35

Lia Hamilton

I could no longer get out of bed alone, or go more than ten minutes without going to the bathroom, every day there was an uncontrollable urge to eat strange things, such as the grass in our garden or my kittens' food. Crazy, I know. But I didn't eat. Lazzáro and Magdalena started to feed the cats and watch over me when I went to sunbathe in the garden or in the square.

I was eight months pregnant, it was a girl, Marie Alice. The happiness I felt couldn't fit in my chest, her father always showed me to be the best man in the world and at all times he only increased the love and admiration I had for him. The love of my life, the man I never thought I had and did and loved more than anything, him and our baby girl.

- Good morning my love. — my husband entered the room and threw himself on the bed next to me — You're beautiful. — he made a point of telling me that every day since I told him I was feeling fat.

The truth is that I didn't complain, I just told him how I was feeling and that maybe with the pregnancy I would gain a little more body. I also commented to him about small stretch marks that appeared on my breasts, which made him praise me even more and insist on adoring them every day too. Could I want a better man?

"Did I ever tell you that I love you and that I'm the luckiest woman in the world to have met you?" I whispered looking at him feeling my heart burning with love.

"I love you too!" You two... —he kissed my belly several times —Beautiful, wonderful.

My eyes filled with tears and I couldn't go a single day without crying during those eight months of my life. Whether it was for silliness or serious things like the time Lazzáro had to solve a problem with his company and couldn't answer the cell phone, making me think that something serious had happened.

- We will have breakfast. Magdalena prepared a feast, as usual. He smiled, kissing my hand.

- I'm starving! I exclaimed and smiled.

I felt that several things would happen that day, good or bad, I still couldn't tell. But inside me there was an inexplicable tightness, an anxiety. Which always scared me, because when I used to feel these things, they were never silly, something really happened.

- Are you well? Lazzaro asked me. He really knew me.

“I'm… I just have a weird feeling. — I was honest. Her face turned pale.

- As? In what sense? he asked worriedly.

"I don't know... It's something, I don't know... Forget about it, okay?" Let's distract ourselves with something and soon it will pass. — I couldn't say exactly what I was feeling.

"But now you've got me worried." Are you feeling bad? The baby...

"We're fine, love. I swear. I took her face in both hands and kissed her lips.

“If you feel anything out of the ordinary, just say so and we'll rush to the hospital. Promise?

- Promise. I smiled at him loving him more every second.

The two of us went down to the kitchen for breakfast. Magdalena was already waiting for us with a smile on her face.

- Good morning daughter. How is little Marie Alice?

“It's very nice and heavy. I think it's going to be a very fat baby. I joked sitting in the chair pulled by my husband. Mag smiled, her eyes sparkling.

She treated us like children and without a doubt, she would be a great grandmother for our princess. We all had breakfast together, Lazzáro was going to leave to sign some documents for the sale of one of his companies to reverse the money in shelters and food for abandoned animals.

A gesture that just made me love him a thousand times more, it was the best present I could have gotten for my birthday, but he insisted on giving me many more things that just didn't make me happier than his company and care .

- I need to go now. I won't take more than an hour, anything call me and I'll come right away. He said kissing me on the lips. — Bye daughter, daddy will be back soon. He kissed my belly ten times which made me emotional again.

“Why so perfect, God? I said smiling with tears of emotion wanting to roll.

“What I am with you isn't even close to what you deserve. I hugged him feeling a compulsive urge to tell him to stay.

"Go now before I don't let you out." I felt his arms hug me tenderly.

- Is crying? He lifted my face.

— No... — I said wanting to start a crying fit, but I held back with my chin trembling.

- Hey Hey. What it was? Lazzaro caressed my face and kissed my forehead.

— I don't know, I just want to cry. I think it's the end of pregnancy hormones. He smiled through his tears.

“Oh… come here. — we hugged for two minutes straight without letting go.

- You have to go. Marie Alice and I are hoping you'll be back soon. I said pressing our lips together.

- I'll be back. My love smiled.

“I'm going for a walk around the square with Mag. I'm going to take the opportunity to eat that vanilla ice cream that I've been craving since yesterday.

“Why didn't you tell me? I would have gone shopping...

— It was in the dream, now that I woke up I need to make it happen. We don't want a baby that looks like vanilla ice cream and potato chips, do we? I joked making him smile again. I loved seeing him smile.

— Be careful and don't forget the code for any suspicious act.

And at great cost he went to the company late. I took a shower, washed my hair, put on comfortable clothes and went down to find Magdalena who was already waiting for me. We left the house then, we walked together through the streets of the neighborhood until we reached the square, it was a very sunny day and it seemed calm... Until suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder.

I looked back and who I saw made me feel slightly dizzy, my whole body shivered in a bad way, my heart sped up and I started to panic. Hayden was looking at me with a hood over his head making a hush sign.

