Loretta’s Meltdown

Ariel's POV When Loretta goes into our kitchen, I look up and see dark circles under her eyes. I look at her in bewilderment. Is she carrying my child? She was certain that we wouldn't have children for at least a few years, so how did this happen? When did this occur? We spent the weeks leading up to our wedding arguing. I don't even remember the last time I slept with her. It could only have been the one time I got drunk just after Arielle was in my lap. I awoke to Loretta in my bed, when I wanted Arielle. Loretta takes a seat at the breakfast bar, and the smile on her face bothers me. There's a smugness to it as if she believes she's won a game. It would not surprise me if she feels exactly that way. All she does is mess with people's lives. "Where is Arielle?" I grit my teeth. I don't like hearing my wife say her name. It triggers every protective instinct in me and makes me feel helpless. I'd destroy her if I could, but she's grown even more untouchable to me lately. She is not just my wife's sister, but she also claims to be my child's mother. "She is at work. She scarcely slept and left early in the morning." Loretta nods. "It must be difficult for her to know that we are having a baby together. I can assume she is regretting her marriage to you even more now." My heart clenches painfully as fear nips at me. When I spoke with her, we appeared to be on the same page, but for how long? It took everything she had to end her relationship with Loretta, and now this. Arielle is heartbroken just being around Loretta. How will this pregnancy affect her? I've never experienced such much hatred and hopelessness. No amount of power or money can protect us from the pain that lies ahead. Can I stomach seeing my wife cry herself to sleep whenever Loretta hurts her feelings? What if she turns our child against Arielle, too? It would shatter her heart repeatedly for years. "Are we?" I enquire. "Are we having a baby together?" "Is the child mine?" I sigh as hurt shoots through her gaze. I can't tell what's real about her. I'm not sure if she's acting, but I wouldn't put it past her. Tears well up in her eyes, and she rests one hand on her stomach. "Of course, Ariel ." "How could you...?" she glances aside, a tear rolling down her cheek. "Has Arielle honestly made you despise me? How did she do that? How did she dismantle a years-long love in just a few months?" I ball my fist, resisting the temptation to snap at her. "She hasn't," I answered calmly. "No one can make another person stop loving someone, Loretta. She did not take me away from you. You and I were finished long before you decided to walk away. Our relationship was based on obligation. "And what you have with her isn't?" I glance away and shake my head. "No. It's different for her. I had no intention of making things work with her. If anything, I wanted to offer her as much freedom as she could have desired. I had no expectations for Arielle, yet with time, I found myself wanting more and more of her." I stare into her eyes and take a long breath. "I believe you and I both understand that what I have with her has taken years to develop. I just hadn't realised it." Her eyes flicker with genuine pain, and she flinches. "Is this really what it'll be like, Ariel ?" Is our child going to grow up with parents who can't even hold a conversation without resentment?" I glance aside, unable to envision a future for the four of us. I take a big breath and push a stack of papers towards her. "If you and I are having a child together, we'll need to come to an agreement about how we're raising it." She takes up the documents, her eyes widening. "You want to adopt the baby?" I nod. "Let's get real, Loretta. You cannot raise a child, but I can. Arielle and I can. I want complete custody, and you will have full visitation rights. You will be allowed to keep shooting and working. Your life will be completely unaffected, and our child will be reared in a loving family. He or she will not be lacking in anything. Loretta swipes the papers off the counter, sending them hurtling to the floor. "I will never give up on my child," she declared , her voice breaking. "How could you ask something like that of me?" "I am not asking you to give up the baby, Loretta. You'd be free to see our child whenever you wished. Surely this is also in your best interests? You've always prioritised your profession over all else. This will allow you to spend time with your child without the commitments that come with parenthood." She shook her head. "Do you think I am foolish, Ariel ? Do you honestly believe I'll let you steal my child? I sign away my rights, and the next thing I know, I'm shut off from your life. I will not let that happen. Was that Arielle's idea? Isn't it sufficient for her to be a home wrecker? Isn't it enough that she's making this child grow up in a broken home?" "Watch your mouth," I snap. "I'm so sick of you putting words in her mouth and condemning her for things she didn't do. You walked away, Loretta. This is the end of the story. Arielle is my wife, and God help me, you will respect her. Do not try this fucking thing with me. She might let you get away with this garbage, but I will not. If you're going to be a part of our life, you'd best know your fucking position." She raises her hands and claps slowly, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Well done," she says to me. "You've developed into such a good whipped little dog. What the hell did she do to you? Do you honestly believe I'm not aware that these aren't your words? I've been with you for years, Ariel and you've never talked to me in that manner, no matter how heated our disagreements became. But now, with Arielle around, you're acting completely different, and I'm meant to believe it's not because of her? Is this how our child will grow up, Ariel ? With a father who disrespects his mother because their slut of a stepmother instructed him to? What else are you going to do to our child and me just because she says so?" I smile at her without humour. "You didn't know me at all, Loretta. You're wondering why I fell so hard for her so quickly? It's because I never loved you in the beginning. You were an obligation, someone I endured and placated because I had no other options. I never lost patience with you since I didn't care about you. She rushes out of her seat and approaches me. "Is that what helps you sleep at night?" she enquires, pushing her finger into my chest. "Are you going to stand here and turn what we shared into a meaningless obligation? Is that what our child means to you, too?" She puts a hand on her stomach and sniffs. "Does no part of you want to raise this child beside me? Don't you want the best for your child? Are you so blinded by Arielle that you don't realise how much you're hurting me? How much will your actions harm our baby? She will never adore our child as much as I will. How could she possibly accept and adore a child who is not her own and reminds her of your past with me?" I run my fingers through my hair, at a loss. This is not how I imagined this conversation going. I should not have lost tolerance with her. If I had acted as I always did with her, I could have persuaded her to sign. "Ariel ," she replies, blinking quickly. "I… I don't feel well." Her brows furrow, and her body sways. I grab her and draw her into me just as she collapses, her body floppy in my arms. "Fuck! "Get me a doctor.