Loving my Former Enemy

Chapter 13

Alina POV:

After I spoke my mind to Lucas, I got up from the couch. He was still sitting down, confusion written all over his face.

I knew that it was just my head playing tricks on me. I couldn’t deny all the similarites between them, but I also knew how paranoid I was since I left Tristan.

I continued to convince myself that my doubts were merely doubts, they weren’t real and he wasn’t in any way Louis, or having any relations to him.

My heart was uneasy, restless and beating with intensity. I tried my best to avoid the nagging I felt from my insides as I left him on the couch while I went up to that room.

I closed the door behind me amd walked to the closet, taking off my clothes and changing them into a pair of comfty pants and a loose shirt. I put my hair into a ponytail and sat down on the bed.

Closing my eyes, I rubbed my temples and relieving the slight pain I felt in them.

As I soothed my mind with my index fingers rubbing my head, there was a knock on the door. I opened my eyes and looked at the door.

”Hey? Are you in there…” I heard Lucas‘s voice coming from the other side.

With a somewhat exasperated sigh, I got up from the bed and opened the bedroom door.

He had an uncertain look on his face as he held out a tray of food. ”With all your pregnancy cravings….I think you should eat.”

I blinked, looking at him blankly but nodding with acceptance. “Thank you.” I grabbed the tray from him, my expression still the same.

He rocked back and forth on his heels, his hands stashed in his front pockets. I stood there, waiting for him to say something else.

”Is there anything else, or….” I spoke finally, breaking the uneasy silence.

He cleared his throat. “Uh…no, not really I guess….” He seemed nervous. “I just wanted to know if you are okay, I don’t want a grudge between us because of….you know.”

I sighed again. I wanted to stop being so paranoid about him, but I couldn’t.

‘At least you can try? It’s not fair to him for you to act this way when he did nothing…’ My subconscious said.

’What? No way! You shouldn’t trust him, Alina. What do you know of him? Practically nothing but the lies he’s been feeding you.’ The inner deep part of me said, my heart agreeing.

’Are you seriously going to do this right now? I mean….who ever said not to let your guard down, but why be so….like this with him? You don’t know that for sure. All he’s been was nice to you, you should at least show some appreciation than giving back like this.’

With that thought, I gave him a small forced smile. “We’re good…” I said and he let out a relieved laugh.

”Well, that‘s good to know.” He said, gulping.

I bit the inside of my cheek, waiting for him to say anything else. Noticing the awkwardness, he finally spoke up.

”You should probably eat, I’ll come back later….just feel free to tell me if you need anything.”

I nodded. ”Alright, thanks again.”

”No prob.” He said back and I closed the door, walking back to the bed.

I sat down on it with the tray of food he brought me. It was some pasta, which I’ve never seen before, but the aroma of it made my stomach growl.

I was a little scared to eat though, remembering the side effects. But then I had to eat.

Bringing the fork full of pasta up to my mouth, I ate it without another thought. The moment I swallowed the creamy noodles, my fork instantly worked on it’s own.

A little while later, I finished the entire plate full of noodles and downed the entire glass of sprite I got with it. A low burp came out of my mouth once I finished the sweet frizzy drink. Because of it, I excused myself, but then forgot no one was in the room to hear it anyway.

I got up with the tray and left the room, going towards the direction of the kitchen and setting the tray on the counter.

The moment I sat it down and proceeded to leave the kitchen, I heard a faint noise. It was more like talking.

My face scrunched in confusion as I looked around, trying to find the source of sound but then I saw out the window that Lucas was outside talking to someone.

I couldn’t see the person, but I could definitely see him. The sound was faint, so I couldn’t make it out.

Getting curious, I tried to look for a window that had a good view and closer so I could hear them better, but couldn’t find one.

I didn’t want to walk outside and disturb whatever conversation was going on, because I could obviously see that Lucas was tensed.

But then that made me even more curious of whom it was he was speaking to, and about what. Besides, if I was here, I had a right to know what went on.

With that thought stuck in my head as a way of acceptance, I opened the door and walked out a little.

My eyes were on Lucas, as he looked at me. The confusion was still on my face. I hadn’t looked in the other direction just yet.

But the moment I heard a somewhat deep familiar voice, I turned to get the shock of my life.

