Aria slid her feet into a comfortable pair of flats and stared at herself in the floor-length mirror of her room. It'd been a long day of catching up on sleep before she found the strength to get out of bed and face the day ahead of her.
When she finally found the nerve to turn her phone back on, her heart sunk at the realization that he still hadn't called. Ethan truly didn't care. It hurt her to admit it, but she was no fool into thinking his silence was somehow him processing the pregnancy. Ethan was a grown man, well into his thirties, and he had clearly processed it enough to know he wasn't ready.
Aria didn't have the privilege of not being ready. The baby was coming with or without her consent. However, with each growing second of Ethan's silence, Landen made up for it tenfold. She wished that lack of communication made its way to Landen who hadn't stopped texting or calling.
She needed a plan to change her number for when he found out she'd moved without telling him. She could imagine how pissed he would be once he found out she bolted. She was just glad he didn't know where Joan lived and hoped no one at the restaurant told him.
The sound of Joan singing in the kitchen drew Aria from her thoughts and the refuge of her bedroom.
"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," Joan said, putting what looked to be the last pancake on her plate. "I made breakfast, and you need to eat. You've been holed up in that room so long that I think you may become a permanent fixture."
Aria chuckled half-heartedly; taking a seat at Joan's dining table, the fear of raising a child in someone else's home struck her. Joan sat down across from her with a glass of orange juice and a smile that quickly turned to a frown. "What's wrong?"
She sighed. "I just don't want to overstay my welcome Joan."
Joan laughed and took a bite of her toast. "Sweetie, it's been like one day. You're not overstaying your welcome. Plus, I talked to the new manager at the restaurant, and they are willing to give you your job back until you go on maternity leave. You can apply at media companies during your leave and find a better job after. I don't want you to get stuck waiting tables when you have that degree of yours."
Aria hated the thought of going back to the restaurant, especially while being pregnant, but what other option did she have? No other job would hire her being seven months pregnant, knowing she'd have to go on leave in two short months.
"Thank you, Joan. I appreciate everything you're doing. I have some money saved, and when I start getting tips, I'll pay my part—"
Joan choked on her orange juice. "Sweetie. I want you to save for things for the baby, okay? He can share a room with you for now, and then when we get you back on your feet, I'll help you find a place of your own."
Aria sighed in relief but wanted to do everything she could to help Joan out until the baby came. "I don't know how I will ever repay you, Joan."
Joan chuckled. "Letting me love on that baby is enough."
Aria ate her food quickly, realizing she needed to get to Devry Media to quit and grab her things before Ethan showed his face … if he showed his face. She imagined he probably sat in his penthouse, staring at his expensive things in shock. She had hidden a pregnancy from him for months. However, if he did show up, she could get there early enough she could miss him all together.
The feeling of walking into the building and knowing it would be her last hurt her stomach. She'd wanted that job so badly and would have done anything to make it work. However, it didn't turn out the way she'd planned.
It'd turned into a nightmare.
Aria made her way toward her office with a cardboard box tucked underneath her arm. It was seven thirty when she began gathering her things and putting them into her box. A note reminding her of the fundraiser sat on her keyboard, mocking her. If she hadn't saw the gossip magazine, she would have still had her job for a few more days and could have attended a fancy fundraiser with expensive foods and rich people.
Which didn't mirror Aria's image at all. Maybe it was best that things happened the way they did. She picked up the last of her belongings and tucked them underneath her desk while she walked toward Marilyn's office.
Marilyn was there by seven every day, so she didn't bother wondering if she'd made it in or not. Mrs. Cook sat at her computer with a cup of coffee and a bowl of oatmeal on her desk.
When Aria knocked, she glanced over with a startled expression, and gestured her inside. Mrs. Cook put her bowl to the side, and eyed Aria, her gaze dropping to the belly she no longer felt she needed to hide.
"Aria … are, are you okay? What's," she stopped, gesturing toward her belly. "What is going on?"
Aria took a seat and smiled softly at Mrs. Cook's shocked expression. She would have taken that one over the look Ethan gave her the day before. "I'm here because I must quit. I love this job, but I've obviously been hiding a big secret, one that I cannot hide for much longer."
Mrs. Cook sat back in her seat, pulling at the top of her button-down shirt, and staring off into the distance. "How far along are you, dear?"
"Seven months. It happened before my time here."
Aria didn’t see the point in ratting out Ethan. It wouldn’t do any good to throw him under the bus and get him into trouble with his father. She needed to leave with her head held high, and the little bit of dignity that she had left.
She sensed relief from Mrs. Cook, which told Aria that Mrs. Cook briefly thought it was Ethan's baby. "I don't understand why you must quit, Ms. Linetti. Is there something you're not telling me, dear? We have to let you off for maternity leave …"
Aria had thought of an elaborate lie, and it tasted bitter on her tongue. But she didn't want to be known as the girl that got knocked up by her boss. "I'm moving closer to home so that my family can help me. I love this job, but I will have to let it go. I didn't understand the responsibility when I first realized I was pregnant."
Mrs. Cook nodded slowly and gave Aria a grim smile. "I'm so sorry to lose you because you're a great worker, Aria. I hate this for you, but I hear becoming a mother is one of the most rewarding things one can do as a woman."
Aria smiled sweetly, placing her palm on the curve of her belly. "I know it will be hard, but I pray I can be the mother I've always wanted to be."
Mrs. Cook stood and walked around her desk to hug Aria. She sensed a side of her that she hadn't seen before, and it made Aria smile. She walked toward her cubicle, grabbed her box of belongings, and walked out of the building.
It was nearing eight o clock when she made it outside, and the busy streets raced around her while she stared up at the glass building of her dream job.
A twist of pain hit her heart at the brief memories she would leave behind, and the man she thought would pull through for her. Her mother always told Aria not to depend on a man for anything until she could provide for herself first.
And that was what she planned to do. She would leave Devry Media behind, with her head held high, and do whatever it took to ensure her baby a bright future.
Aria walked down the sidewalk, her box of belongings underneath her arm, and her heart resting on her sleeve. If Ethan Devry didn't want to step up and father his child, Aria would be everything she could be for her little guy, with or without his help.