"Are you all right, Lia?" Magdalena asked me when I stopped walking.

At that moment Hayden turned his back so she wouldn't see him. But months ago we had agreed on a danger code, in case he tried to approach any of us with threats, we would find a way to communicate and someone would disguise and call the police who would always be around.

- Yes. I'm just tired of walking. You can walk, I'll catch up with you soon. Junior is getting heavier ! I gave her a serious expression.

I noticed her face lose a little color. She had understood. Junior was what we agreed to talk about in case we were in danger and couldn't scream for help, we feared exactly what was happening at that time, Hayden. Since our baby was a girl, the code went down really well.

"I'll wait for you on our stool." - he said and started to walk in quick steps.

The deal was for her to press a button on her cell phone and in less than five minutes someone from the police would show up and that's what I feared the most. In five minutes a lot of bad things could happen.

- What do you want?! I muttered in deep fear. I placed my hands on my stomach in an attempt to protect it from whatever it was.

- Money! If you don't write me a check now, I'll be forced to take you captive and demand a ransom. So just do what I'm asking because I can't hang around here. I'm leaving the country and as much as I don't believe it, I regret shooting you.

"Don't forget that Lazzaro got in front of me and nearly died." Your regret is worthless if you don't surrender to the police and agree to pay for your mistakes. I couldn't contain myself and burst out.

"Make the fucking check now!" He pulled away the sweatshirt he was wearing, showing me a knife.

"I can't do that now..." I said trying to get away from him. Around people passed as if nothing had happened.

“If you take one more step back, I'll—” His words were interrupted by two plainclothes police officers grabbing him, throwing him to the ground.

I felt so relieved that my legs gave out. My eyes grew dark from the recent stress until I couldn't stay awake, I felt Lazzáro's familiar arms holding me.

He said he would come running right away and he did.

- My love... Wake up... - I heard a whisper next to me minutes later. The voice of the love of my life calling me.

I opened my eyes and saw her beautiful face that brought me peace. I also immediately checked that my belly was in place and it was intact with my baby girl inside. I breathed relieved.

"Is she all right?" was the first thing I managed to say.

“Yes, it's okay. Are you well?

"I'm... Did you manage to arrest him?" - distressed, I asked.

— Yes, and he will never leave there again. Lazzaro said, holding my hand tightly.

Lying on that bed he hugged me lying next to me. For the first time in months I was one hundred percent calm, danger no longer surrounded us. I realized that I was the happiest woman in the world.

And with Lazzáro I learned that true love is wanting the happiness of the other, even if that means we suffer, deprive ourselves of living with the one we love, just as he did with me in the beginning. But that loving is also fighting for the person you love until the end, as I did for him.

In the end it was all worth it, every tear, every pain, every suffering. We don't regret anything, because our love story resulted in the most beautiful gem in the entire universe. Marie Alice, the fruit of our love. The most beautiful love in the world.

Lazzaro Bartholomeu

I kissed Lia's sweet lips and smiled when I pulled away, touching our foreheads, she returned a pure smile of immense joy. There, hugging the two people I love most in the world, I realized that all the suffering and affliction I went through lost its strength in the face of the happiness of the moment I held my daughter in my arms. If there is greater love, tell me. I do not know. The feeling was so strong that I thought I was going to explode, I was ecstatic.

I could no longer remember the suffering when I received the news that I was going to die, the anxious nights I spent without being able to have Lia by my side, the times I made love to her and then made her suffer by telling her not to love me. All that disappeared from within me, I just wanted to be loaded with good things and I was full of them. My whole world was in my arms, Lia and Marie Alice.

I snuggled the two knowing that I would be able to face it all again and even worse if in the end I was sure I had them. Tears of joy rolled down my wife's cheeks, I never wanted to see her cry over something that wasn't good again, I promised myself.

Together we discover that two broken hearts can indeed rebuild together. I now live happily because I am certain that I will always have them in my life, that Lia Hamilton will never let go of my hand, just as I will never let her go. I love her, I love everything about her, and I love our extension, our perfect little girl even more.

Four years later...

We moved to a smaller house, more of a family, with a giant backyard and leisure area. We could now live in peace, without the fear of being attacked or that someone would harm us. Marjorie saw to it that Joyce, Hayden, Nadia and everyone involved as doctors and nurses, paid for everything in prison with no chance of appealing the court's decision.

And finally, together, happy and living happily, me, my wife, Marie Alice our daughter, Magdalena who became our mother and their pets, the three kittens that have been part of our story since the first time. A family that only thought about growing because inside Lia's belly another baby was growing, another girl and then I was sure that love could indeed be greater, that the heart could withstand more portions of joy.

I'm the happiest man in the world.

END