Page 70 of Care: Part 1

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Care for Choices

Avelina woke up in Adrik's bed. The night sky was still peering through the large glass window. She glanced over at the clock to see it was slightly past four in the morning.

She removed Adrik's arm from around her waist before picking her head up from his chest. Avelina had to be extra careful not to wake him up.

Quietly, she threw back on her clothes before realizing that Adrik ripped apart her shirt. She had to open his drawer and grab a T-shirt before throwing it on her body.

A sigh moved past her lips when she looked over at Adrik. He was sleeping so peacefully—so beautifully. His hair was tossed over the pillow as his lips were slightly parted.

Avelina walked over to him. She palmed his cheek as a frown took over her face. Her body leaned down before capturing his lips with hers for a brief peck. When she pulled away, she went to grab the contract perched on the nightstand.

Her mind quizzed her every action. She didn't know if she should get back into bed with Adrik or go home to Brazil to live out everything she ever imagined for herself. Her heart was torn and there was no simple answer to put it back together.

When her eyes trailed back over to Adrik for the second time, she could feel her heart hesitating to grab the contract.

A tear fell from her eye. She grabbed the contact and walked out of Adrik’s room with the suitcase in hand. Avelina had to be careful not to make much noise because she didn't want to wake Adrik up. She knew that with one look into those gray eyes, she would weaken all over again.

She quickly ran down the stairs of the mansion and over to the door but immediately paused when she saw Sobaka. Her heart immediately dropped as she threw her hand over her mouth to keep herself from screaming.

The dog had a mischievous look on her face as it began to parade over to her dangerously. She tried to open the door, but it was locked. Avelina began to panic as the dog ran full speed right towards her. Her eyes shut as she braced herself for an attack.

After a few moments, she peeled back her eyelids lightly only to see the dog was sniffing her. Avelina's brows pulled together once the dog licked her leg before jumping onto her leg. She didn't know what to do. Her eyes just stared down at the thing in shock.

"Sobaka!" Anton called out from the kitchen.

Avelina's eyes widened as she looked over at him. He began to enter the room with a bowl of cereal in his hand.

Sobaka scattered towards him, happily waving her behind with each step she took. The moment Sobaka was in front of Anton, she began to jump up and down. It was an adorable sight to witness with her tongue out and hang off to the side of her mouth.

"You guys finally finished?" Anton questioned, laughing lightly.

Avelina could only look at him with a shocked expression. His eyes darted from her to the suitcase then back to her.

He looked confused. "You're leaving?"

She could feel the waterworks already making their presence. Her mind was finally processing everything that she was doing, and her heart seemed to collapse.

"Are you okay?"

Her shoulders began to shake with each sob that escaped her. She instantly felt so stupid for making such a fool of herself in front of Anton. It was his words that made it impossible for her not to cry.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. . . Everything," she said. "I'm sorry, I'm just emotional."

"It's fine," he murmured awkwardly.

Anton rubbed the back of his neck as if he wanted to speak but didn’t know what to say.

Avelina began to wipe away her tears before grabbing hold of the doorknob.

"He's been doing terrible since you left, you know. I can see that you've been taking it pretty bad as well," Anton spoke, completely halting her movements.

Her gaze remained on the door as the sound of his words forced her to stay right where she was.

"He hasn't slept since you left. He loves routine, and you were a part of that routine. In all the many years that I've known him, he's never gone days without eating. With you gone, I don't even think he's eaten at all. Adrik's angrier than normal, and he's constantly frustrated. The second he heard that you were back, you should've seen how happy that made him.”