𝟎𝟐 | 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 dreams

"Sometimes memories sneak out of my eyes and roll down my cheeks." —unknown

—Six months later—

IT WAS FOOLISH of her to believe in dreams. Dreams were only just that, dreams. It was something people created in their minds to have all of the pain and struggle miraculously make sense. She knew that now.

With her hope trembling away from her without a spare glance, she was left in a pit of darkness. She was left with the world and all of its empty promises. She was left tired of dreaming.

"Would you like to know the gender, Miss Santos?" Doctor Fitzgerald questioned. She anxiously shook her head back and forth. Her anguish pressed her lips together and warned her to not shed a single tear.

She felt like knowing the gender was something both parents should be present for. She hated herself for the way her body kicked and screamed for Adrik like a child throwing a tantrum. Avelina learned to console herself, cradling her body in her own arms, knowing that he wasn't there anymore. She had to pick herself up when she fell, kiss her own cheek when she cried, and be both the father and mother to her unborn child.

"Okay, that's fine. Well, if you don't have any questions for me, I will be seeing you at our next appointment. One of the nurses will be sure to set that up for you," he smiled tenderly. Just as the snap from snatching his gloves off had echoed through the room, Avelina cleared her throat.

"I actually do have a question," she let out with her voice barely hovering above a whisper. "The baby's father..."

Her mind trailed over to Adrik Zolotov, the man she should have never gotten involved with. He was the man who filled her heart only for it to explode in the process. Adrik was someone she never thought would hurt her, but he turned out to be the one who did the most damage. Even though it killed her, she missed his beautiful smile and the way his eyes shut as he played on the piano. She missed the way he held her because it was the only way he could show how much he loved her. She missed his hair with the way it danced on his shoulders like a princess flourishing in the night with her handsome prince. Adrik was supposed to be her hope, her dreams, her fairytale. He turned out to be her disappointment, her nightmare, and her horror story.

"The baby's father... he has Autism Spectrum Disorder," she informed her doctor before gulping down nothing but air. The doctor's brows rose as he studied her.

"Is he in the picture?" Dr. Fitzgerald asked. She shook her head in response, hoping he wouldn't press the matter.

He nodded his head in understanding. "Autism Spectrum Disorder, ASD, is genetic. Eighty percent of all children who come from a parent with ASD ultimately end up with it as well. Being alone and taking care of a child with Autism can be difficult, but of course, it is possible. You may want to begin planning and researching how to properly care for not only a child but one with autism. I will be here to answer all of your questions along the way."

"Thank you," Avelina said so quietly that she almost didn't even hear herself. The doctor gave her a tight-lipped smile just before exiting the room, leaving her all alone. She bit down on the inside of her cheek as she got up from the bed.

There were so many posters all around the room of babies being nurtured by two loving parents. As Avelina stared at the big smiles they wore so effortlessly on their faces, she rubbed her developing baby bump. She was already twenty-eight weeks along, and even though her bump was not as big as it should have been, Avelina could easily spot the difference.

The doctor once showed her a diagram of how big her baby could get with time. It was still so unbelievable that a human being was growing inside of her. Avelina only wished she could give her baby a happy life with two caring parents instead of one.

Letting out a sigh, Avelina fixed her clothing, wabbling out of the room.

She learned to keep her head down, only speaking when spoken to, and only answering questions as briefly as possible. Paranoia was a shadow in her every movement. She knew of the connections both Adrik and her brother had. They could skillfully search and discover her belly swelling by the second.

She realized it was best if no one knew about the baby other than Miss Paola. Her brother would probably hate her more than he already did, and the father would probably tell her to get rid of the unborn child. They would say the words that she truly didn't want to hear.

Avelina walked up to the receptionist, they merrily set up her appointment in three weeks.

When they finished after a promise to see each other seen, she threw her hoodie over her head and called a taxi. Almost immediately, she was in the yellow vehicle, clutching her bag to her chest, trying to cover up her belly. The more she grew, the harder it was to hide her pregnancy from prying eyes.

She was always fearful that whoever she spoke to were sent from either Vincent or Adrik.

Avelina hadn't spoken to Vincent since he went back to Brazil. He tried to get Avelina to join him, but she wouldn't go. She didn't prefer to going with Vincent, knowing that his enemy's baby was growing in her stomach. After a while of her not budging, he eventually left, making her swear to stay away from Adrik.

