Book 2 Chapter 28
Yalda woke before the alarm, she lay on her back, staring at the quiet ceiling like she had done last night. She hadn’t slept much really, she'd kept on waking up all through the night, Ioannis had suggested she had dinner or at least a cup of tea but she'd insisted that she just wanted to sleep. The right knot in her chest had loosened considerably but it's was still there, it left a dull ache.
Beside her, Ioannis was already awake.
He watched her in the dim light slipping through the curtains, his expression was calm but edged with concern, the kind of concern he tried not to show too openly, because he never wanted to overwhelm her.
“Good morning,” he greeted softly.
She managed a small smile. “Good morning.”
He studied her for a beat longer, his eyes flicked briefly to the faint puffiness around her eyes. She knew he would notice every detail.
"How are you feeling?" He asked her.
She swallowed ro wet her throat which felt dry.
"I'm good." She replied. "I should shower and start getting ready."
But he shook his head.
“Stay home today,” he said. “Rest. Yesterday was a lot.”
She shook her head immediately. There was no need for that at all, staying back was theast thing she needed right now.
“No.”
“Yalda."
“I’m okay, really." She said quickly. She sat up, pushing her hair back. “If I stay home, I’ll think. I’ll sit with everything. I don’t want that.”
He blew out a breath as he leaned back against the pillows. He didn't argue, didn't try to force her. But he searched her features again, not fully convinced.
“You didn’t eat dinner.”
“I wasn’t hungry,” she murmured. “But I feel better now. I'll have breakfast.”
His jaw tightened a fraction. She could see the worry pulsing under his calm exterior.
“All right,” he said. “But if something feels off, you tell me. Immediately.”
“I will.”
He didn’t look convinced, but he nodded. He rose from the bed, brushing his fingers through her hair.
“Lets do this."
~~
In the car, the quiet between them felt heavier, it felt weighted. Ioannis’s hand rested on her thigh the entire drive, his thumb absently moving in slow strokes like he was lost in thought, but it wasn't just him, so was she.
“Are you sure about this?” he asked once more when they pulled into the lot.
It wasn't just about yesterday, it was about how exhausted she'd been lately, it was about how overwhelming everything was, it was about the fact that she was just trying to pull herself together.
“Yes,” she whispered. “I promise.”
He didn’t let her go right away. He caught her chin gently and pressed a slow kiss to her forehead.
“Call me if you need me.” he said. "Or come straight to my office if you're exhausted."
“I will.”
as always, they made their way in together and he kissed her before heading to his office. The morning started normally enough; a brief team rundown, files, emails. Helen’s clipped tone, Marina's remarks.
Yalda kept her head down and did her work. She had rebuilt walls for herself today, small, necessary ones. She refused to let yesterday follow her here.
But by mid-morning, as she stood from her desk to walk to the printer, the floor seemed to shift beneath her feet. She thought she had imagined it at first, but then, her vision blurred, the edges of the room warped, and a wave of dizziness slammed into her so suddenly she had to catch herself against the corner of the desk.
“Ms. Harris?” Nikos exclaimed from behind her but it sounded so far, like he was speaking from behind a glass wall.
He shot toward her so fast he nearly tripped over the leg of his chair.
“Oh my God, Ms. Harris, are you okay? You look pale. Really pale. Should you sit? You should sit. Please sit.” he rambled frantically. "You need to sit."
Yalda forced a breath. “I’m fine. Just a little dizzy.”
“No,” he said immediately. “Absolutely not fine. Sit down.”
Before she could protest, he grabbed her chair, dragged it behind her, and practically guided her into it, he seemed to be freaking out and Yalda couldn't help but wonder if a person hadn't passed out in his presence before. But even she wasn't freaking out, she couldn't understand what it felt like she'd been spinning for hours.
“Should I get water? Should I call someone? Should I...."
“Nikos,” she breathed, his rambling was making it worse.
Another wave hit her, sharper this time. She pressed a hand to her forehead, leaning forward. She was so nauseous now.
“Okay, I’m calling Mr. Andreas,” Nikos declared, already halfway across the room.
“No, wait, Nikos." she called weakly, she didn't want Ioannis worrying over small things, but he had vanished into the hallway, muttering something about emergency protocols and fainting symptoms.
She took another breath, trying to steady herself. The spinning eased after a few minutes but the nausea lingered, it curled unpleasantly in her stomach.
And that was when she began hearing what was actually going on around her, she began hearing the whispers.
“…pregnant…” she heard Marina murmuring.
“…obviously…” Helen was also saying.
“…acting like it’s some big accomplishment…”
“…only reason she’s here anyway…”
Yalda closed her eyes.
She didn't have time for this, besides, all the gossip wasn't new. She had heard versions of them in New York, too, back when people assumed Alexander had pulled strings for her. Back when they whispered that she had been promoted because she was his whore.
But she wasn't going toeg this get to her now, she'd grown past that and she was going to ignore them all regardless of how much it stirred a familiar ache beneath her ribs.
She inhaled slowly, trying to soothe the nausea, that was her greatest concern at the moment.
After all, pregnancy was not something someone should be mocked for, neither was it something to be ashamed of, especially not when she'd been legally married to the man she was pregnant for.
She just had to hang in here and wait till ioannis got here.
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