EUNOIA ━ diego hargreeves

44

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
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THE WEDDING came to an end, and the majority of the Hargreeves gathered outside for what seemed to be their last night to gaze up at the stars before the world ended. Freya did not partake in their activities, instead, she was busy trying not to hurl. Whether it was because of the apparent fetus growing inside her, or just because the news had been delivered moments before, she didn't know. But it was not pleasant, and she wished she could be as chill and relaxed as the rest of them right then.

"Do you think he's lying?" Freya asked, pacing back and forth in the room they'd claimed as their own. Diego, sat from the bed, braced either elbow on his knees and had his head ducked. She couldn't get a read on him either, and it was only adding to her stress.

"I don't know why he would make something like that up."

"To get into our heads. Yours, specifically. Who knows what he could be up to? Klaus said he changed. I don't buy it, nope. There's got to be some ulterior motive. Like he's trying to weaken us from the inside so we're easier to manipulate for whatever the hell he's got planning. I can't be—"

"Freya," Diego swiftly cut her off, rising to his feet and meeting her in the center of the room. She couldn't stop pacing, but his hand caught her forearm, forcing her to stop. "You're going to give yourself a stroke. I need you to breathe."

She broke free from his grasp and mussed her hair before inhaling deeply to calm herself. "Okay."

"Better?"

"Better? Diego, if what he said is true, we're going to have a baby. And the world is ending in less than a day. Do you know how unfair that is? I dreamed of this life. It's why I always loved nannying." Bile rose in her throat, and it was getting hard to see through her blurry vision. "And now I don't get the chance to see it play out."

He paused, his grip on her loosening as he cupped her cheek, and leaned down to press his forehead against hers. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "You're right. It's not fair. I don't know how to make it better."

Her heart squeezed, and her eyes fluttered shut. "You don't have to fix everything. It's not your fault."

They stayed there for a long moment, before his hand moved from her face down to her fingertips, and he pulled her to the edge of the bed. "I always wanted it, too."

Freya blinked, surprised. Her eyes scanned his expression. "Yeah?"

Diego shrugged, reaching down to unclip the heels on her feet. Instead of answering, he slid the shoes off of her feet. She swallowed, hating the silence, but watched him move onto his own pair, gaze darkening as he changed out of his shirt.

"Yeah," he finally replied, tossing the tie and other articles of clothing onto the floor. He glanced at Freya over his shoulder. "But I was always afraid I'd be a shit father like Reginald."

Freya frowned, and leaned forward to kiss the back of his bare shoulder. "You would be an excellent father, Diego. You were great with Stan."

The tension in his shoulders faded. "You think so?"

"Yeah," Freya sighed, shifting so that she was now laying on the bed. "I just wish the timing didn't suck."

Diego followed her in suite, and tugged her so she was lying on his chest. Heart pounding in her rib cage, Freya pressed closer as Diego pulled the covers over them both. "Me, too."

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Freya woke up to a bright light shining through the window, though it was not the sun. Rolling clouds of dust and debris were lingering very close to the remaining of the hotel. She shifted, scrunching her nose, and going to move, but an arm pulled her back to where she was originally laying. It took her a couple of blinks to realize where she was, and who she was with.