Chapter 157 - A Tiny Life

It's been a long time since Persephone had visited Valencia. Well, after the wedding she hadn't gone anywhere at all. There was uncertainty back in her heart and fear that raised its ugly head whenever she stepped out of this house.

So she didn't go to Valencia's clinic alone. She took Romeo, the pretty and serious-looking boy with him as Emmanuel, the goofy child was busy with Santiago. 

"How are you doing?" Valencia asked her patent-slash-friend. She was surprised that she and Persephone hadn't talked to each other for a long time. She was so busy with her own stuff that she didn't get time to give her a call even when little Santiago was begging her to invite Persephone to their home. 

Earlier, Persephone used to call her frequently to talk to her son. Or sometimes, she would send her crazy questions asking if she should do this or not! All she could say was that the girl was obsessed with Google. 

Sometimes she wondered if googling random stuff was her attempt to escape from stressed life. People do all kinds of weird stuff as escapism. And she wouldn't be surprised to find Persephone using google as her escapism. 

Just like every time, Valencia was asked by Salvatore to keep her schedule empty today as Persephone would be visiting her for her appointment. Last time, Persephone had fainted and she visited Marino's house to see her. 

At this time, Persephone was lying on the stretcher inside her clinic while Romeo was waiting for her in the opposite restaurant as he was informed that she would be taking her time and he could relax until then. 

"Fine, I guess," Persephone replied in a very tired manner. She wasn't able to sleep last night and so she was feeling drowsy right now. "I don't feel very nauseous these days. That's a good thing. But I experience sudden cramps sometimes. And I googled last night when I suddenly started feeling cramps once again. I found that cramps could be very dangerous. I can lose…" 

Valencia raised her head, asking her to stop talking. She couldn't understand why patients would rather google than call the doctor? 

She sighed out. "How many times have I told you not to google your symptoms? You can just call me or text me. Isn't that why you are paying me for it? And Google might say next time that you have cancer if you lose a few strands of your hair."

It wasn't only Persephone who would take unnecessary stress after googling their symptoms. She had seen many women doing so. It wasn't a healthy habit at all. 

Persephone pursed her lips in a straight line. "I really thought it was bad." 

She knew that she was hopeless. But she couldn't stop herself from worrying. Perhaps, it was what being a mom means, worrying all the time about the wellbeing of their babies. When cramps started in the middle of the night, she was really afraid. She thought she was going to lose her baby. 

She thought of calling Santiago because she was alone and scared. But remembering how he didn't bother to come home, she stopped herself from calling him. 

"How careless of you!" Valencia softly chided. "I told you not to stress. Didn't I? Stress is bad for you and the baby. " 

She could imagine Persephone's reaction after googling her symptoms. She must have worried too much for no reason. 

"I know," Persephone said in a weak voice. "Next time, I will just ask you." 

"Good," Valencia said, deciding not to scold her anymore.

Today, Persephone was going to see her baby and she was a little excited about it. Last time, it was just a tiny dot. 

"Here," Valencia pointed at the screen and an ultrasound image of her baby was seen. "Look at your baby." 

Most women would be in awe of their baby's ultrasound pictures, but Persephone won't be Persephone if she did something like that. Her reaction was quite different from what Valencia had imagined. 

She crinkled her nose as if she didn't like what she was seeing. "Val, why did my baby look ugly? And are you sure this is my baby?" Persephone asked, suddenly clutching her stomach. Her doctor had to blink her eyes at her to check if she wasn't just imagining things. She scratched her nose and added," "This is so tiny." Her tone was a bit patronizing. "No wonder my tummy is still stuck to my bones!" 

Just when Valencia thought that she was used to Persephone's peculiarity, the latter would throw another bomb on her. No matter how much she stayed with her, she would never be able to decipher Persephone's level of peculiarity. 

This girl was one of a kind! No one could beat her in this! 

But like a good doctor that she was, she started explaining to her peculiar patient. "Your stomach is not protruding yet because it's your first pregnancy and you are only fourteen weeks pregnant. Some pregnancies take almost 12-16 weeks to show initial signs of baby bumps. Trust me, you are fine. You only need to have a good diet and maintain your mental and emotional health." 

Persephone could feel a slight bump but it wasn't very obvious. Moreover, it looked as if she had just eaten a little too much rather than a baby bump. 

No one could say that she was around fourteen weeks pregnant just by looking at her. Her small and thin frame could be a reason for this. 

Persephone didn't reply to her, she just continued looking at the ultrasound image, worrying about the baby's look. She knew that she was behaving quite childish but she was so excited to see her baby but look what did she see in the end! She couldn't even clearly see her baby! 

"Okay, when will I know the gender of my baby?" Persephone asked her after a while. 

"In your next ultrasound, you might be able to find your baby's gender if he/she is willing to let you know," Valencia informed her. 

Looking at her expressions now, one could say that she was looking forward to the next ultrasound. 

... 

"Are you not going to come to my house?" Valencia asked her. Usually, Persephone would spend the entire day lazing around at her house whenever she comes to see her. She would make demands of what she would like to eat that day. 

Cameron, being her buddy, would specially cook for her if he would be home that day. 

Persephone shook her head. "I don't think that is a good idea." 

She was now a married woman. She didn't want to involve Valencia and her perfect little family anymore. It was different before. 

Valencia blinked her eyes. She was not able to grasp the sudden change in Persephone's character. She couldn't help but ask, "Why do you look different to me?"

"Different? Do I finally look like a pregnant woman?" Persephone asked hopefully. 

"No, you look…"Valencia paused, looking for the right word. " Umm...low key stressed?" 

Was it even a real word? But who cares! 

"You know that you can share your problem with me?" Valencia said to her. 

Persephone sighed out, "I got married!"

"You got what?!!" She was kidding right? Did she not say earlier that she won't marry Nico before the arrival of her baby?! Then, what's with this sudden surprise now? 

"I got married," Persephone said again, clearing all her doubts. 

"Weren't you and Nico going to wait?" Valencia asked her. She didn't wait for an answer. She sound so impatient for answers that she fired question after question. "And why is he not with you? I mean I don't want to be nosy but he seems like a nice guy. He is considerate and very caring towards you. I can't imagine him not being here with you now that you need him the most."

"Val?" Persephone called out her name softly. 

"Hmm?" Valencia said, expecting answers. 

"I'm not carrying Nico's baby, " She received the reply. Now, she fell into an uncomfortable silence. "To be honest, I guessed so. So, tell me how did you end up marrying Nico then? I mean, wasn't it too soon as you earlier said?"

"I didn't get married to him either," Persephone said, shocking the poor woman. 

"What the fuck?" It was so rare seeing Valencia curse. She was looking as if the Sahara desert had received snowfall. It was a strange and bizarre illustration but what she was feeling at this time was something just like this. 

Persephone got married to someone else other than Nico, the man who she was always supposed to get married to. It wasn't only Valencia who found it astounding but almost everyone did too. 

.....

This novel is a contracted work with W e b n o v e l. c o m (remove spaces). If you're not reading 'The Villain ' on W e b n o v e l, it has been stolen.. It's very heartbreaking to see pirates profiting from my hard work. Please support the original author,(tanu_sam