”Hello, Alina….long time no see?” He said, looking at me.

My eyes widened as I looked back at him, and with a stammering voice, I acknowledged him. “Arthur?”

He gave me a friendly smile. “How have you been?”

I was still in shock as he asked me the question, but tried my best to snap out of it.

”I am fine. But…h-how are you….here?” I asked him.

He shrugged like it was no big deal. “Well, for starters I had to drive for hours and then look around like a mad man for you.” Arthur said back.

”I get that and all, but why are you here? What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in California, or New York or whatever?”

He chuckled at my statement, leaving me even more confused. “You do realize my cousin has been uneasy and restless since you’ve left. I have no other choice but to be here.”

A little sadness came onto my face as he reminded me of how much I hurt him. No matter how much I tell myself my doings weren’t intentional, I still left him and therefore, he’s like that because of me.

Neither one of us said one word to Lucas the entire time we talked, but both our eyes went on him as he stood there speaking.

”Mind telling me what‘s going on here?”

I looked at Arthur, but he kept his eyes on me. “I don’t think you should be the one asking questions here, because I have some questions of my own for you…”

My brows furrowed in confusion. What was he talking about?

”Who are you supposed to be anyway?” He decided to ignore what Arthur said, and instead asked.

”I could ask you the same thing, but I already know.” Arthur said back, not answering his question.

Lucas swallowed nervously as I looked between the two of them, wondering what Arthur was talking about.

Seeing the awkwardness in this situation, I spoke up. “Hey, Arthur? Can we talk?”

Arthur looked back at me, and the softness returned to his expression. “Yeah, we have a lot to catch up on, missy.”

I rolled my eyes at him. He had always been annoying to me from the moment I met him, but there was something about him…maybe his child-like personality, that made me feel like I had a friend who I could share all my worries. The two of us never been close, we only met like three times, and all those three times were horrible. Though, I’d be lying if I said his company wasn’t just a little entertaining.

”Alright, we can talk inside.“ I said, looking at Lucas. He had a ”Seriously?” look on his face, but I ignored it and opened the door.

Both Arthur and Lucas stepped inside, so did I. The moment Arthur walked in, a snort left his mouth.

”For a moment I actually thought you were like, abducted and locked inside some basement.” Arthur commented.

My eyes widened. “What? No, not at all.” I said quickly.

”Yeah, I can see that by the luxury of this house, you’ve been enjoying it.”

I fidgeted with my hands. “Not really, but it’s fine for now. Come.” I said, leading him to the living room.

Lucas was behind us the entire time. I halted the moment I realized that we couldn’t have a discussion with him looking over our shoulders.

”Hey, can you give us some privacy for a little while?” I asked Lucas, a pleading look in my eyes.

He sighed, nodding to me. “Sure. Fine by me.” He said, his tone a little grumpy, but he stalked off to somewhere else.

The moment he left, Arthur spoke. “How foolish are you to run away and then just start living with a stranger?”

I bit my lip, trying not to react. “I wasn’t thinking, alright.”

He looked at me weirdly. “You do realize he could have been some killer or a r****t or someone….”

My eyes widened. “Well he isn’t. He was assigned to help me by a doctor I visited. So can we not talk about those types of things, please?”

”Sure, but speaking of you doctor….I would like to say a few things.”

I nodded for him to continue. He did. “Why didn’t you tell anyone that you were pregnant?”

The moment that came out of his mouth, my mouth flew open and my widened eyes felt like they would pop out.

“How….How did you know about th-that?” I asked.

Arthur shook his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe you wouldn’t think that I’d figure it out.”

”Wait, does he….know?” Arthur shook his head. “No he doesn’t know a thing, which leads me to think he’s extremely jelly in the head. He let out a low snort.

I rolled my eyes at him. “But how did you find out, though?” I asked again.

”Well, for starters….I read the letter you left him. It’s pretty obvious, or not…but I figured it out and confirmed it when I took a trip to go see Ms. Kathy.” He told me.

”Wait? But how did you know I went there? Who told you I was here?”

“The letter kind of summed it up and I knew how much of a protective ass my cousin is. Of course he would take you to his private hospital to get you checked. And Ms. Kathy was the one who told me.”

