and I nearly jumped.

Luciano walked in with a towel around his neck.

His gaze landed on me immediately and then narrowed.

"Why do you look like you are planning a murder?"

I stared at him. "You couldn't have said good morning?"

"It is afternoon."

Oh, right, we had stayed up binge-watching a supernatural series and had gone to bed at dawn, so yeah, it’s past 12 PM now.

Luciano took another step forward. "What happened?"

"Nothing."

"Liar.”

I sighed.

"You don't even pretend to believe me anymore."

"Because you make it too easy."

His eyes drifted toward my phone and then back to me.

I immediately moved it behind my back and that only made him more suspicious.

"Raina."

"No."

His eyebrow rose. "I haven't asked a question yet."

"You were about to."

"I was."

"Then my answer is still no."

Luciano stared at me for several seconds patiently which somehow made everything worse and eventually, I gave up.

Because there was absolutely no winning against that level of persistence.

"I have been feeling… strange."

His expression changed immediately, concern replacing the little smile on it.

"What kind of strange?"

I hesitated and then told him about the nausea.

“I had pointed it out, but you said it was the ocean.”

“Oh, please, shut up,” I rolled my eyes.”

Then, I continued, talking about the smells, and even the late cycle.

Luciano didn't interrupt once and even after I finished speaking, he remained quiet for a moment.

Then finally, "You think you are pregnant."

It wasn't a question.

I looked down at my hands, breathing out.

His voice softened slightly. "Do you?"

"I don't know."

And that was the truth. I didn't know.

I wanted to and I was terrified.

Both at the same time.

"I don't want to assume," I admitted quietly.

Luciano moved closer, enough that his hand found mine and enough that I felt steady again.

"Then let's not assume."

I looked up as his gaze held mine.

“We should find out."

And somehow, that made breathing easier but he didn’t move immediately.

Luciano stayed close, his hand still around mine, like he wasn’t ready to let the moment scatter into something we couldn’t control anymore.

“Baby,” he said quietly.

I hummed in response.

His thumb brushed slowly over my knuckles. “I need you to promise me something.”

My brows drew together slightly. “Promise?”

“Yes.”

I studied his face for a moment before nodding.

“What is it?”

His eyes stayed on mine.

“No matter what it is,” he said slowly, “you are not going to let it get to you.”

I paused. “Luciano…”

“Listen,” he cut in gently, not harsh, just firm enough to stop me from interrupting. “If it’s nothing, we move on. If it’s something…” he swallowed.

His grip tightened just slightly. “But I don’t want you spiraling before we even know the truth.”

The way he said it made my chest tighten because I know he wasn’t just talking about now but about everything we had already lived through.

I swallowed slowly.

“And if it’s negative?” I asked quietly.

A brief silence passed between us. Luciano exhaled once, then leaned in a fraction closer and then kissed the corner of my lips.

“Then it is negative,” he said simply. “And we keep living.”

I searched his face.

“Just like that?”

His expression didn’t change.

“Yes, baby.”

“I’ve got you, sunshine.”

The way he said it, so certain, and controlled, made me believe him.

Not because I thought it would mean nothing to him but because he was choosing not to let it break him. For me.

I nodded slowly.

“Okay.”

“Promise me,” he repeated.

I let out a small breath.

“I promise.”

That seemed to settle him and only then did he nod.

“Good.”

A faint, almost hesitant smile appeared on his lips.

“Now let’s find out.”