Chapter 53 Shattered mother and her devastated soul
53\. Shattered mother and her devastated soul
"Ughh!" Wincing at the throbbing pain in her head, Aurora got up as she pushed herself on her right arm while with left she clutched her skull in a hopefully soothing hold.
It took everything in her body to undo her bolted lashes with great difficulty.
"Damien?" She whispered his name, looking around herself.
Surprise widened her eyes because she was tucked inside her blanket in the bed. She was in her room.
"Damien? Where are you?" Her soft voice tore through her heavy throat.
Her body was in pain. She can't remember anything about coming here in her bedroom except for the fact that they were on their dinner date. Specifically standing by the seashore after a heavenly proposal from Damien.
"What happened after that?" She asked herself as she unwillingly rested her back on the pillow.
Aura wanted to get out of bed instantly over gaining her senses, sadly her body was so weak and shivering badly, she had no other choice than hanging there in her spot to muster some energy before she thought about leaving again.
While massaging at her temples, she hissed. She recalled telling Damien regarding her pregnancy. But before she completed her statement, everything for her went off like bright lights in a room after power cut off.
A crazy guess struck her head. Her forehead creased suddenly at the thought and her fluttering eyes set ajar in horror.
"Oh no, did I faint because of pregnancy sickness?" She bluntly guessed as she ran a hand on her belly.
Well lately she had stopped falling sick due to conceiving or experiencing so much nausea. But once in a while it still transpired.
One of her hands came slapping her head and Aura sighed with a sullen look. But then panic seared within her, causing her to flinch in apprehension.
"Did he take me to a hospital for a check up? Oh no, I didn't want him to know it like this." She worriedly nibbled at her lower lip.
The pain in her head didn't subside even for a bit. Instead it inclined at the thought of Damien's reaction.
Firstly she fainted in his arms after a sweet proposal. Then what he got further from her was a slap of shock — that she had been hiding her pregnancy all this while from him.
Fearing his cold angry reaction, Aura worriedly pulled both her hands at her front. Her eyes wandered involuntarily to the clock on the front wall. It was past twelve and it's barely been four hours since the commencement of their date.
Aura stared at the clock with worried eyes until she grew cognizant of the fact that if Damien had taken her to a hospital, she would have opened her eyes in a hospital ward and not in her own bedroom.
She felt relieved at her discovery and flickered her heavy lashes restlessly.
"My Damien would be worrying over my health. Now before he gets me to a doctor or stresses himself excessively I need to tell him that I am fine. It's the pregnancy sickness that made me faint." She muttered to herself and sided the sheets that you covered her, and walked out of the bed with hardship.
Anyhow she reached the door of her room and with a deep breath gulped, she undid the bolt and dragged herself out by the support of walls.
"Damien, please, please listen to me. It's a misunderstanding." Aura was at the mouth of the corridor across from the huge foyer when she saw Madam Martha's joined hands begging at Damien.
His back was at her and from the way he stood, straight and confidently, it was hard to guess his expressions. She didn't pay heed to Madam Martha or the tears glistening in her eyes provided that her whole attention was fixed on him. At his back.
"Damien," As his name escaped her mouth, he flung around.
"Damien, I…" Aura's head was back to spinning vigorously.
She could not finish her sentence when her steps stumbled again. But thankfully she was standing by the support of the wall that saved her from a fall.
When she opened her eyes, meeting his gaze, just for a flickering second she observed pain. Lots of pain that before she referred to, he whirled around and stormed out of the main door, leaving her to call his name with all the need she could show at this point of time.
Alas, he was gone. Leaving her struggle there on her own, he left her there without even noticing the need in her eyes. He didn't even take the hand she had stretched out for him to hold so as to save her before she fell if the wall hadn't helped her out in time.
"Aurora," Confused with his sudden leave, Aura was staring at the wide opened door when her Ma caught up with her.
"Ma, what happened to Damien? Why didn't he come help me? I could have fallen." Her whole body was in ripping pain yet she didn't miss to register his body language when he walked away.