I nodded back and forth. “So that’s how you knew where to find me at?”

He shook his head slowly. “Not necessarily….well I knew you were here in Manchester, but I didn’t know where. All I had for clues was hills and that the house was big and bright. That’s it, and eventually I found you.”

”Hmmm…” I hummed, looking around.

”So, what have you been up to here?” Arthur asked me.

I sighed slowly. “Nothing much, it’s been pretty boring here. I feel like a lone wolf.” I admitted.

”Well, I guess that’s normal, right?”

“Yeah, I guess so.” I sighed again and leaned back on the couch.

”So, enlighten me on this pregnancy of yours…” Arthur finally got down to what I was avoiding mostly.

A soft groan escaped my mouth. “I feel weird, exhausted and sick most of the time. Extremely hungry all the time too, and once I eat, I end up puking It all out. It’s a dreadful process, but I’m willing to do anything for this baby.” I said lowly as I looked down at my barely there bump, caressing it with the palm of my hands.

He also looked down at it. “That’s why you left him?”

I nodded slowly. “Yes. The moment he told me about his past life, I got worried. I knew how much he felt about kids, just by his demeanor when he was telling me about it. I didn’t want my kid to end up like them….oblivious to the fact that their father was right in front of them, hiding them away from the world and giving no love to them, only shelter.” I said.

”At first, I didn’t want to believe I was pregnant, not only for that matter but also because I am 24 years old. I am not ready to be a mother, I have no practice or education in kids but I would be pretty stupid to not try. I didn’t have the heart to abort, so I am going to keep this baby regardless of what happens, and try my best to provide and be the best mother I can be. That’s why I left. To ensure that my baby would live with love and protection. I couldn’t be sure that she or he would get that if I stayed.“ I finished, breathlessly looking at him.

He stayed silent for a few minutes, looking at my stomach with awe. “You’re gonna be a great mother.” He said suddenly.

”How….how do you know that I’ll be what this baby needs in life to succeed?” I asked.

”Just by the speech you gave, you have hope and pride, you have enough love and care and protection for this baby and I know that things will work out.” He said, finally looking up at me with a smile.

I smiled back, my eyes watering a little. My life was planned out all up until my fathers death. Ever since, I’ve been taking a road down to who knows where? And ever since that road led me to Tristan, everything has been questioned. I still had a long way more to go, especially now that I was gonna be a mother, but I would keep going despite all the struggles and challenges I had to face. It was called strength and being brave to face the hardships and downfalls in life.

”Thank you, asshole.” I sniffled and laughed, he did too. “I’m still an asshole to you?” He asked, with a look of unbelief on his face.

”Yes, you will always be an asshole to me, Arthur….but you’re a nice asshole.” I told him.

”Well, at least you put nice in front of it.” He shrugged and chuckled again.

Once our laughs died down, I got back to the dreading point. “So, I know you’re here to bring me back to him. Aren’t you?“ I said, taking a sharp inhale.

He sighed. “Yes, I am here to take you back, I have about 5 days to get you to him or else I’ll be a dead man.” He said lowly.

”I can’t go back just yet. I have to….live my life away from Tristan for a while.“ I told him.

I could see the struggle of decisions on his expression. He was battling with what he should do.

”Yeah, I know that…but you don’t have long. I am willing to give you the rest of the days to prepare yourself, but I can’t leave without you.” Arthur said back.

My eyes were brimming with tears. “But, what if-what if he doesn’t….he doesn’t want me…to ke-keep this…ba-baby?” I asked, pain inflicting inside my chest with the thought of aborting this innocent little one.

Arthur gave me a look of sympathy. “Alina….even though he doesn’t care for kids, if it’s what makes you happy, he‘d let you keep it. He loves you and would do anything for you. I don’t think that should be the issue here. I think you should be more worried for how he’d handle the news and handle your arrival back. Not only that, but you’ve been living far away with a stranger.“

I knew Tristan loved me, but the man he is….I couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t have me abort my baby. His image as a billionaire, as a CEO, and well-known businessman, as a son of a mafia leader, as a powerful man who inflicted merciless pain on ones who betrays or disappoints him.

And even if he did let me keep the baby after all, who knows what the future will hold for us. I nor didn’t want this baby to be kept in secret, far away from me and oblivious to who it’s parents where.

