Why Do You Care So Much?
Elaine kept her phone back in her bag and got up from the floor. She stepped outside the closet and just before she could reach the door, attempting to flee Xavier’s house, her eyes fell on a paper tucked under a pillow in the king-sized bed.
She stopped and took steps to the paper, shivers running down her spine at the recognition of the image. She stepped off the bed, threw the pillow off, and picked the thick paper staring at it with wide eyes. She couldn’t help the sob that left her lips at the sight of her ultrasound photo.
She felt the knife in her chest twist further and kissing the top of the paper, she stormed out of the room, rushing down the stairs, her main aim to get out of the mansion and finally breathe a sigh of relief again. It was suffocating, too suffocating in the mansion and she could bear it no further.
She got to the door and reached forward to the handle. However, it pushed open from outside and she retreated backward.
“Elaine?” Mrs Romano exclaimed as her eyes fell on Anna. She gasped and scanned Anna from her head down before storming toward her and enveloping her in a tight hug, breaking out into tiny sobs. “Oh dear, it really is you.”
“Mother.” Elaine couldn’t help but hug the woman, returning her hug with the same energy.
“Where have you been, dear? Oh my, I can’t believe this.” She broke away from Elaine and stared at her with uttermost surprise. She hadn’t expected to see her daughter-in-law when she’d just come to ask Xavier to bring her back. She’d come prepared for the lecture she would have to deliver to get Xavier to listen to her and seeing Elaine in the mansion already was the biggest relief of her life.
She’d been as devastated as they were when she first heard the news of the loss of her first grandchild and even though the truth of the situation was still unclear to her, she knew that it was no one’s fault except Albeit and she knew that Elaine was grieving and needed as much support as she could get.
“How have you been, mother?”
“You shouldn’t be asking me that. I should ask you instead. How have you been? Are you alright? Do you feel any discomfort anywhere?”
“I’m feeling alright. How about you?”
“I’ve been as always, dear. We missed you so much. Oh my, I can’t believe you’re here already. I’m so happy. This house has been dry as a goddamn graveyard since your absence.” She stepped forward and clasped Elaine’s palm in hers. “I know that losing a baby is no simple issue at all but you have to be strong. You can’t let this break you, okay? You can still have as many babies as you can. Please do not leave again. We were worried to death about you.”
Elaine shook her head, unable to believe the words of the woman. She was aware that she only doted on her when she lived with Xavier because of the baby in her womb. She brought her food, and rich teas and took her to self-care centers because she was worried about the baby, not her, right? Or so she thought.
“Bu…but, you have no reason to be worried about me anymore. The baby is gone already.” With a low tone, she spoke.
“Dear, you’re my daughter-in-law, of course, I’ll be worried. I’ll family is incomplete without you. You’ve brought so much light to us that you can imagine, you know that, right?”
Elaine again shook her head. It was all too flattering and she was having a hard time believing that the Romano family cared for her even when she wasn’t carrying their baby anymore. The baby used to be the greatest link between them and the reason why they were all over her.
But what she didn’t know was that the Romanos doted on her and made sure that all her needs were met not because she was carrying their blood but because she was the first woman that Xavier had taken seriously and even brought home. He was known for his indifference toward women.
Just before the woman could say anything else, the door behind them flung open and Xavier stepped in, his eyes scanning both women, each at a second.
“Mother, why are you here?” He broke the silence between them. Mrs. Riordan turned to him, passed him a forced smile, and patted his shoulder with her hand.
“I was here to tell you about something but it has been resolved without me even speaking so I’ll just take my leave now. You better take care of things here. You don’t want to experience my wrath.”
Once Mrs Romano got out of sight, walked back to her car in the garage, and drove out of the mansion, Xavier turned to face Elaine.
“And where do you think you’re going?”
Cold shivers ran down her spine from the look that he passed her and she found herself regretting entering into his car in the first place. “I don’t want to live here anymore.”
“Then where do you want to live? If you want something, you say it.”
“I…I just want to go back. With Beth.”
“You’re asking for the impossible then. I gave you enough space and that time is over. Since you clearly can’t take care of yourself, I’ll help.”
“I can take care of my…”
“Was that why a car almost ran you over? You had enough time to yourself, did you not?”
“Why do you even care? The baby is no more and it’s just me. Why do you care so much when I’m no longer carrying the baby that you used to care for?”
He said nothing.
“Say something Xavier, won’t…”
Like he had a habit of shutting her up, his hands reached forehead to grab her hair and pull it closer to him and because her body was connected to her head, she ended up colliding into him and before she could say anything, his lips descended on her.
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