Chapter 99
Nesta’s POV
Waking up the next morning, I felt the heaviness in my eyes before I even opened them. Pully and sore from crying, they wife a painful reminder of the chaos of the night before.
1 blinked, trying to focus, and found Maria patiently sitting on the sofa, a book in her hands. She glanced up from her reading and immediately set the book aside, her face etched with concern as she approached me.
“Nesta,” she said softly, her voice laced with worry. “What happened?”
The dam broke, and everything spilled out, I told her about Nolan finding Rowan and me in the study, how I felt like I had betrayed him even though technically, I hadn’t.
My voice trembled as I recounted the overwhelming guilt and confusion, and the shame that still clung to me.
“And the baby,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “The baby in my womb is Rowan and Nolan’s. Both of them”
Maria’s eyes widened, but she didn’t pull away. Instead, she wrapped her arms around me and pulled me close, rocking te gently as I cried.
The comfort of her embrace was like a balm to my shattered heart, but it also made the realization I had been trying to avoid bubble to the surface.
“I love Nolan,” I admitted, my voice muffled against her shoulder. “Despite everything that has happened between us, despite the way he treats me sometimes… I love him.”
Maria held me tighter, not saying anything for a moment, just letting me cry. It felt like a release, but also a new kind of pabi, knowing that my heart had tangled itself so deeply with his.
The man who had rejected me, who had claimed me as his mistress but never truly as his mate.
“It’s okay to feel that way, Maria finally said, her voice soothing. “Love is complicated, especially in situations like ours. But what you’re feeling is real, and it’s valid.
“I’m scared,” I confessed. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to feel this way, but I can’t help it. I feel like I’m losing myself”
Maria pulled back slightly, looking into my eyes with a gentle yet firm expression.
“You’re not losing yourself, Nesta. You’re finding out what’s true in your heart. It’s scary, but it’s also a part of life. You’re stronger than you think.”
Her words gave me a sliver of hope, a tiny light in the overwhelming darkness. But they didn’t erase the fear.
It The fear that loving Nolan meant opening myself up to more pain, more rejection. The fear that my heart would break all over again.
“Thank you, Maria,” I whispered, wiping away my tears. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“You’ll never have to find out,” she replied with a reassuring smile. “We’ll get through this together, one step at a time.”
As she continued to hold me, the weight of my confession settled over me. Admitting that I loved Nolan felt like giving away a piece of my heart, a piece I wasn’t sure I’d ever get back.
But in that moment, surrounded by Maria’s unwavering support, I found a small measure of peace. Even in the midst of all the turmoil, I knew I wasn’t alone. And that gave me the strength to face whatever came next.
After Maria left the room, I lay back on the bed, trying to let my mind go blank. The tears had left me feeling drained, and the dull ache in my head was turning into a persistent throb.This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.
I closed my eyes, hoping to stave off the impending headache, but it seemed determined to take root. I tried to focus on my breathing, willing my body to relax, but the tension in my muscles wouldn’t ease.
Minutes felt like hours as I lay there, every passing second intensifying the pain in my head. My entire body felt heavy, weighed down by the exhaustion of the emotional storm.
The room felt too hot, my skin too sensitive. I could feel the heat radiating from my forehead, the fever taking hold and making everything worse.
My stomach churned, and I swallowed hard against the nausea that threatened to overwhelm me.
Maria’s return was a small relief. She entered the room quietly, carrying a tray of food. But the moment she saw me, her expression changed from concern to alarm.
She set the tray down and hurried to my side, her hand cool against my burning skin.
“You’re burning up,” she said, worry evident in her voice. “Let me check your temperature.”
She gently touched my forehead, confirming what I already knew. I was too hot, my body struggling against the fever. Maria’s touch was soothing, but it wasn’t. enough to quell the rising heat.
“You need to rest,” she said firmly. “I’ll get some medicine and a cool cloth. Try to stay calmn.”
She left the room again, and I curled up on my side, pulling the blankets around me even though I felt like I was on fire. My head pounded, each throb making my stomach twist with nausea.
I closed my eyes, but that only made the dizziness worse. It felt like the room was spinning, and I couldn’t find my balance.
Maria returned with medicine and a damp cloth, placing the cool fabric on my forehead. The relief was immediate but fleeting, the fever too strong to be subdued so easily.
She helped me sit up enough to take the medicine, her presence a steady anchor in the midst of my turmoil.
“You’re going to be okay,” she murmured, her voice a calming balm. “Just rest. I’ll stay with you.”
I nodded weakly, too tired to respond. I lay back down, closing my eyes again. The headache was relentless, the fever making every inch of my body ache.
My stomach continued to roil, and I fought the urge to throw up. Every breath felt labored, my chest tight with the effort.
Maria sat beside me, her hand on my arm, a constant source of comfort. Despite the pain and the fever, her presence was a small light in the darkness.
I clung to it, willing myself to stay calm, to rest. I knew I had to get through this, for the sake of the baby and for myself.
But at that moment, all I could do was lie there, hoping the fever would break soon, and the storm inside me would finally calm.