Chapter 215
-Grayson’s POV-
C
“Are you going to say something?”
“Grayson?”
“Can you hear me?”
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The voice felt distant, muffled, like they were reaching me from the other side of a thick glass wall. I was aware of the world still moving around me, of people breathing, speaking, living–but I had gone completely still.
I wasn’t even sure if I had been breathing.
Pregnant. She was pregnant.
With my child.
The weight of the realization slammed into me like a train, knocking the air straight out of my lungs. A whole new human being existed–because of me. Because of us.
I had kicked her out when she was carrying my child.
The thought made my stomach churn, a tight, twisting sensation spreading through my chest.
How long had she known?
“Grayson?”
My gaze snapped up, and my vision finally registered Elaine’s face. She was watching me carefully, a hesitant expression settling over her features.
She let out an apologetic sigh, “I didn’t know you didn’t know. I just thought… I mean, since it’s been three months now- that’s right before things went wrong between you two–I just figured…” She hesitated, “That you knew.”
But I didn’t know.
I wouldn’t have even thought-
“I don’t want to have children.”
The words rang in my head, sharp and clear, a memory from months ago. I had meant it. Or at least, I had thought I had
meant it.
But now, that certainty was slipping through my fingers like sand, impossible to hold onto. She hadn’t told me because she didn’t think I would want it.
Did I?
Did I want a
child?
My pulse pounded as a dozen thoughts collided, spiraling into chaos.
A child meant responsibility. A life bound to mine forever. A helpless little being that would depend on me, look up to me,
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12:19 Mon, 17 Feb
Chapter 215
need me.
Could I be that person and not screw it up like my father had done to me?
Did I even deserve to be?
Elaine’s voice broke through the storm in my head, “Have you thought about what you’re going to say to her?”
I blinked, realizing I had been staring blankly at the floor.
Say to her? To Ava?
My throat tightened. What was I going to say?
What could I say?
“I… I don’t know.”
It was the only honest answer I had. I didn’t know what to think, what to feel, what the hell I was even supposed to do with this information.
Elaine studied me for a long moment before she spoke again, softer this time, “Why?”
I exhaled shakily, running a hand through my hair. “Because I told her I didn’t want a child.”
“And do you still feel that way?”
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.
Did I?
I had never wanted to bring a child into this world, never wanted to risk becoming-
“Because of how things were with your father,” Elaine finished for me.
The words settled heavily between us, and for a moment, neither of us spoke. I swallowed hard. “I don’t know how to be a father, Elaine. I don’t want to be him.”
“You don’t have to,” She said simply. “Not yet.”
But that was the thing–there was no preparing for this. No trial run. No undoing it. This wasn’t just some decision I could make and walk away from.
The baby already existed. And so did the reality of what I had done.
I had abandoned Ava when she needed me most and now, I didn’t even know if she’d want me to be part of this.
That thought alone sent a sharp, unfamiliar ache through my chest.
Deep down it felt like I lost Ava once.
Was I about to lose my child, too? Did I care if I did?
Those were the words my thoughts revolved around as the plane touched down in Italy.
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Chapter 215
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The plane taxied slowly, and I remained frozen in my seat for a moment longer than necessary. I still couldn’t get my head around it. I couldn’t think straight. Every time I tried, it was like my thoughts were caught in a tangle, spiraling in every direction but the one I needed to focus on.
As we stepped off the plane and into the terminal, a team of well–dressed attendants immediately approached. Their eyes were sharp, practiced in their professionalism, and they greeted me with the respect I had grown accustomed to.
“Mr. Blackwood, welcome to Italy,” One of them said, her voice soft but steady.
I nodded, trying to ignore the tightness in my chest. “Thank you.”
Elaine was beside me, and I turned to her, though the words felt foreign on my tongue.
‘You’ll be taken to the penthouse suite,” I told her, managing a tight smile, “Anything you need, just ask, and it will be provided. I’ll come to see you as soon as I’m able.”
She gave me a nod, though there was something unreadable in her expression. Maybe she could see through me. Maybe she could tell that I was a million miles away, that my head wasn’t fully in the moment. But she said nothing, just watched me with a level of understanding that made it harder for me to focus.
“It will be fine, Grayson,” She said, her voice steady, almost too calm.
I wasn’t sure if she believed that or if she was just trying to make me feel better. Either way, I didn’t have the energy to argue or to probe deeper. The reality of the situation was too much to process in that moment.
The attendants led her away toward the car that would take her to the suite.
I turned away, walking briskly toward the car waiting for me. The sleek black vehicle was a silent reminder of the life I led, a life that I had built on control, on power, on decisions made with cold precision. And yet, here I was, once again, caught in the whirlpool of something I couldn’t control.
I got into the car, the door shutting behind me with a dull thud that felt final. The driver, a man who didn’t speak, just nodded and began pulling away from the airport. My hand rested on the armrest, my thoughts still tangled and chaotic.
I didn’t know what I was going to say to Ava.
How I was going to face her.
The drive felt endless, the streets of Italy stretching on and on, each turn further from what I had known. I could see the buildings passing by, but it was all just a blur.
Nothing had clarity for me anymore.
The car continued through the narrow streets, passing old buildings, cobblestone roads, and sharp corners. I was so lost in my thoughts, in this mental fog, that I barely noticed when we arrived.
The driver pulled up to Ricardo’s house and like I almost expected, the gates opened like he was always ready to welcome me and I fit down instructing the driver to wait.
I didn’t know if she was actually here, but if she had been sighted with Ricardo, and if she had come to Italy for some reason, then it only meant one thing–she was with him. My blood boiled as I walked towards the door, the anger burning inside me but I pushed it down because my mind was already working overtime, conjuring up ways to make Ricardo pay for defying me when I told him to stay the hell away from her.
or no wolf, I was still capable of making him suffer.
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Chapter 215
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I stood there, just a few feet from the door, my hand hovering in the air. I was prepared either to knock or to wait for someone to come and lead me to him, like he would have ordered. But the moment I stepped in front of the door, it swung open abruptly, and I found myself face to face with…
Ava.
田
