「SO OUTSIDE OF MY MISERY, I THINK I'LL FIND」
「A WAY OF ENVISIONING A BETTER LIFE」
「FOR THE REST OF US, THE REST OF US」
「THERE'S HOPE FOR THE REST OF US, THE REST OF US」
•THIS IS BOOK II
• THE FIRST BOOK IS CALLED "Revenge"
•ART CREDITS ARE UNKNOWN:...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
┏━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━┓
Chapter Sixteen: Verdict
┗━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━┛
GOJO couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned most of the night, but with the space beside him empty, he found it hard to succumb into slumber. He turned to look at the time on his phone, then stood up with a sigh. He rubbed his hand over his undercut, muttering to himself that it needed trimmed soon.
When he walked from their bedroom, he found that she was no longer in the bathroom. Instead, she was sitting on the couch, her knees pulled into her chest. He knew that she had noticed him, but her gaze remained on the wall, hazel eyes seeming heavy with a hazy glaze. He walked into the room, seating himself on the coffee table across from her.
"Akeldama."
"I know that you've seen it," She whispered.
Gojo lowered his gaze to his hands. It was true. He'd found the box a couple of days ago, shoved in the trashcan in the bathroom. The empty foil was added a few hours later. The test never joined it.
"So?" He said quietly. "What's the verdict?"
She laid her chin on her arms. "We should get married."
He flicked his eyes to her. "You're pregnant?"
"I wanted to wait for all of this to end to settle down," She said, her gaze never leaving the cross that hung on the wall. "For the first time since my father died, I went to our church and prayed. I begged for this not to happen. Not now at least. Not in the midst of Hell rising to Earth. But...you know what they say. Things always happen for a reason."
"Do you even want a baby?" He asked, his voice quiet.
"I'm not giving it up," She whispered. "This was my fault. I got myself into this mess. I want children. I want to be married to you. But...the timing wasn't right."
He reached forward, cupping her face in his palm. She leaned into his touch, her eyes fluttering shut as she lifted her hand to rest over his. He moved to the couch, bringing her into his arms. He held her tightly, placing his face in the crook of her neck.
"It'll be okay," He mumbled. "I told you I would take care of you, didn't I? I promise, Aki. Everything is going to be alright. Just trust me, okay? I won't let anything happen to you..."
His hand slid under her hoodie, his warm palm pressing against her stomach. She looked down at him solemnly, her hands resting on the sides of his neck. She rested her forehead against his, exhaling shakily.
"...either of you. I will protect you and our child. You don't have to be afraid. Not with me around."
"Can we really do this?" Her voice broke, making his chest tighten as he drew shapes on her skin.
