Page 46 of Lost Summer
Elena nodded slowly, a strange look crossing her face, something between sadness and pity. “You’ll come to your senses,” she replied softly. Then she turned and headed for the door without saying another word.
The door clicked shut behind her, leaving an oppressive silence in the flat. I turned to Adele, unsure of what to say.
She stood there, arms wrapped around herself, looking small for the first time since I’d returned to her life. The warm candlelight bathed her face in a soft glow, but there was tension in her eyes—a sadness that cut straight through me.
“A boy,” she whispered, more to herself than to me.
I moved toward her, touching her arm lightly. “Adele, this doesn’t change anything.”
“I know,” she responded softly. But her eyes were far away.
This was always going to be hard. But now we had a new layer, a new life to navigate. And I wasn’t sure how the hell we were going to make it through.
But for her, for us—I had to try.
23
ADELE
The silence in my flat was deafening after Elena left. It hung heavy in the air, thick with unspoken words and simmering tension. I wrapped my arms tighter around myself, the chill from the window seeping into my bones despite the warmth of the afternoon sun streaming through the glass.
Ted turned to me, his eyes searching mine with concern and something else I couldn’t quite decipher. He reached out, his hand hovering just above my arm before pulling back as if unsure whether he could touch me. The gesture spoke volumes.
“Adele, this doesn’t change anything,” he said.
“I know.” My voice was barely a whisper, the words catching in my throat.
A boy.
Ted is going to be a father.
The thought echoed in my mind, causing a constant, dull ache in my chest.
What was she, sixteen weeks pregnant?
My head swam, and I rubbed my chest as though it would ease the deep ache.
He stepped closer, his hand finally finding its way to my arm, his touch gentle but firm. “We talked about this. Yes, I will be a father, but that doesn’t change how I feel about you.”
I nodded, trying to absorb his words, willing myself to believe them. But a deep, unsettling feeling gnawed at me, a cold knot of unease tightening in my stomach.
“I know,” I managed to say, forcing a weak smile. “It’s just…a lot to take in.”
The following days passed in a haze. I went to work, put on a brave face for my colleagues, and pretended to be excited about the exclusive interview I’d landed with Edward Hart—the man who was now going to be a father with another woman. The irony was a bitter pill to swallow.
Every phone call and text from Ted felt tainted, laced with the unspoken presence of Elena and her growing belly. I found myself analysing every word, searching for signs of doubt or a change of heart. Was he truly happy with me, or was he just trying to make the best of a complicated situation?
The question gnawed at me, a constant doubt threatening to unravel everything. I tried to push it away, to focus on the good moments—the stolen kisses, the whispered promises, the way his hand fit perfectly in mine. But the reality of his impending fatherhood loomed over us like a dark cloud, casting a shadow over even the brightest moments.
Orion tried to be supportive, offering encouragement and copious amounts of wine. But even her infectious optimism couldn’t penetrate the wall of anxiety I’d built around myself.
“Look, Dell,” she said one evening, her voice softening as she reached across the table to squeeze my hand. “I know it’s shit, but you have to trust Ted. He loves you, and you love him. That’s all that matters, right?”
I wanted to believe her. I did. But with a baby in the picture, a baby that would forever tie Ted to Elena, a baby that I wouldnever be able to fully embrace as my own… The thought was a sharp, stabbing pain, a wound that refused to heal.
I took a long sip of my wine, the bitter liquid doing little to numb the ache in my heart.
“I just don’t know how we’re supposed to do this,” I confessed, my voice thick with emotion. “How we’re supposed to navigate this…this mess.”
