BOOK 2 OF THE COURT OF LOVE SERIES
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It's always the people we thought that loved us that hurt us. They all say the same thing, making us believe it's true.
There's no one else. You're the one. I can't live without you. I need you. I miss you. I lov...
Costano busied himself with the work at hand. He pressed the keys of his keyboard and completed what needed to be done for Arabella's case.
Arabella sat on the other side of his desk. She glanced around his room, just like she did before. She watched his office slowly change during each of her visits. In the beginning, his office held nothing sentimental besides his degree and a few awards — she figured you could call it that after the many years of tears, anxiety, and late nights he must've had.
Now his office held pictures of Costano and his son.
"So how was your weekend?" She asked him.
"Great," he smiled. "Spent time with Matteo. You?"
"I'm glad." Arabella's lips curled up into a genuine smile. "As for me I've been anxious about my baby and the doctor appointment," she sighed.
"It's today, right?" Costano stopped what he was doing and glanced at Arabella. She sent him a quick nod. "Do you need a ride or someone to be there with you?"
"No it's alright," her smiled grew as she shook her head. "Zoilo said he'd be there. Thank you though."
She truly was thankful for Costano's concern for her and her baby. If it wasn't for Costano's fast actions the day she had fainted, who knew how things would've ended.
Arabella knew that upon hearing the news of being hospitalized, Zoilo would've immediately drop everything to see her. She would do the same for him. As complicated as this were between them, they would put their differences aside for their child.
Costano decided not to ask anything else about her appointment and resumed his work on his desktop. Arabella, however, asked Costano about Matteo and how things were with Pia. "If you're comfortable with telling me, that is," she added.
"It's fine," he told her. "Things have been good with Pia. We agreed to go to court soon so that I could have shared custody of Matteo."
"That's great!" She beamed.
Arabella truly was happy that he'd get to be a part of his son's life. She always knew he'd make a great father.
"It is." Costano began to put away the papers he had on his desk and into his suitcase. "It's just new, you know? It has been weeks since Pia told me about Matteo and since I meet him, but I never expected I'd have a kid anytime soon. Having been in court so many times, it's different when it's you they're representing."
"At least it's for something good," Arabella commented. Her words stung her a bit knowing she'd go to court soon, but she was still happy for Costano. "You'll be able to be a part of Matteo's life now without anyone telling you otherwise."
He thanked her before they stood up and made their way out of his office.
"I'll have Ms. Dunn contact you for our next meeting," he told her as he held the door open for her. She nodded as she stepped out of the building to which he followed behind.
They said their goodbyes before parting ways.
As Annabeth reached her car, she grabbed her phone from her bag and checked to see if she had any missed calls or unread messages.
Zoilo had texted her.
Do you need me to pick you up?
She quickly replied back that she didn't and that she'd meet him at the clinic. The day she told him about the appointment, she was nervous. It had been days since they've seen each other. Their brief communication was kept through text, never through calls.
Arabella had no idea how she'd react. It was easier hiding how she felt when she wasn't seeing or hearing him. But she knew she had to at some point. She couldn't keep hiding from him.
She took a deep breath the moment she parked her car. She stared at the nearby cars, seeing if she spotted Zoilo's.
He wasn't there.
She shut her car off and decided to wait for him inside the clinic. The receptionist greeted her as she approached the front desk.
"Good morning," she smiled. "Do you have an appointment for today?" Arabella nodded and stated her name. The receptionist, Kiara as her name tag stated, busied herself with the desktop in front of her. She searched the database to confirm Arabella's meeting and if there was any other information that the clinic needed from her. When she saw that everything was there, she told Arabella that they'd call her in a few minutes and to make herself comfortable in the lobby.
Arabella thanked her and went to take her seat.
A woman sat with her back to the windows. Her eyes were buried in the magazine in her hands but her bump was prominent. Seven months along if Arabella had to guess.
Arabella bit the inside of her cheek. She wondered how long it would take before she started showing. Every mother's body was different and not all experienced the same things.
She held her hands near her stomach as she looked for a seat.
The lobby's color scheme consisted of grey, white, and orange-brown with a few colorful plants and newspapers. Arabella sat opposite to the windows with a television to her left.
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She didn't bother paying attention to what was playing on the screen. She was wondering if Zoilo would be able to make it.
With her purse on her lap, she pulled out her phone to see if Zoilo had sent her a message.
But there weren't any.
She turned her head when she recognized his voice. Zoilo shifted his gaze from the receptionist to Arabella before making his way towards her. Arabella had no idea what to do or say. Should she stand and greet him?
Thankfully, Zoilo gave her a small smile before sitting next to her.
They didn't exchange many words while they waited. Zoilo had asked Arabella the name of the doctor to which she told him was Dr. Martinez. They talked a bit about each other's day, excluding the fact that Arabella had seen Costano earlier that day.
The sound of a door clicking resonated in the room.
"Arabella Rosa?" A female nurse called out from the door.
"Ready?" Zoilo turned to Arabella. She gave him a curt nod and smiled. They stood up and made their way to the nurse.
Meanwhile, Costano stepped through the entrance of a café. He scanned the inside and spotted Nino invoked in a phone call. His laptop was open in front of him.
Nino noticed Costano as he approached him. He said his goodbyes to the person at the other end of the phone and said he'd call them back later. When the call ended, he stood up and shook hands with Costano.
"Let's get started," he gestured at the seat across from him before he sat down. Costano sat, pulled out his things, and got straight to work.
