Unmistakably Yours (MXM) (MPREG)

Chapter 24

(There will be uncomfortable scenes ahead. I promise those would be the last.)

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Chapter 24

"Arden, you're awake!" Tyler cried out, his arms attempting to hug me but it was impossible because we are a thousand miles apart, communicating via a video chat.

It hasn't been a day and I was expecting a number of calls from Hal, Zee and Jin, including River, Tyler and Aunt Becca, but I discovered that Mariano set a schedule for all of them so I won't strain myself.

He was very sweet, and right now, he was lying beside me, his hand playing with my fingers while occasionally rubbing my protruding belly. He will then drop soft kisses on it, a wide grin and a breathtaking smile on his lips. He doesn't know how much his adorable actions melt my heart.

"I wanna see you, Arden! Two months! You were in a coma for two months!" Tyler emphasized as he roughly wiped his tears. I know that he has been extremely worried, especially when I had to be rushed to the hospital because of the Greenhouse incident. I have never seen Tyler that mad. From my waning consciousness, he grabbed a flower pot and smashed my father's head with it. Or maybe, pots. Plural.

When Mariano did not return after eight days, I became worried. The plan was that he will be gone for a week, so I had to ask Zee. Rubbing my chest that was now thumping with nervous energy, I headed to the conference room where Zee was. The room fell silent upon my presence, and although Zee tried to keep a calm expression, the worried glint in his eyes gave him away.

"Where is he?"

Zee pulled me for a brief hug before leading me to a vacant seat. Hal approached me, an orange juice on his hand. "We have some sweet treats available, Arden. Do you want cake?" When I nodded, Hal did not waste any time. Jin, on the other hand, sat beside me and started checking my health status.

"You are stable, Arden. Getting stressed is bad for the baby," Jin reminded me, and a small smile cracked across my face. I like how they all take care of me. Even without Mariano around, I feel loved.

"I appreciate you guys so much, but I still need to know where Mariano is. Did you know what time he'll be back? Is he okay?"

The three of them looked at each other as if they were having a silent conversation, and after several minutes, Zee muttered under his breath and turned to me with a soft expression, right after throwing a glare at Jin and Hal.

"Arden, babe," he started with that sweet endearment that he likes to call me, "I don't know the right words to soften the blow of what I'm about to tell you but..." Zee frowned deeply and gritted his teeth, struggling to open his mouth and tell me whatever it is that will give me an update on Mariano's whereabouts.

I could feel my elevated heart rate and how my palms turned cold and clammy from the nerves. "Please, tell me. Cut with the suspense because I'm about to puke."

Zee nodded and offered a comforting smile. "The hidden tracking device that we inserted in Mariano was removed. We don't know where he is. We are mobilizing our resources to track him down," he assured me but that did not appease the nerves. If the only thing that could calm my being, the tracking device, was removed, then how am I supposed to go on now?

"Arden..." Zee rubbed my back in an attempt to comfort me but my anxiety was faster.

The weight of worry settled on my chest, crushing me painfully, resulting in shallow breaths. I tried to calm down and keep myself grounded, but worst-case scenarios filled my head in an uncontrollable loop, fueling my anxiety. I felt my stomach dip, churning with a nauseous mix of fear and helplessness.