Too Late, Antonio

Laura’s POVI gazed mutely at the flickering candle in the center of the dinner table. The flame flickered softly, standing out like the only source of warmth in the whole room.Antonio hadn't uttered a word in almost ten minutes now. I sat opposite him in stiff silence, my hands neatly folded on my lap.I wore that purple dress that he said he once loved. The one with the open back and little pearls along the neckline. I even curled my hair, something I hadn't done in months.It was our anniversary. Ten years. Ten years of attempting to love a man who gazed at me as though I were a stranger. "Would you like a little more wine?" I asked, reaching for the bottle. He didn't answer but stared at his phone while thumbing his way slowly across the screen.My stomach tightened. I looked down at my plate. The steak was growing cold. I had spent a lot of time marinating it.I kept checking the recipe again and again, trying to do it perfectly. His favorite, medium rare with peppercorn sauce.

Laura’s POVI woke up to shouting. I thought it might be a dream. I could just open an eye. The ceiling above me had brown stains from water. The motel was, of course, thin in its construction so that someone in the adjoining room was yelling at a child.My heart doubled its speed. I sat up. For a moment, I felt lost. The suitcase standing in the far corner of the room snapped me right back into that horrible reality. High-pitched. The divorce. The cold slap of Antonio's voice. The test strip I hid in the pocket of my coat. The tiny life growing inside me.Slowly, I got out of bed, wrapping the thin motel blanket around my shoulders. It was cold.I crossed over to the corner where the TV sat on a stand, turned the dial, and sat on the corner of the bed.The screen came to life. The morning news. A bright, smiling female anchor was speaking at a fast pace."Breaking story this morning: Antonio De Luca, CEO of De Luca Enterprises, has made a surprising announcement just moments ago."

More than I had expected, the wind had turned cold that morning. I wrapped my scarf around my neck on the opposite side of the road from that mansion. His mansion. The one in which everything had fallen apart.I hadn't returned for him. Not for his love, not for pity, and not for revenge. I returned for the truth.Something inside me started tugging at my thoughts after Clara visited the shelter. Antonio wanted a paternity test. But there was something in her eyes... fear rather than pride. And Antonio? Too calm on the outside. He was hiding something there.I had lived in that house for years, cooking his meals, folding his suits, and cleaning rooms I was never allowed to enter.But one room was always forbidden: his study. There was a drawer he kept locked away. A folder he never let me see.I had never cared back then; I trusted him. Foolish me. But now? Now I needed those answers.…I darted across the road. My boots made a crunching sound on the gravel driveway. The gate was sti