Chapter 116: labour cramps

Rina Zante

Fire crackled in the background. It was one marker that showed the girl on the floor, whose legs laid sprawled and eyes closed, was alive. That, together with the occasional forcing of air into her nostrils.

I hadn't seen my period in months; so the growing pain around my belly felt strange. It'd started yesterday with just a dull throbbing. Now, it came more frequently, resembling my period with its undulating intensity. A low and a high. At the onset, I'd worried something was wrong with the babies. And even as I'd figured what could be amiss, dread sank deep into my bones—chilling my blood.

It wasn't supposed to happen now.

I pressed my teeth into my upper lip as the painful wave waltzed across.

It wasn't supposed to happen now. A tear of heartbreak escaped.

I couldn't have the babies here. Not now. My heart wept out of disappointment. I'd had faith the moon goddess would come through for me. I'd been in Central Temple, in my dream, happy like never before as I carried my babies swathed in fur. I'd believed she'd intervened when the stench of rogues hung in the air.

With the throbbing easing out, I leaned back against the wall and caught my breath. Even though the contractions had been present since yesterday, I held a shimmer of hope the baby's labor hadn't set in. I was a week ahead of my EDD.

The ordeal—aches, the crackling, clicking of glasses and noisy chatters—pushed me into delirium. It was in this state that I went back to the events that explained why rogues were in our midst, merrying with my foes.

I'd been in this same spot, fixing a glower at Alessio's back.

Flashback:

I watched him make breakfast and wished hot oil splashed into his eyes. And while I wished, I hated myself for doing nothing other than wish.

I didn't stop glaring when he turned around. He moved to the seat before me—but instead of sitting, placed the food on the stool and brought it close to me. I waited for him to leave; as soon as he turned around, I jammed my foot against the stool, hard enough to make it topple over.

The food stained the ground; the plate shattered. I stared at it, puffing out breath; then sent a glance at Alessio who stood erect, with his back turned to me.

"Fuck you! Fuck you, you asshole! I hate you…" My sobs cut in; that notwithstanding, I spoke. I kept cursing him, stringing up words I didn't know if they existed. "I wish you burn in hell! You're worse than him. You lied to me. You pretended to be someone you aren't. I hate you, Alessio. You bas—"

He spun around and to my surprise, the words hung in the air. Mia had stepped in, and I didn't know what exactly about her made me quiet. Her attention laid on the mess on the floor.

"Pfft. She threw the food away?" she asked Alessio and looked at me, her usual disdain present. "Ungrateful bitch. You're going to get what you want and Nardo isn't won't be there to save you."

Nardo…

Another kick to my gut. Another blow to me. It still felt like a dream how the guy I'd thought I knew was a phantom.

I was still in my feelings when a shriek jarred me back to awareness. I didn't register much before a solid slap bruised my cheek.

"What an imbecile you are!" Mia tried to grab my hair. However, Alessio stepped in, holding her away from me.

"Did you see what she did? She broke my plate!"

"Don't push it, Mia. Let it go."

"Oh will you spare such rubbish. Why the hell did you serve her with my plate?"

I sat, numb. My hands to my cheek; my eyes closed. All that was heard was Mia's angry yell. Her insults seeped into my bones and urged me to grab a piece of glass and stuff it into her mouth.

Alessio showed her out. Outside, they argued. Alessio threatening Mia, and Mia refusing to be intimidated. A while later, Alessio showed up at the door.

"Is this your plan?" he asked. "To get yourself killed and make me ridden with guilt?"

He stepped inside further. "Don't you know she hates you? If I hadn't been there, you'd have been wasted by now." The bastard dared raise his voice at me. "Saying I'm worse than him because he got into your pants."

I frowned at him.

"What? Think I don't know the full story?" My eyes brimmed with tears. "You are really getting on my nerves, Rina, and I hate it. I don't wanna blow. Respect yourself. I won't be this calm next time."

"Why don't you kill me here and now? I'm worthless, why are you keeping me? I'm not going to bring you fortune or money; so why don't you just relieve yourself of the trouble and kill me!"

He snapped his eyes away and got to the kitchen, opening cabinets and getting out some utensils.

"I won't stop telling you how much I hate you. If getting on your nerves will make you end my life, then…" The pain came, creeping to my lower back. "Then fine. I'm up for it. What I live isn't life anymore. So. It's just better you make it official and kill me.".

