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

I'm sure he treats you

asked for,

he could say anything else, a pair of hand came in to wrap around my waist and 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 cologne, I could tell it was him. 08:29 Tue, Oct

by a simple touch,

Nick, smiling as he gave his hand for

Alena's husband. And you

returned the handshake, "Nicholas. Alena's old

to meet

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

without

+5

+5

together. And just now, I knew he wasn't fine. There was a lot going on in his head, and

of you, Matteo. You

was a progress for him, but whenever he felt the

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

they talked business and about work mostly, but they were treating

and Ana, they were their usual selves. 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,

noticed every single time I

too.

truly believed that what

I believed it, too.

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

HE

Chapter 38

I

as he placed his warm hand on my

had

it, 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,

times, trying to see if

I

s hallucinating.

it a couple of months back in case I needed to use it in the nearest future-not that I was expecting anything, but it felt right to take a test one right now. Matteo and I were sexually active, ever since I

I was sure it was locked, I quickly get the test done. As I waited for a while, I kept

came back into the bathroom, fully

grabbed to pick up

When

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

As

I

soon a

kitchen, I saw Matteo serving dinner on the kitchen island. We were always eating in the kitchen

waist from behind, breathing in his

"You're a

I freshen up, baby?"

"Yeah, I feel better."

eat dinner. You

my face as he

We

were

smiling at each other, but my smile was wider. I was trying hard not to burst

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

No.

I should

look

thinking of ways to tell him. I

Chapter 38

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

later, and I think

©

71%1

he didn't bother to say a word. I was smiling as I took a bite of my food, and I knew he 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 his drink from behind me, watching

to feel nervous. Could he easily read it on

a movie," I said as I

back, he kept pressing onto the remote while his eyes were attached onto the screen. My eyes were focusing onto him, and I was imagining how our baby would look like if he

there something on my face?" He asked, glancing down

my head, "Why do you

"You

at me. You're acting

I didn't

the one

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

couldn't focus, at all.

"Mm?"

Mm?

"Here."

reaching out to grab it. Then, when he realized

me.