In The Hands of a Billionaire

Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Natalie's POV

"Is Natalie okay? What happened?" The concerned voice of my lover questioned from the outside of my bedroom door as I quietly smoothed down Raigh-lee's curls as she slept. So far, everything was going just perfectly fine until this evening. Why had those memories come back at such an odd time? Sighing quietly to myself, I closed my eyes as the others continued to talk in hushed whispers outside my door. Without even realizing it, I managed to doze off.

~~~
Staring down at the little infant, I watched as she quietly snored in her sleep. I felt disgusted with myself. I just wanted to disappear.

"Natalie, dear. Do you want something to eat today?" The worried voice of my mother questioned from the door as I focused my attention back in on the infant laying on the bed. She had a few of his features. Something that would haunt me for the rest of my life.

But, the little voice at the back of my head was telling me something different. Adoption was an option. I wasn't in a stable condition to bring up a child, especially since I just reached adulthood. 'He' could take her away from me and abuse her just like he did me. 'He' would turn her into a miniature him.

But, it's not Raigh-lee's fault. She didn't ask to be here.

"Just let her be for now, passerotto (Sparrow/little Sparrow). She's been through a lot and she needs time to cope with all of these changes." My nonno (grandfather) stated as their retreating footsteps echoed down the hallway, signaling that I was now alone with the infant again.

I had been in Italy for two and a half weeks now and I still haven't picked her up. It's just the sheer fact that she's a part of him scares me. What if she becomes exactly like him? I've been asking myself this question over and over again since I found out that I was pregnant with her. Will I have to bear the burden that this child will become a monster just like her father? Why was God putting me in this place? What have I done?

As if hearing my internal battle, the little infant started crying as I stared at her with wide eyes. What was I going to do? I could call my mom to come soothe her but I no longer remembered what my voice sounded like. As the panic started to quickly rise, a gentle pat on the back brought me back to my surroundings.

"It's okay if you pick her up, darling. She's probably crying because she's yearning for her mother's touch." My nonna (grandmother) spoke softly while gently rubbing Raigh-lee's stomach as her cries grew quiet. "I know it's been rough for you, but this child is also yours. She won't become your worst nightmare unless you let her. If you raise her with love and affection, she'll turn out to be a happy child just like you were. Don't stress it too much, darling." She stated while kissing my cheek before heading towards the door. "I brought you something to eat. If you won't eat for yourself, please eat for us. We're worried about you." She added while stepping out of the room before closing the door behind her as I was left with my daughter who laid upon the bed awake.

Quietly reaching a hesitant hand out towards her, I gently stroked her cheek as she turned her head towards my hand, ready to suckle. I couldn't help but laugh a little bit at how beautiful she was. From the small dark brown curls that covered her pinkish brown skin to the trimmed nails on her little fingers. Taking a deep breath, I scooped her up in my arms while walking over towards the window.

"Look at the beautiful stars." I stated hoarsely while smiling down at Raigh-lee at she looked at me before closing her eyes. "It's just you and I." I added while gently kissing her head before looking back out the window.

~~~

Stirring awake, I almost missed the blanket being placed on us before the individual leaned down and kissed my forehead.

"Aiden?" I questioned while gently rubbing my eyes as Raigh-lee cuddled more into me. Without saying a word, he quietly turned on the lamp by the bed and carefully inspected me with his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. I just wanted to check in on you since Lucy told me what happened at the hospital." He stated as I patted the side of the bed where Raigh-lee wasn't. "Are you sure?" He questioned as I nodded quietly while inspecting Aiden as he crawled into bed with his gray pajama pants on. I had forgotten that even he goes to sleep sometimes too.

"It's okay. I'm glad to see you." I stated while kissing him before pulling away to move Raigh-lee between us. "I think I just needed a break from work to spend some time with you, my family, and my little lady." I added while fluffing up the pillows around Raigh-lee as she seemed to love the fact that she was now sleeping between us. Sighing quietly to myself, I reached over and turned off the light before snuggling up to Raigh-lee as Aiden wrapped us both in his arms.

[~~~]

Heyo!

I know, I know. It's a shorty but you have to understand, I've been on this chapter since the last update. SOS.

Also, I added a little memory from Natalie's past from when she just had Raigh-lee. It might seem like she's a bad mother but the points to understand when reading that part are:

•She just went through a traumatic experience aka William (Raigh-lee's father)

•Raigh-lee's her first child thus making her a first time mother and first time mothers learn through trial and error.

I don't know why I'm explaining that when I'll still have people down the road saying different things about it. We're all entitled to an opinion but please don't get out of hand or become rude. I like being social with my readers.

Have a good day!

Andrea~