Little did he know, she didn't need much persuasion. She never wanted to go near Adrik again. She made a mistake in choosing him over her career, her dreams, and her family.

"Where to?" the taxi driver asked, her voice was soft and calming. It was so different from the raspy sound laced with a New York accent that Avelina usually heard from taxi-cab drivers. Avelina had to glance up at her to make sure her ears weren't playing tricks on herself.

"Uh, Royal Legacy Hotel, please," Avelina answered.

As Avelina was eyeing the woman's red hair, she accidentally caught her blue eyes through the rearview mirror. Immediately, Avelina looked elsewhere, pretending as if she hadn't been caught staring.

"You from around here?" the woman asked, turning to face the road ahead of her. Her eyes were furrowed and concentration beamed from them.

Avelina cleared her throat. "No, I'm not."

Keep it short, she reminded herself, no one can be trusted.

"I can tell. You seem so polite and quiet, which is very different from the people around here..." the woman spoke. Avelina nodded her head, gazing out of the window, studying the people as the taxi drove by.

"I'm not from around here either. I actually just got here and found this job, hoping I can make enough money to one day open a shop or something. I've been working for about a week. I'm not sure I like it much." The lady chuckled.

She sure did talk a lot. Avelina was once so open about herself, too, just like the woman in front of her. The lady reminded her a lot of herself back when she believed in fantasies. She worked as a caregiver, hoping that one day she would become something more. It was before she learned that no one was truly genuine. Everyone always wanted something and would use people like the bottom of a shoe to get it. She only wondered how long it would be before the taxi driver learned that lesson as well.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Avelina said.

"It's fine." The woman snorted. "You sure don't talk much. What's your name by the way?"

She contemplated telling someone her actual name or making something up. It wasn't frequent that she placed herself in circumstances where someone would even bother marveling about what her name was.

As she looked at the woman, she felt her shoulders sink into the cushion of the seat. The lady appeared humane, and not like the people who would get themselves pertained to the business Vincent and Adrik had.

"Avelina," she admitted, examining the woman's vacant reaction.

"Pretty name! I'm Lucia, nice to meet you!" she chirped, turning around to glimpse at Avelina. Her eye's abandonment of the road forced the car to swerve a bit.

Avelina clutched her chest. Her eyes were parted, and her mouth agape.

"Oops, sorry!" Lucia exclaimed, tossing her head back with laughter.

Avelina only chuckled nervously, pleased that the hotel wasn't too far from where they were. The tall building was only down the street. They would be at their destination in just a couple more minutes. The last thing she wanted was to spend another second in the car with the way Lucia drove.

Lucia began to go on and on about how rude people had been to her. She spoke of how little she made being a taxi-driver, and people were always cutting her short on tips. Avelina nodded her head every once in a while but remained silent. She already told too much of herself, Avelina didn't want to fall into the traps of anyone's friendliness.

The rest of the ride went by in a flash. Not soon after, Lucia parked the car right in front of Miss Paola's hotel.

Avelina quickly opened the door, and carefully got out of the vehicle. She kept her bag mashed against her belly like she always did, but it no longer worked. Her stomach jutted out, and even with a bag it was obvious.

Just before Avelina could close the door, Lucia's jaw dropped. "Oh, my goodness! You are pregnant! Congratulations! Boy or girl? How did I not even notice?"

"Thank you," she told her, handing Lucia a nice tip, completely ignoring her questions.

Lucia opened her mouth to say something else, but Avelina had already walked off. Even though there was nothing Avelina wanted more than to make a friend, she couldn't handle being used again.

—

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Guys, y'all are insane! The amount of response I have gotten after uploading this story is so crazy! I've seen tiktoks, Instagram posts, messages... I love you guys! Thank you! What the hell did I do to deserve all of this? When I say that you guys are the best people I know, I truly mean it.

On another note, I've decided to start writing shorter chapters so I can update more. I have two other works in progress; The Prodigy and The Burn of Lust. So, I have a lot of books to keep up with. Therefore, short chapters are going to have to be my new thing for a while merely because it's faster to write and faster to edit. I hope you guys don't mind.

I'll see you all next update, love you guys! Thank you for everything!

—A. Marie

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