AmberLeigh and Preston seemed extremely happy there, but how joyful could it be when you were unknowingly around a man who is your father, but doesn’t want you…that only keeps you there to live, but not to be loved.

What is life without love? You could have all the luxury in the world, you could be cared for correctly and even happy, but you’re not fully happy, you’re not fulfilled in life without the love of your own parents. I bet little Amber didn’t even know who her real mother is.

That made the pain heighten in my heart, just the thought of it made me sad. I didn’t want that for this kid. I wanted her or him to be drowned in happiness and love, I wanted for him or her to be safe, cared for, and fulfilled and life. To be successful and happy for all the days in she or he’s life, even after that. But how could I be so sure that my baby would get that if I went back? I couldn’t.

“Do I really have no choice here?” I asked, a small tear escaping my eye, but I wiped it quickly before he noticed.

”No, not really.“ He exhaled and another tear left my eye unknowingly.

Arthur had a look of sympathy on his face, as he got up from the chair and sat beside me, hugging me tight.

I hugged him back, another tear falling from my face and a low sob escaping my mouth.

”Don’t cry about it. I assure you that when you go back, this baby and you…will have everything.” He rubbed my back soothingly and released me from his arms.

I wiped the tears from my face and nodded. “How did you become such good company and great at consoling others? Last time I checked, you were just fulfilling your duty of being a good cousin and practically forcing me to him.“ I said with a fake scowl.

A smile graced his face. “Sorry about that wrist, I was pretty fed up with our argument. But I am a good guy, at least I’m better than Tristan.” He winked and I rolled my eyes at him.

”At least you two have something in common, the good looks and the girls falling at your feet.” I said.

He smirked. “I’m good-looking?” He asked me in awe.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Oh, I’m sure you already knew that, but you are, I admit. Although, Tristan is way better-looking.“ I teased.

He gave me a pouty look. “How mean of you, miss Maddox.“

We looked at each other in silence, before breaking out in small laughs. “You know….one day, we might become good friends.” I said.

”Wait…we weren’t friends, already?” He asked me, holding his chest painfully.

I gave him a weird look. “Uh….I don’t know. I just think you were pretty annoying back then.” I said.

”What are friends without arguing and annoying each other?“ He said back, playfully slapping my head.

I glared at him and slapped his shoulder hard. “Ow, that hurted. When did you work out?“ He groaned out painfully, and I hit him again.

”Alright, Alright. I get it, stop it please.” He held his shoulder, the moment I stopped.

The next moment, Lucas came out of nowhere and joined us in the living room, his arms crossed looking at us. “Hey, you guys done talking, yet?”

I nodded, looking back at Arthur whom was giving him a skeptical look, before getting up and walking to the door.

”Where are you staying here?” I asked.

He turned back around. ”A hotel for now, since I’ll be here for about four more days. But don’t worry, I’ll give you as much time as possible here, but you’ll have to go back with me when the time comes to leave, alright?”

I nodded. ”Yeah, I know. But it was nice seeing you, I guess.“

He gave me a smile. “Anytime, my dearest frister.” Arthur said, holding back a laugh.

I scrunched my face up. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

”It was supposed to mean a friend and a sister.” He said back.

”Oh.” I nodded in understanding. “But we’re not siblings.”

”Yeah, but you’re just like one, so you’re my sister now.” Arthur replied.

I gave him a genuine smile. “See you, frother….” I said back, giving him a hug.

He hugged me back and then let go, before coming close to my ear so Lucas couldn’t hear what he was to say next. “And about Lucas….instead of creating distance around the two of you, get close to him. You’ll be surprised what you find.“ He said and smiled, leaving out the door and getting into his car.

The moment he drove away, I shut the door and walked back to the couch in confusion.

’What did he mean by that’ I wondered, deep in thought about it.

Told you guys I wouldn’t be gone for long! So, dearest’s readers, how was today’s update? Please do let me know.

If you haven’t already, give the story a like and don’t forget to leave feedback on the story, it motivates me and helps me to give you guys the best content.

I love you guys, see you all soon! Another chapter is coming in a few days….♥️♥️:)

Also: Please ignore any grammatical errors in the story. I haven’t edited it yet, but I will soon…. 

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