"If you are so eager to die." He turned around, swinging the spatula as he spoke. "Then wait till your Mr. Right comes." He faced his cooking. "He's always wished you never were; he will be more than willing to fulfill your wishes."

He rustled up something and settled at the makeshift dining. I was overcome by hopelessness. I had lost it all, and I was stupefied from the height of betrayal Alessio had shown. I was dazed because I couldn't believe the world was bereft of good people.

I sat still as Alessio finished eating and started working on something behind the truck. I still sat that way when another wave of pain hit, and as Alessio returned to have a nap. I still was in pain emotionally and otherwise when Mia rushed inside. Her face alight with urgency until she locked eyes with me.

She shook Alessio awake.

"There are rogues. They're heading here!" she whispered.

Alessio's eyes rounded; however, he didn't jump from the as I'd imagined.

"Quick, do something!"

"How many of them?" he said, rising.

"Eight or more than."

Alessio searched around for something. A weapon, likely.

"I took a stroll to forget about you know who and caught their scent. One of them came to the spot I was, to pee, and our gazes met. I panicked, and ran. They are heading here."

Alessio finally found what he was looking for. A plastic bag. He strode to the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" Mia asked.

Alessio stretched and picked the moon statue from the top cabinet.

"What are you doing!" Mia asked, walking up to him.

He drove the statue into the bag and turned to her briefly."Watch her."

"But I can't. Nardo!"

Alessio, or rather Leonardo walked away, leaving her Mia fume. As expected, she settled for something other than watching me, picking a book and pulling the curtain across.

Some minutes later noises came. In spite of my weak wolf and aching belly, I picked up the revolting smell of rogues. Alessio's laughter broke out and squeezed my heart. I knew he'd bought them over.

"What've we got?" Alessio—Leonardo asked. He and Mia were in the kitchen.

"Pancakes."

"Just that?"

"The pizza from Wednesday. Just three slices left."

"Shit. Here, you know what to get." Mia tried to protest. "There's no time to argue. Quick, before they change their mind."

"Ugh." She agreed, pulling the curtain aside to come in and grab her bum bag. I went through what had just happened. Leonardo wanted to entertain the rogues and get them to his side. Incensed by the guts, I yelled:

"Help! Help me, please! He's not who you think he is. He abducted me and plans to hurt my children. Help!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, crying as well. I believed the rogues would rescue me. They started murmuring; the one who looked like their leader questioned Leonardo about the accusation.

"It's nothing. Just some crazy girl."

"He's lying! I'm not crazy. I'm pregnant and I've endured hell in his hands. He wants me dead. He plans to harm me! Please. I just want to go back to my mom. Please, help me. I beg you. He is a liar."

The murmur increased; just when it seemed like my prayers had been answered, a loud voice surfaced. It was surprising who it belonged to.

"She's right. She's pregnant; but you know what is also true? She's the bastard's bitch. You know what this is, right?"

The murmur lessened.

"You know the power in it? It can rewrite your story. You get to take your life back. All these years of living in the shadows will end in a blink of an eye. I know what it is like to be cast into oblivion. I'm a living testimony and that is why you need me. We need one another. This is the end to all your worries."

I couldn't believe my ears. They were about to swallow his lies.

"So, my friends —"

"Don't believe him!" I raised my voice higher. "He'll fail you the same way he did to me. He promised he wasn't going to hurt me. Look at me now. Don't believe—"

The curtain swished aside; right before Leonardo got hold of my jaw. His scathing eyes dishing out threats. "Don't dare me. I don't want to be the monster I'm not."

Sending that across, he sought for a cloth and brought it to my lips. I fought. I was going to let him. I sobbed, pushing him away—until someone interrupted.

Flashback ends

I killed the thoughts. I didn't want to be reminded of how a rogue almost gave me a blow.

I leaned back against the wall, with dead eyes. The crackling hadn't died, nor the uproar of laughter. Leonardo made the rogues laugh with his jokes. The kind of jokes that would have gotten me rolling my eyes and hooting when I couldn't contain my amusement.

Nostalgia filled me. No matter how it had been ages ago, I yearned for that friendship. And it hurt me—so bad.

I bit my lips at another cramp. The babies weren’t pitying me. They wrestled, sending in another form of pain.