A V E L I N A We reached the hospital in record time. Lorenzo rushed inside, and I followed. Doctor Anderson met us in the waiting area. "Where is she?" Lorenzo asked, his arm wrapped around my waist. "She's in surgery, Mr. Salvatore. We were able to get her stabilized, but there's complications. I'm sorry, but I cannot discuss her medical history with you. Only the immediate family." I looked at him, and his expression was unreadable. "Avelina is family, Doctor Anderson. I am her grandson. Now, tell me everything." "Very well. Mrs. Salvatore has been having issues with her heart for quite a while now. The heart attack was unexpected, and her heart couldn't handle the pressure. As you know, she also has cancer, which has spread through her body. I'm afraid she wouldn't be able to live longer than we expected. At this point, there's no telling how much time she has left." Lorenzo didn't say anything. He looked at the doctor, his eyes hard. "And the surgery? What's that for?" "The

A V E L I N A"Oh, God. I'm so sorry." I said, tears falling from my eyes."I'm sorry for not being there when you needed me. I'm sorry for everything, Maggie. Please, wake up." I touched her hand, and felt her skin. It was warm, and my tears wouldn't stop."You'll be okay. You'll be okay. I know you will." I felt Lorenzo's hand on my shoulder, and looked up. He had the most tender look on his face, and he wiped away the tears that were on my face. He pulled me closer to him, and hugged me."I'm sorry.""Don't say sorry. Don't you dare say that. You did nothing wrong. This wasn't your fault.""If I had been there-""What would've changed, Ave? Would you have known she was having a heart attack? Would you have been able to get her here before it got worse?""I don't know.""That's right. You don't. And, you shouldn't blame yourself for what happened. Maggie wouldn't want that. She would want you to be strong, and she would want you to not give up on the life you were given.""I know. I

A V E L I N AThe next six months passed by in a blur. Maggie was discharged after two weeks of waking up from coma and had gone home. She had a lot of trouble breathing, but she was so much better now.She was still the same, sassy and bossy woman who wouldn't take no for an answer. But, I had gotten used to her quirks.Lorenzo and I have been married for eight months, and in four months, we would be filing for a divorce.Lorenzo had started getting busy with work and I've spent most of my days at home or with his grandmother. I was trying to avoid my in-laws, especially Giovanni and his mother. They were toxic, and they didn't care much about anyone but themselves.The rest of the family seemed to like me more than they did in the beginning, and I was glad. I liked spending time with his siblings. They were kind and welcoming.Giovanni hasn't stopped acting like an asshole, it was as if his grudge with me grew as the months passed. Lorenzo was trying to control himself from beating

A V E L I N AThe next day, I had woken up feeling dizzy and nauseous. I've been sick to my stomach for the last week, and my period was already late. I've been throwing up and feeling nauseous almost every single day.And I've gained more weight, which wasn't normal. I had been ignoring Lorenzo the past few days, and he's been giving me the cold shoulder too.He's been spending a lot of time at the office, and has been working a lot. I was still trying to come to terms with the fact that I could be pregnant, and it was stressing me out.I was afraid to find out the truth.What would I do if I was pregnant?A pregnancy would ruin everything. This wasn't the plan. I wasn't supposed to get pregnant.What if Lorenzo finds out and doesn't want the baby? What if he kicks me out?My thoughts were interrupted by my phone ringing. I reached over to pick it up and saw that it was Carina.A huge relief filled my body. It was as if my best friend knew the right time to call me, because this was

A V E L I N AIt was raining heavily as I walked on the road, my tears mixing with the rain.He didn't believe me. He thought I had cheated on him. And he was convinced the baby inside of me wasn't his.My life was ruined.My marriage was over.My heart was shattered into pieces.I couldn't breathe.The rain was pouring down, and the sky was dark. I didn't care that I was wet and soaked. My world was shattering right in front of me, and there was nothing I could do about it.My husband hated me, and he wanted nothing to do with me. How could I fix this?He didn't believe me, and I had no one. I couldn't go see Maggie now. I didn't want to add to her stress with my problems.The rainfall became heavier and I knew I needed to get out of it as soon as possible. I didn't have just myself to think about now. I had a little bean growing inside of me, and I needed to be careful.I hailed a cab, and the first thing I did when I was inside was to dial Lorenzo's number. The call didn't go throu