Chapter 4 The Fatal Mistake

|Aria’s POV| Days turned into an endless blur of grey since I had checked into the hotel. The plush surroundings of the Aria Resort felt more like a gilded cage than a sanctuary. I had chosen this place because of the homey feeling it had to it, hoping to drown my sorrows in comfort, but all it did was amplify my misery. The walls echoed my loneliness, and the silence was deafening. I had no one to turn to—not even my father, who had distanced himself further after my marriage crumbled. Not that he was accessible before, but it was worse. I lay on the bed, staring at the ceilings numbly, feeling like a ghost haunting my life. Each day got miserable and more miserable as I didn't know what to do anymore. I don't even know where to start from. There are many times I have contemplated throwing myself out of the windows. But one question I continuously ask myself is; ‘Was it worth it??’ Even if I died today, it doesn't mean that Ace Kings would love me or even be remorseful about what he did. Every day, it was a struggle to get out of bed and face the world outside these four walls. I spent hours wallowing in self-pity, replaying every moment leading up to my decision to leave Ace. ‘Does he even feel bad that I left??’ ‘Was that how much he hated me?’ ‘Not to even give a fuck about where I am, or how I was doing even though he knew that I had no one else but him.’ ‘Are all billionaires assholes? Or I just happened to be unfortunate and married the only asshole that exists among them?’ Every morning, I woke up with a tightness in my chest that refused to ease. I would sit on the edge of the bed, staring out at the bustling city below, feeling utterly disconnected from it all. My thoughts spiralled into dark corners where self-doubt thrived. ‘How could I have been so blind?’ ‘How could I have wasted three and a half years of my life trying to earn love from someone who never wanted me?’ The anguish felt like a heavy blanket smothering me, and I often found myself questioning my worth. I remembered how Ace had dismissed my efforts and how Gabriella had slithered her way into our lives, turning everything upside down. My mind replayed yesterday’s event that was displayed on the news; How Ace’s grin was wide while both of them posed for an engagement shoot. If I was to be honest with myself, I had never seen him that happy. His grey eyes twinkled with happiness while he gave a full-blown smile to the camera. The highest he had ever given me was that stupid smirk of his. My heart ached with betrayal, but more than that, it ached with loneliness. I had always been the one to care for others—my father after my mother’s death, Ace during our marriage—but now there was no one left to care for me. Friends had drifted away as life took us in different directions, and the only one who remained couldn’t understand the depth of my pain. As tears streamed down my face, I felt utterly alone in this vast world. Just when I thought I couldn’t sink any lower, my phone buzzed on the nightstand. My heart raced with anticipation as I grabbed it, hoping against hope that it was Ace reaching out to me—perhaps regretting his actions and wanting me back. But as I glanced at the screen, disappointment washed over me; it was just Penelope. “Hey! I’m outside your room!” her message read. I sighed deeply but felt a flicker of hope at her arrival. Penelope had always been a source of light in my life, someone who could pull me out of my darkest moments—even if just for a little while. When I opened the door, she stood there with her usual vibrant energy, though her eyes were clouded with concern because she knew how invested I was when it narrowed down to Ace Kings. “Aria! You look so good. Like you just won a lottery of 50 million dollars,” she said sarcastically but affectionately as she stepped inside. “Thanks for that,” I replied dryly. “I have always told you that Ace Kings is the sweetest man on earth. You can see how sweet he is right? Screwing his wife’s step-sister and getting engaged after two days of serving his wife premium breakfast on paper.” She grinned, but her face blazed with fury. Penelope wasted no time diving into what she wanted to say. “I talked to a nurse about what you’ve been feeling—your symptoms—and she suspects you might be pregnant.” The words hung in the air like a thunderclap. My heart raced—not from excitement but from disbelief. Pregnant? No way! It couldn’t be true. Doubt gnawed me as I took the pregnancy test to the bathroom to confirm her suspicions. A few minutes, the test came back; Two glaring deep lines. “I can’t be pregnant,” I managed to say, shaking my head in denial. “I have that medical condition… It should prevent anything like this from happening.” I was diagnosed with tubal blockage; a condition where the fallopian tubes become blocked. This can prevent sperm from reaching the egg, making it difficult to get pregnant. Penelope’s expression softened and she reached for my hand. “I know what you’re saying, but sometimes things happen that we don’t expect. Moreover, it is not as if the condition couldn’t be cured.” “Are you going to tell the asshole? Left to me, he doesn’t deserve to know.” She continued. Shock coursed through me like ice water. The thought of being pregnant was overwhelming; it felt like another layer of chaos piled on top of everything else in my life. My mind raced through all the implications—what would this mean for me? For Ace? For everything? “I need some air,” I said abruptly, pulling away from her grasp. Shaking my head, I stretched my hands forward to stop her. “I need to go alone, I will be back soon.” ‘Would anything change if I told him this? Would he reconsider and decide to take me back?’ I reasoned as the cold air in the hallway whipped my head to the side. The hotel was bustling with activity; laughter and chatter filled the air as guests moved about their business. But all that noise faded into white noise for me as I walked aimlessly through the corridors. As I wandered outside onto the street, the cool evening air hit me like a refreshing wave against my flushed skin. The bustling city of Los Angeles twinkled above me—a stark contrast to the darkness swirling within me. I needed clarity and space to think without distractions or expectations weighing down on me. But just as I began to feel a sense of calm wash over me, reality crashed back in—what if Penelope was right? What if there was a tiny life growing inside me? If it’s true, then I have found someone to hold on to, a flicker of hope in my dark abyss. The thought sent shivers down my spine as panic gripped me once more. Suddenly lost in thought and not paying attention to my surroundings, I stepped off the curb without looking both ways—a fatal mistake in this chaotic city. In an instant, everything changed. A blaring horn pierced through my haze just before impact—a car barreling toward me at full speed. Time seemed to slow as adrenaline surged through me; instinct kicked in as I tried to leap back onto the sidewalk. “Ahhhhh” I screamed as my life flashed before my eyes. But it was too late. Darkness enveloped me as pain exploded across my body.