Aura knew him inside out, and also those expressions. Those enraged eyes were complaining. His tightly set lips were sealed fiercely as if holding back some curses in the cafe of his mouth. His stiff shoulders conveyed they were stifling something inordinately regretful he could have done otherwise. She could miss out anything but the pale color of his cheeks. He seemed disturbed. Extremely disturbed… which she couldn't stop rethinking about again and again.
"I-is he angry with me, Ma?" Fixating her tired eyes with the door she innocently asked.
Madam Martha sniffed in remorse. Her eyes streamed with heavy fat drops of saline tear drops as she raised her hand to caress Aura's cheek. It was sweaty and since she was struggling to stand still on her legs, her jaw quivered as she attempted to persist.
"No, my baby, no one is angry with you." Madam Martha smiled. Her tears claimed that she was lying.
"Then why did he go away like this, Ma?" Aura's face creased with uneasiness.
She was his lover after all. A small glance at him and she could tell through his stiffness. Aura did notice his expressions. She knew something was wrong— and it didn't give her a good feeling at all.
"And… and why are you crying? Please answer me, Ma. My heart is restless. I don't feel good even though I should be happy that he proposed to me." Her disclosure made Madam Martha lift her lowered head and stare at Aurora.
"H-he proposed to you?" She blankly repeated as if it was a disbelieving discovery made.
Aura replied with a shaky nod of her skull as she gripped her head in her hands. Her ache was escalating.
"Yeah, and I was about to tell him about our baby when I suddenly fainted, Ma." Aura informed. "I guess he is worried because I passed out in his arms and ruined our dinner date. Please call him for me, I need to tell him about our baby so he stops being so fretful."
Madam Martha didn't utter a word and broke down in tears. Her eyes streamed rivers and oceans. She grit her teeth in order to suppress her noisy cries as age mumbled, "I'd told you to not delay it, Aurora. I'd warned you. But you didn't listen to me."
She shook her head, feeling miserable and broken. There was something only Madam Martha knew. Something that would break Aurora. Looking at her condition, Madam Martha immediately got up and caught her by the shoulders. She was about to faint again.
"Aurora?" Madam Martha's jade-spoked eyes widened in astonishment as she pulled a weak Aurora in her arms.
"M-my head is aching a lot, Madam Martha. Please call Damien home. I want him to hold me." Aura whispered near the old Housekeeper's ear.
Madam Martha glanced at her with teary eyes. There was sympathy and anguish in them. She stared longingly at Aura's hair before she wiped her tears off and engulfed her in a tight hug.
"Don't worry baby. I am there for you. I will always be there for you. You are my daughter and I won't let you live a life like me." Madam Martha cupped her cheeks after pulling her away. "Damien is worried due to some business related issues, but don't worry he'll be here soon."
The old woman looked away while her wet eyes stuttered with determination as she softly added, "I'll talk to him. I'll talk to him about everything and make sure he is back with you. There is no way I am letting my daughter suffer."
She was occupied in her thoughts when Aura's shoulders slumped back. Snapping out of her reverie as Madam Martha glanced at her, "Aurora? Oh my sweetheart." She cried softly for a pale Aurora had passed out again.
She caressed her hair and kissed her forehead. Then with the help of a male servant, she took her back to her chambers and tucked her in the blankets just like the previous time.
Her eyes fell on Aurora's covered belly and a tear trickled down her lashes. She bit on a sob, not wanting the silent gray clouds outside the window to see her helplessness. The same gray clouds at which she had once glared at and owed to never cry for anyone. For anything at all. But today, she was breaking her own promise. She was not just crying but also hiccuping loudly since the strings of her patience had broken into fragments.
"Why did you have to be so harsh on them, moon goddess? They were so happy until the morning. They were so looking forward to this night of confession. But you turned the tables. You ruined everything and I am afraid even if I try my hardest— nothing is going to change. Damien has a reason to kick Aurora out of his house and life. Why did you do this to both of them?" Her throat felt dry and tight as she sobbed in agony at a tearing realization.
That is— the moon goddess didn't just affect the lives of two madly in love lovers, but also an unborn soul that was growing in the womb of his mother. Their unborn baby.
Tbc…