A Lifetime With You by Athrhteera

Chapter Alena

38

I watched my marriage went from nothing to everything. The Italian leader was once ruthless and brutal, I didn't even think he could love. Yet, he proved me wrong by showing me different types of love-he never complained or changed the way he loved. The butterflies never left ever since he said he loved me, and whenever we were together, it was always us against the world.

I didn't expect myself to fall in love with someone like him, either. Someone who seemed to shut off every time someone got too close. He proved me wrong again and again, making me understand even a man like him, he went through lengths.. My heart broke every time I accompanied him to therapy, but he never gave up. He managed to complete his treatments in less than six months which surprised the doctors because they thought he was going to take longer. Well, he proved them wrong in that one. I was proud of of my husband.

There wasn't anything I wanted to change about him. I felt blessed to have a husband like him, someone who could be there for me all the time, someone who understood me, someone who wasn't afraid to communicate and show his true feelings. He was everything I ever asked for in a man. And I got it all from the same person.

It was naïve of me to think that I wanted to marry my ex-boyfriend, to have a future with him when he wasn't the one for me. I was a fair believer of everything happened for a reason and if things weren't meant to be, they weren't going to be ours anyway. If I ended

up with my ex-boyfriend, I was probably going to be miserable.

Endless tears every night.

He was good at being a narcissist, and it took me a while to see the truth. For all I knew, I was glad when I found out about his acts-how he had cheated on me.

Took me a while to realize my worth, but it got me to be stronger. I was better in life, and I thrived to succeed instead of always thinking about him. He never did prioritize me.

When it came to Matteo, he was the perfect package.

4-

4-

I didn't have to tell him what to do or what not to do, he just knew. Maybe, because he was older and more mature, but I didn't think that was the point.

He went through a heartbreak of his own and it took him years to heal before he could accept someone new into his life. He fixed his way of thinking, and he made himself a happy man before he could make me happy.

He knew not to depend on his partner because we were responsible for our own feelings. We couldn't be a sad person and ended up dumping our traumas on our partner.

His good looks were a bonus to me. What mattered most was his personality and his attitude.

"Alena Orlov?"

I frowned at the familiar voice calling me out before I turned around. It took me by surprise to find my ex-boyfriend standing a few feet away from me. Well, he seemed surprised as well to see me here. 08:29 Tue, Oct 22

Chapter 38

"Nick, what are you doing here?"

"I had an appointment. Wait, you work here?" He glanced down at my scrubs, which could easily tell anyone I was a doctor

here.

"Yeah, I'm almost finished with my residency."

"That's amazing. I can't believe how fast time flies since the last time I saw you,"

"That was years ago. A long, long, time ago."

+5

Nick nodded, clearing his throat and I took a few seconds to glance down at his fingers, if he was wearing a wedding band. If he was married to the woman he cheated with, but he wasn't wearing any rings.

All I could see was an expensive wristwatch.

"How are you, Alena?" He asked, a small smile plastered on his face..

"I'm doing fine. What about you?"

"I haven't been feeling fine in a while. I came here to look at my results."

I hope everything's okay with you."

Are you

I was hoping for that, too. I can't imagine being sick."

Yeah yek?" continued t I to look at me, hesitating on whether he was supposed to answer. It was obvious he wasn't fine, but I didn't want to pry if he wasn't willing to tell me anything. We haven't been in contact for years, and we didn't even know if one of us was alive or not.

Nick con

"I'm not in perfect health," he replied slowly.

"I hope you'll I be okay, Nick. I really hope everything's okay with you,"

Suddenly, his eyes were a bit teary as he looked away. He managed to hide it away from me-then again, he was good at not expressing his feelings. It wasn't hard for him to hide and ignore his true feelings. He did it all the time.

"I heard you got married."

Just like that, he had shifted the conversation to a different direction. He was asking about me instead of going on with his condition-it didn't matter to me. I was fine with people knowing about my status because I was madly in love with my husband. In a matter of nine months, we were still the perfect couple.

In the eyes of others.

We knew our struggles. We knew our

and downs.

ups

I did.

"Yeah, I I'm

Alena. I'm sure he treats you really

everything I ever asked for, Nick. I'm

it didn't take me long to know it was my husband. I didn't even have to turn around to look because just by the smell of his

simple touch, could know it

he gave

Alena's husband. And

returned the handshake, "Nicholas. Alena's old

nice to

nice to meet you, too. Well, if you don't mind me, I have to go now." Nick cleared his throat, looking at me and back at Matteo-things were never the same, it got awkward when we ended things in bad terms. "It was nice running into you, Alena." I nodded, "Take care, Nick." You,

without sparing

+5

+5

he wasn't feeling okay. I knew him that way because of the years we were together. And just now, I knew he wasn't fine. There was a lot going on in his head, and he just wanted to pretend he wasn't struggling. Matteo turned to look at me, slowly

proud of you, Matteo.

and he was back to walking on his own. It was a progress for him, but whenever he felt

he couldn't run, but he was walking on his own again and it

recovery, they talked business and about work mostly, but they were treating him like a family. Matteo didn't tell me anything, he tried to play it cool, but I

Mama seemed to be getting close with Matteo, too-she kept cooking for him whenever I was at work, and she seemed to be close with Maria as well. They met frequently when Matteo was still struggling with crutches. Overall, my family and his family were

Matteo made for me. He noticed every single time I smiled when Matteo was around. He also told me that

too.

truly believed that what

I believed it, too.

had waited at the lobby. We walked hand in hand to his car

HE

Chapter 38

I

as soon as he placed his warm

had

whenever he had his hand on me. Whether it was a soft touch or a sexual one, I never complained. taken a long bath when I got home while Matteo was cooking in the kitchen. It felt nice to finally relax after a long day at work-he never bothered me when I was taking a long shower or a long bath after work because he knew, I needed the calm and peace. Once I was done rinsing my body and wrapping a clean towel around me, I looked at myself in the mirror. I noticed just how different my body looked for the past few weeks, yet I never got the chance

few times,

I

s hallucinating.

expecting anything, but it felt right to take a test one right now. Matteo and I were sexually active, ever since I had taken my IUD out, we never tried any other methods. We wanted children, we were just

locked, I quickly get the test done.

came back into the bathroom, fully dressed

eyes as I grabbed to

When

saw the result and my eyes were bursting with tears. I slowly grabbed onto the counter beside me as I cried, not believing myself. My hand went down to feel my invisible bump as I smiled, a sense of joy passing by. I wiped the tears

As

I

soon a

island. We were always eating in

waist from behind, breathing in

"You're a

up, baby?" He

"Yeah, I feel better."

let's eat dinner.

onto my face as he leaned in for

We

were

smile was wider. I was trying hard not to burst out the happy news as I made my way to sit

seem really happy... is there something you'd like to

No.

think I should smile more. I look

look

our meal while I was thinking of ways to tell him. I

Chapter 38

a surprise-I wasn't really preferring the latter, because

watch a movie later, and

©

71%1

was starting to find that odd. Once we were done with dinner, I made my way to the sink to clean our plates. He was taking a sip of

to feel nervous. Could he easily read

as I pulled his hand into

I was imagining how our

on my face?" He

my head, "Why

"You

staring at me. You're acting

I didn't

the one doing

looking away and pulling the blanket closer to my chest. Once we had chosen a movie, we continued to watch it. Well, Matteo was continuing to watch it, the whole time I was just staring blankly at the

all. "Matteo," I called

"Mm?"

Mm?

"Here."

him to frown as he looked down, his hand reaching out to grab it. Then, when he realized what he was holding, he immediately sat up straight. He continued to stare at the test for a few seconds before he