Alessia sat in her kitchen, tapping the edge of her ceramic mug as she gazed out of the window. The early morning sun filtered through the clouds, casting a warm glow across the small garden outside. It was peaceful, an odd kind of serenity she hadn't often felt in recent months, and yet, the weight on her chest made her feel like she could hardly breathe. Across the room, her daughter, Bunny, sat in her high chair, babbling incoherent baby talk as she mashed pieces of banana between her tiny fingers.
Blake Bailey "Bunny" Williamson-Russo.
Alessia smiled faintly at her daughter, the very center of her world now. Bunny had Leah's eyes those piercing blue orbs that had once made her feel like she was the only person that existed.
Now, they only served as a reminder of everything that had fallen apart.
It had been over a year since she and Leah had split up, their relationship ending in a slow, painful unraveling. In the beginning, they had been madly in love, and there had been talks of the future, of shared dreams, and even the possibility of starting a family. IVF had been an idea that grew out of those late-night conversations, a seed planted in moments of affection when they couldn't imagine a future without each other.
But that was before everything began to crumble. The pressure of their careers, the intensity of playing for the same club, and their personal differences had slowly chipped away at the bond they had once thought was unbreakable. The decision to break up had been mutual, or at least, that's what Alessia had convinced herself at the time.
However, the irony was not lost on her that just after they had brake up, she had discovered she was pregnant.
Alessia had stared at that positive pregnancy test in shock, feeling like her world had tilted on its axis. They had tried so hard three rounds of IVF, each one more emotionally exhausting than the last. She had been ready to give up, and Leah had agreed. The last session had felt like a closing chapter, a final attempt before they moved on with their lives separately.
And then, the pregnancy had happened.
When she told Leah, the reaction had been far from what she expected. Leah had stood there, jaw slack, eyes wide with a mixture of disbelief and unbridled hope.
"We're not together anymore, Leah," Alessia had said, almost bitterly.
Leah's response had been immediate, desperate. She had fallen to her knees literally her hands clutched at Alessia's legs as if her touch could somehow keep them tethered. The image still haunted Alessia.
Leah, so untouchable, so fiercely independent, begging her. "Please, Less," Leah had whispered, voice thick with emotion. "Please keep the baby. This is a sign, don't you see that? We can do this. We can still have the family we talked about."
Alessia had felt trapped, her heart pounding in her chest as she looked down at the woman she had once loved, now so broken, so vulnerable. Part of her wanted to walk away, to make a clean break and move forward with her life without the heavy baggage of their failed relationship hanging over her.
But then, there was the baby. Their baby.
In the end, it wasn't Leah's pleading that convinced Alessia to keep the pregnancy it was Bunny. Even then, before she was born, Alessia had felt her connection to this tiny life growing inside her. She couldn't bring herself to walk away from it, even if it meant dealing with Leah and all the painful memories that came with their past.
Nine months later, Bunny had entered the world, and with her came a new, complicated reality.
Alessia and Leah were co-parents, but nothing more. Leah had wanted more desperately so. She had asked Alessia again and again to give their relationship another chance, for the sake of the baby. But Alessia had been firm, resolute. She wasn't going to get back together with Leah, no matter how many times she asked. Their relationship had run its course, and Alessia had no desire to rekindle something that had caused them both so much pain.
