Chapter 194 Touching the Baby
With a sigh of resignation, William gently laid her down on the bed, tucking her in with the soft folds of a blanket.
No sooner had he turned to fetch a thermometer than Ava's hand shot out, gripping his wrist in a desperate plea. "Don't go, please don't leave, okay?" she implored.
"I'm not leaving, Ava," he reassured her, his voice steady. "I'm just going to get the thermometer to check your temperature."
"Will you come back then?" Ava's voice was a whisper, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"I'll be right back," he promised.
Her grip tightened, her voice rising in panic. "You're lying, you won't come back, you're going to be with Isabella again. Every time she calls, you're with her, saying she needs you. But I need you too. The baby and I need you!
"Alex, I'm pregnant. You're a father now." Her voice, which should have been filled with joy, was instead laced with sorrow, her sobs growing deeper and more heart-wrenching.
"That's wonderful, I'm going to be a father," William responded, his smile tender and encouraging.
"Are you happy?" Ava asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Do you want this child?"
"Of course I do, this is our baby. How could I not want it?"
He recognized her confusion and vowed to indulge her, to keep her from spiraling into despair. 'Perhaps when she regains her clarity, she will forget all about it,' he thought. 'At the very least, a brief moment of accommodation can lift her spirits.'
"Alex..." Ava clutched his hand, her voice trembling. "I thought you didn't want the baby. I was afraid to tell you. I thought you wouldn't want it."
"How could you think that? I want this baby. Can you stop crying, please?" His voice was filled with compassion, born not from pretense but from a genuine ache in his heart.
"Mhm, I won't cry anymore." Ava obediently wiped the tears from her cheeks.
Bending down, William's cool hand brushed against her cheek. "I'll go get the thermometer, you count to sixty seconds, and I'll be back. If I lie, I'm in the doghouse."
Ava sniffled, "Then I'll start counting."
"Alright, I promise, I'll be back before you reach sixty seconds."
With a nod, Ava released his hand and closed her eyes, beginning her silent count. She had barely reached the forties when the bed dipped beside her. "I'm back."
"Alex." Ava flung herself into his arms, her voice filled with relief. "I thought you weren't coming back. I thought you went to find Isabella again."
The closer the count got to sixty seconds, the more her fear escalated. As she counted, the tears welled up once again.
"How could that be? I said I'd come back, and here I am. I wouldn't lie to you."
Alexander might deceive her, but he never would. Alexander might leave her for another woman, but he never would. The very responsibilities a husband should fulfill, the duties he should bear, yet that so-called husband couldn't manage them, leaving another man to step in.
One man she knew for ten years, the other just a month, yet the difference between them was immense. Caring for someone wasn't about the length of time. Sometimes, a single glance was all it took.
Ava lifted her head, her face stained with tears. She trembled all over, her eyes reflecting an uncertainty. The way Alexander had hurt her, to make her feel so insecure, like a startled fawn, both frightened and utterly heartbroken.
William's heart clenched in pain as his large hand gently stroked the back of her head, gliding through her hair. "Stop crying, I'm back aren't I? Didn't I keep my word? Crying too much isn't good for the baby."
His biggest concern was that her crying would harm her health. His heart felt like it would shatter if she kept sobbing like this.
Ava nodded vigorously. "I'll stop crying. It's not good for the baby. Alex, come touch our baby. Go on, touch."
