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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Author: Mairee
last update Last Updated: 2025-07-26 22:31:48

#Rico’s POV#

I don’t trust it.

That damn box from last night won’t leave my head, even though it’s already in a trash bag at the bottom of the kitchen bin, underneath yesterday’s leftovers and some of Joel’s half-eaten steak. Dorothy told me to let it go, but something about the clean handwriting and the sharp way that -P curved at the end… it itches something deep in my skull.

It couldn’t be Paulina.

Could it?

I glance sideways at Dorothy as she sits quietly in the parlor, hoodie loose over her head and her feet curled under her on the couch. Her arm is outstretched, sleeve rolled up. One of the at-home nurses Malik sent over yesterday is prepping the second injection. It’s just hormones—routine, they said—but I’ve never seen her flinch like that before.

And she hasn’t said a word all morning.

I’m just standing there, leaning on the doorway with my arms folded. Watching. Listening. Feeling like I’m intruding on something sacred. But also like I should be here. Like I have to be.

Beca
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  • The Fathers of My Child?   CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

    #Rico’s POV#Sometimes Rico feels like his life isn’t his anymore.Not his body. Not his hours. Not his thoughts. Not even his heartbeat.It’s all tied to someone who doesn’t belong to him.He’s sitting in the car with Dorothy still in his arms, and he doesn’t even realize they’ve been parked in front of the villa for almost three minutes now. He’s just… holding her. Because she passed out in the elevator, and he carried her down without a second thought, and somewhere along the way, he forgot that he wasn’t supposed to care this much.He forgot that this isn’t Paulina.He forgot that he’s not her husband.He forgot that he’s not supposed to feel so damn responsible.“Rico,” she murmurs, stirring against him. “You can put me down now. I can walk. I’m not dizzy anymore.”He blinks, startled. Then glances down. He hadn’t even noticed she was awake. “Shit, sorry,” he says.He gently shifts her off his lap and helps her sit upright. Her skin is still pale but her eyes are clearer.He open

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    #Dorothy’s POV#I don't want to think about last night.Or the kiss.Or Joel’s stare.Or the blankness in his eyes when he walked away without a word like my body wasn’t a crime scene and Rico wasn’t the evidence that could make it all make sense again.I don’t want to think.I just want to function.I slowly stir my tea in the villa kitchen, the spoon clinking against the ceramic mug. My fingers are numb. My lips feel dry. I haven’t been able to stomach anything since dinner two nights ago, and even now, my stomach curls at the idea of food.Today is the day.Chemo.The beginning of whatever this godawful journey is going to be.I don’t even know if I should be scared. Am I scared? Maybe. I think I am. But I’m also tired. Tired of wondering if I’ll live or die. Tired of thinking about what this is going to do to my body, my bones, my brain, my breath. Tired of guessing if my hair will fall out on the third round or the fifth. Tired of thinking of babies and how this poison in my vein

  • The Fathers of My Child?   CHAPTER THIRTY

    #Dorothy’s POV#I wake up to warmth.Not from the blanket. But from the heartbeat under my cheek.My lashes flutter, heavy and wet, and it takes me a second to realize I haven’t cried again. My face is just stuck to Rico’s chest. It’s early—barely light out—the greyish dawn light streams in through the thick curtains like a held whisper. His chest rises and falls, steadily. His scent fills my lungs. That faint cologne, a trace of sweat, and something else I don't know the name of… but I remember. The same scent from the clinic parking lot, from the night I kissed him. From the day he carried me, from the night he stayed.I don’t move. Not even an inch.I just breathe.God, how long has it been since I’ve felt safe enough to do this?To close my eyes and not be worried something would crawl over me in the dark? Or that someone would unzip his pants beside me and tell me “It’s time”?I listen to Rico’s heartbeat for minutes. It's calm. It's even. It's unbothered. No heaviness. No errati

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