Filed to story: Submitting to My Bestie’s Daddy Read Online >>???
But if her feelings for my husband posed a threat to my relationship with Gio, with our baby, then it was most certainly a problem.
I decided not to bring it up again with Gio at first. After all, he was doing his part keeping his distance as much as he could. But I was not going to let this interfere with the happiness of growing our little family.
Elena wasn’t going to ruin what we’d painstakingly built. I was going to make sure of that, no matter what it took.
*Olivia*
My skin had turned a pale yellow under the old fluorescent lights above, casting a sinking shadow that was very unflattering to my appearance.
“Mrs. Valentino?” A nurse dressed in blue scrubs and a stethoscope hanging around her neck asked. There were cartoon stickers stuck to her ID badge, and she smiled kindly as she called my name.
“That’s me,” I answered coolly, walking straight past the waiting room. I had only been waiting for about a minute before they’d called me back–a perk of being the wife of one of the hospital’s biggest donors.
Tallon had let that little tidbit slip one afternoon.
Stares followed me as the red cocktail dress I had been wearing fluttered around my thighs. I was clearly not dressed for a hospital visit, and everyone could tell.
“Here we are,” the nurse said, smiling as she pointed to the room I had come here for. “She should be ready to be discharged soon.”
“If you could bring me the paperwork, that would be great.” I smiled at the nurse.
“Of course.” She bowed her head, turning on her heel to walk away. By the exhaustion on her face, she had been here all day, and she was ready for her shift to end.
I sighed, taking a deep breath before I brushed past the white curtain and stepped into the room. Sitting on the bed and staring at the television as it played some random soap opera was Elena.
She looked no worse for wear even as she was lounging in a hospital gown. My eyes drifted to the bump protruding out of her belly; the safety of our baby was always my most important concern.
“Elena,” I called out to her, and she flinched, dropping the patient controller in her hand as she sprung up from her lying position, eyes beaming with excitement. Her eyes fell upon me, scanning for only half a second before they eagerly turned behind me, searching for someone else.
I pressed my lips together thinly, trying to keep my calm as I saw Elena’s excitement turn to confusion and then disappointment.
“Where’s Giovani?” she asked glumly, not even bothering to hide her true feelings anymore.
I took a seat in the visitor’s chair, taking my time as I set down my purse and crossed one leg over the other. I scanned Elena up and down, searching for any sign of why she was there, but I couldn’t find anything.
“You didn’t say what was wrong on the phone,” I told her calmly, ignoring her question. “What happened?”
“Oh.” Her gaze drifted to her hands, and she gave me an embarrassed smile. “I fainted at work, and my coworkers panicked so they called the ambulance. I just have a little bump on the back of my head.”
“You fainted?” I repeated, tilting my head curiously as I got to my feet. I stepped to her side, immediately rubbing my hand through her hair. She flinched, a nervous expression on her face, but finally, I did find a small knot on the back of her head, hidden beneath her hair.
She was telling the truth… this time.
“Hmm, you seem to have these fainting spells a lot, Elena. Are you sure you shouldn’t stay here until the baby is born?” I asked casually.
“No, no, I’m fine,” she said, sending me a nervous look. “Sorry to have called you out here just for this. You look beautiful. Were you going somewhere?”
“Yes,” I answered without hesitation. “Gio and I were on a date, which I believe we told you about three times already.”
“Oh.” Her face fell, a sad look crossing her face. “I’m so sorry, Olivia. I completely forgot. The pregnancy has been messing with my memory a lot. I shouldn’t have called you. I’m okay, really.”
“And the baby’s okay?” I asked pointedly.
“Of course!” She laid a hand across her stomach, her face softening as she glanced down at her bump like any loving mother would… except that we both knew that wasn’t her baby.
“Hmm.” I nodded. “Well, since this keeps happening, I really think we should keep you here to look for underlying problems. Plus, they’ll have the ability to catch you when you inevitably faint again.”
“Oh, it’s not a problem,” she said hurriedly, clearly not liking that idea by the way she wrinkled her nose. “I can get by just fine. It might be easier if I had someone by my side like Giovani always is for you… but I can manage.”
And there it was, the smile on her face as she stared me straight in the eyes. The little digging comments were phrased as subtle attempts to manipulate the situation in her favor. Maybe she didn’t even know she was doing it.
But this would be the fourth time this week that Gio and I had rushed to the hospital for one of her fainting spells, and every time, she used the opportunity to plant the idea that she really wanted into our minds–she was desperately trying to get into our home, to come live with us. This was just another way she had found to do it.
I wasn’t naive, not any longer. The endless trust and patience I had for her had worn out over the months, and I felt about ready to tear my hair out at this point. She just wouldn’t give up trying to drive a rift between me and Gio, would she?
And the worst part was that it was working.
“That’s right.” I said cooly, and she gazed up at me like she was completely innocent. “Gio is a wonderful man. He’s warm and protective, kind and doting, and everything a woman could want. He loves deeply and fiercely, and there is nothing in the world that can rip him away from the woman he loves.”
I could see right through her facade, could see that everything she had been doing was motivated by one single goal. From the dreamy glint in her eyes, the small smile on her lips as she nodded along like she knew first hand what I was saying was true. Those emotions were brimming over past the mask she had glued to her face.
She couldn’t hide it anymore.
She was in love with my husband.
“But the woman he loves is me,” I added. I had been afraid of making her upset while she carried my baby, but now, I couldn’t control myself any longer.
She flinched, her little fantasy falling to pieces before my eyes, and she glanced up at me as I gave her a cold look.
She shrunk under my gaze, shame crossing her features. I was glad that she at least had a bit of a conscience left to know that what she was doing was wrong.
“I’m going to finish my date with my husband,” I told her calmly. “I’ll cover your bill and ask for your discharge papers, but next time you have a fainting spell, Gio will be busy. He agreed that I should be the only one to come see you whenever this happens since he’s busy working, and my only concern right now is the baby.”
I hadn’t thought it possible, but she deflated even more, curling up on herself as she nodded silently, avoiding my pointed look.
“Good night then, Elena.” I smiled, making my tone softer than before so as not to scare her. “I’ll see you soon, hopefully. I’ll let Gio know you’re okay.”
“Good night,” she murmured back, and I left the room, sighing as my shoulders slumped. I hated feeling like such a bad person, but this was necessary.
I went to the desk to make sure her discharge papers were in order before leaving as quickly as I could so as not to have another confrontation with her. The ride home was silent as I warred with myself about whether I had done the right thing or not.
But ultimately, I was sure I had. I had promised not to let her interfere with my family, and I was going to stick to that. But as the car halted in front of the compound, I knew more problems were awaiting me.
I peeled off my heels as I entered my home, the silence deafening as I made my way to our suite, shutting our bedroom door behind me.
Gio was still up, sitting in bed and typing away on his laptop. He was on a call, I realized, with his phone pressed to his ear. His voice was low, a simple hum as he spoke quietly but surely. I dropped my heels into the corner, and he didn’t even look at me.
I’d expected that.
I shed the beautiful dress Gio had bought me, my heart squeezing since I didn’t even get to wear it properly to dinner. I pulled on one of Gio’s shirts and a pair of shorts, lingering in the closet.
The air in the room was heavy, and I could tell there was a long conversation ahead of us, one that wouldn’t be pleasant.
By the time I stepped back into the bedroom, Gio was off the phone, his laptop pushed away, and he stared at me as I put my dress in the hamper. I sighed at his heavy gaze, climbing into bed next to him.
