Rihai

Quattordici

The beeping of the machines made his stomach churn. Hospitals bring out memories that tear his world apart. His parent's bodies, burnt and locked in body bags. Armando shook his head, freeing himself of those images. This wasn't the right time.

Aadya sat on the bed, staring at her hands with a frown. He had expected her to look sad and heartbroken but it was plain confusion that marred her pretty face. She frowned, still staring at her hands as if they personally offended her.

Armando took a deep breath, calming his thumping heart down before approaching his wife. She seemed unaware of his presence, still frowning. Armando reached her and looked at her hands. They were scratched and torn. Whenever Aadya was nervous or upset, she scratched her hands. He never let her go too far but he wasn't there this time. He wasn't there to stop her and he hated himself more for it.

"Aadya?" No response.

"Mio dolce?" Still no response.

(My sweet)

"Baby?" She blinked and then looked at him. He looked miserable. His eyes were red and glossy, his shoulders were slumped and his hands shook at his sides slightly. Aadya forwarded her torn hand to cup his cheek and he sighed in the warmth. She was the sun in his cold, frozen and barren life.

"I am sorry." His whisper washed her over like the waves wash over the shore. "What are you sorry for?" She wasn't taunting him, she seemed like a perfectly robotic person and he hated that more than anything.

"For not forgiving you. For letting my hurt and ego drive me away from you. For killing something that we both made together. For suffocating our relationship. For murdering our child."

A soft sigh of defeat escaped her parted lips before she pulled him down to sit. "It wasn't your fault Armando."

"It was." He was stubborn and she knew it. "Well then, I forgive you and I hope you forgive me too." She pulled his glasses away and and wiped the tears that fell down his eyes. "I didn't even know that I was pregnant, Armando. And I think it was because it wasn't meant to happen." She was trying to be strong, and she was failing.

She sighed again, keeping her own tears at bay. "I love you, Armando and I just need you. We will have a baby, someday when we are not on the threshold of war, when we are together and happy. Things wi-will be okay again." Her breaking voice was a boulder to his shoulder.

He wanted to be happy with her, to have a family with her and no one can do that by clinging on to the past. It was time to move on. Move on from the pain, move on from the loss, move on from the anger and hurt. And they wanted to move on. Nothing could stop them now. For they are strong by themselves but they are invincible together.

"I forgive you too Aadya. And I love you more than anything."

🍂

Aadrika peeked into the room from the glass, smiling at the two embracing people. They deserved the world and beyond. Aurelio pocketed his phone and walked up to the door standing beside his wife. "How are they?"

"Better. They'll be okay." He sighed looking at his youngest brother and his wife. Sometimes it takes the worst of things to happen, to make things right. A child would've made his brother happy. More than anything Armando deserved to be happy. His brother had seen enough.

"I think we shouldn't stare at them like creeps."

"Agreed." None of them moved. What were they even doing? God knows. Aurelio turned to look at his wife. Her hair was up in a ponytail, which was extremely loose now, especially after running around and being worried about her sister. Her light blue dress had patches of blood smeared across it. She looked like the goddess of sin.