𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐆𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐁𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐄 | 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐤

Part 38

Just after you returned from work the next day, you started cleaning the apartment when the doorbell rang. You opened the door, only to see Tony. You gulped when you remembered the pregnancy tests hidden in your bag. "Yes?" You asked.

"I-I'm here to see Maria, but-" He took notice of your red and swollen eyes."Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. She's playing in her room. Just don't disturb me." You told him, walking away from the door. He walked in, closing the door quickly. He looked at you as you started to pick up toys left in the living room. He decided to let it go and he walked into Maria's room.

You let out an exhausted sigh, having no energy to finish every chore around the house. Since last night, every little thing bothered you and it was only the matter of time when you would finally have enough and snap. Somehow, it seemed to you you knew exactly who will set you off and he just walked into your apartment. Your phone went off and you quickly checked it, only to see a message from Steve. You locked the phone again, deciding you'll answer him later.

Tony walked out of Maria's room just as you were walking to the living room, carrying a basket of dry laundry, balancing it on your hip.

"Y/N." He mumbled out your name and you let out a breath, cursing yourself for having to deal with him right now.

"What?"You asked him as you started to fold the clothes, not even looking at him.

"You look... tired." He told you and you scoffed.

"Did you come here to insult me? Fine then. You look like an idiot and you are a freaking idiot!" You threw Maria's shirt at him, hitting him across the face.

"Wow!" He picked the shirt up from the floor and looked at you. "What's wrong with you, woman?"

"Right." You breathed out, looking everywhere but at him, not wanting to get even more angry. "Sorry. I don't know what came over me. Not saying that you don't deserve it, though."

"Why would I deserve it?"

"Are you kidding me? You show up every few days, when you conveniently remember you're also a father! And even then, you stay for a few minutes and leave. Then, you forget all about Maria and this whole thing feels like we're going in a fucking circle, Anthony!"

He winced at the use of his full name. Even now, when you two weren't exactly in good relations, he still couldn't get used to hearing it from you. "Well, I have a job to do, Y/N."

"Which consists of fucking Chloe, I guess."

"It's not your business anymore who I am fucking, Y/N. You made it that way when you moved out."

"Right. Let's put all the blame on me, why don't we? As if it wasn't your fault, too, not only mine."You stopped yourself before you could snap on him again. "Look, I don't care who you are fucking or not fucking, I just wish you spent more time with your daughter, not only treat her like a chore."

"I don't do that." He said. "She's my kid, too. I love her."

You looked at him for the first time, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I'm trying, Y/N. I'm seriously trying, but I have work to manage-"

"So do I." You interrupted him. "I work almost the whole day and I can manage it, but you can't?" You asked him.

"You.. I told you you don't need to work!"

"Right, the world doesn't work that way, Anthony!"

"I would take care of both of you. You're Maria's mother, I want you to have all you want in your life."

You frowned, feeling your eyes filling with tears. You turned from Tony and gestured at a pile of folded shirts."Can you take this to the bedroom?"

He nodded, taking the shirts and walking off with them, while you took a tissue and wiped your eyes furiously, trying to wipe away any trace of tears. You sent him away just so you could calm yourself down and take a breath, not wanting to show a single tear in his presence. But, you also did it because you were on the verge of telling him about the baby, and you barely stopped yourself. You couldn't tell him, not yet until you decided that you'll keep it.

Tony was about to walk out of the bedroom, when he noticed a dress laid neatly on your bed. His eyes furrowed as he approached the bed, looking at the dress, wondering if you wore it. It was actually the dress from the last night date with Steve, but Tony didn't know that. He caught the smell of another man's perfume and he quickly smelled his shirt, but realized it wasn't the same as his. His heart sped up at the realization. You moved on.

He felt like he couldn't breathe.

The perfume was familiar to him, but he couldn't realize where he knew it from. He looked for any trace of another man being inside your room, but he couldn't find any.

He quickly turned around, wanting to leave the room, the air inside it suffocating him. But, he managed to knock over your bag and without even looking properly at the stuff he spilled from it, he quickly piled them back into your bag and hurried out of the room.

"You're done?" You asked him, clearing your throat when he walked into the living room.

"Yep. All done." He said. "It's a nice dress you got back there. I liked it."

"Were you going through my stuff?"You asked him, getting nervous.

"Of course not. It was on your bed. I couldn't help but notice it." He replied. "Were you going somewhere?"

You looked at him, forcing a smile."It's not your business where I am going anymore, Anthony."

"Right. Okay. " He said. "You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah. I think so." You forced a smile on your face again.

"Do you need help with anything else?"

"Raising Maria. But I guess that's too hard for you, so... "

"I'm gonna be more included in this, Y/N, I promise. I'll take some time off work so I can be there for her."

You nodded. "We'll see."