Semua Bab Purchased Wife: Bab 41 - Bab 50


The room was still. Too quiet.


The kind of silence that made the machines sound louder, the IV drip louder, the faint beeping of a heart monitor more aggressively loud. Nathan hated hospitals. They reeked of bleach and guilt one couldn’t scrub off.


But he didn’t move.


His hand was wrapped around hers. Rachel’s. 


Her pale fingers were tangled with his. She was so still. Her face was bruised and the bandage on her shoulder which was angry red against her skin. Seeing her like this so helpless and quiet dug a knife right through the center of his chest.


He should’ve been there.


He should’ve never have walked out that night on her. He should’ve have been kinder in sorting out his feelings. When he heard her confess that she had a sister she abandoned, it felt as if they were back to zero and he walked away from it. 




Her fingers twitched and her brow furrowed. And her eyes, those stormy eyes, blinked open in a daze.


Nathan surged forward without thinking about anything e



The hallways smelled like disinfectant and something too clean to be real. Rachel moved slowly, her bag slung over one arm, her heels whispering against the polished floor. Her heart pounded harder the closer she got. She hadn’t seen him in days since she’d walked away from the marriage she pretended wasn’t worth saving.


And now, all she wanted was to save it because of Sara had told her. She chuckled to herself seeing how much Sara had grown in just a few weeks and had so much knowledge in her head.


Two nurses chatted away as she passed.


“He’s been on a full drip,” one said, whispering..


“He hasn’t eaten a damn thing since he checked in as a patient.”


“That poor man looks like abloody ghost. I got chills when I saw him sipping coffee like a regular dude. Nathan Rossi right? The guy in room 310. That’s him. He’s so hot even when he looks like shit!.”


Rachel stopped walking.


Nathan. On a drip. Not eating.


Her throat tightened. She forced her steps forward and faster.





The sky looked like it had been freshly painted that morning with light blue cloud. Nathan’s hand was laced with Rachel’s as they walked toward the rehab center, and there was this strange, nervous thrill in his chest. Like a first date.




They had both been holed up in a hotel for three days straight. Not just tangled in bed sheets and each other, though there had been plenty of that but talking, laughing, crying. Relearning each other. Rebuilding. He had never felt so close to someone and still so nervous about a single meeting. But this mattered to Rachel. Which meant it mattered to him, more than anything.


She gave his hand a squeeze. “You’re quiet.”


“I’m trying not to rehearse jokes in my head,” he said.


Rachel smiled, leaning into him. “She’s going to love you. Just don’t mention raisins. Or licorice. Or… birds. Don’t ask.”


“Noted. Raisins are the devil, licorice is poison, and birds are… emotional landmines.”


She laughed, and he swore the sun shone a little


Rachel woke up to sunlight filtering through the luxurious tent. For a moment, she simply lay there, Nathan's warm body curled around hers, his hand resting protectively over her still-flat stomach. The wonder of it all still took her breath away,she was pregnant. They were going to have a baby.


A loud crash outside made them both jump up with Nathan springing up from sleep.

"Oh my goodness!" Antonio's voice boomed. "This grill hates to see me coming!"

Nathan groaned and rubbed his face. "My dad is trying to cook again," he mumbled into his pillow.

Rachel turned to face him, smiling at his messy morning hair. "I married into this crazy family, didn’t I?" she reminded him.

He kissed her nose. "Best decision ever."

The tent flap suddenly flew open and they flew apart. Anna stood there wearing silk pajamas and huge sunglasses, holding two steaming cups. "Good morning, Mommy and Daddy," she sang. "I brought tea." She paused. "Well, the chef made tea. I carried it like the hero I a



 

Nathan Rossi had built an empire on his ability to stay calm under pressure. But as he watched his very pregnant wife waddle across their penthouse like an angry penguin, he realized no business deal had prepared him for this. 

Rachel stopped in front of the full-length mirror, scowling at her reflection. "Nathan, I swear to God, if one more person tells me I'm glowing, I'm going to stab them with this spoon." She brandished her ice cream spoon like a weapon. 

Nathan approached slowly, holding out a fresh tub of vanilla bean ice cream like a peace offering. "First of all, you are glowing. Second of all, here's more ammunition so you don't shoot the messenger." 

Rachel snatched it, grumbling as she shoved a heaping spoonful into her mouth. "Easy for you to say. You didn't wake up this morning and realize you can't see your own feet anymore." She gestured dramatically at her swollen belly. "I'm a human blimp. A very angry, very pregnant blimp." 

Nathan wrapped his arms arou