“But at least let me buy the ingredients because this is the best custard cake I’ve tasted. It melts in my mouth and is just the perfect blend. Plus, I don’t know. I never seemed to feel full after eating this.” She talked so fast that I couldn’t help giggling.
“Why are you not eating? You don’t like it? I can take that.” She pointed at my sliced custard cake.
I pushed the plate toward her. “Take it. Tell me, when was the last time you had a period?”
She put the small spoon down on her plate and bit her lower lip.
“Did you have your period while you were here in Atlanta?”
She shook her head, and everything started to make sense.
Her laziness to get out of bed in the morning.
Her preference for food changed.
The glow in her skin.
And the extra heartbeat I heard today.
My eyes watered as I slowly dropped onto my knees in front of her.
Her eyes widened as she grabbed my arms. “Zahra, what are you doing? Get up!”
My tears started to fall, and I was just letting them. I held on to her forearm as I tilted my head to meet her eyes. “I think you’re pregnant, Nadia.”
I heard Laura gasp behind us. Nadia opened her mouth as her eyes grew rounder and bigger. But no words left her mouth, so instead, she closed it again.
“You’re pregnant, Nadia,” I said one more time. I could definitely hear the heartbeat louder this time.
“I don’t think so… How can you be so sure?”
I placed my palm on her flat stomach. “I can hear him or her. I can hear another heartbeat, aside from ours.”
She bit her lower lip as her hand flew to her stomach. “I’m pregnant?”
“I’m going to buy a pregnancy test!” Laura shrieked.
Both Nadia and I giggled before I pulled her in for a hug. I couldn’t explain the happiness overflowing in my heart. I had no idea what the future held for Riley and Nadia, but whatever happened, I would make sure to ask Nadia to let me be a part of my grandchild’s life. I would make sure to do everything in my power to make it up to him or her, everything that I wasn’t able to give to Riley.
Chapter 65
RILEY.
“Are you not goingto follow her?” This was the Nth time that my Beta asked me the same question, and I still shook my head, giving him the same answer.
My eyes followed as Nadia and two older women walked out of the boutique where she stayed for the whole afternoon.
I could see them inside the boutique. At one point, she was almost jumping, like she was having the time of her life.
She was happy here. She looked radiant and healthy.
Even from a distance, I could see her face glowing with contentment.
This was something I wasn’t expecting to see. Something that made my heart clench with pain.
I thought she would be miserable like me. But it looked like I was the only one who felt that way. While I was pining for her, she had moved on. But I had yet to see if there was anyone who was making her move on from me easily.
If I let my temper go, I would have approached her and demanded an explanation, but I knew better. I drove her away. It might be that she didn’t want to leave me in the beginning, but once she did, she realized she was happier without me.
