A LITTLE BIT OF GUILT

NICO'S POV 

I took a deep breath, bracing myself to tell Gabriella the insane news about Aris being pregnant. This was not going to go over well, not at all.

"Babe, we need to talk," I said heavily as Gabriella lounged on the sofa, sipping a glass of wine. "It's about my...situation with Aris."

She immediately tensed up, nostrils flaring. "What about that little tramp now? Don't tell me she's trying to cause more trouble."

"She's pregnant," I stated bluntly. "With my child, from that drunken night in Vegas when we got stupidly married."

For a long moment, Gabriella simply stared at me, her face draining of color. Then her eyes blazed with rage.

"You can't be serious!" she snarled, leaping up from the couch to begin pacing furiously. "Pregnant? With your baby?? How could you let this happen, Nico?"

I held up my hands in a placating gesture. "Believe me, it was never my intention. I didn't exactly plan for a crazy night of partying to end up like this."

"But of course the little whore would get herself knocked up!" Gabriella ranted, breathing hard. "She's obviously trying to trap you into being with her permanently with that stupid thing inside her womb !" 

"That's not how it is at all," I countered, feeling my own irritation rise at her jumping to conclusions as usual. "Aris didn't choose to get pregnant, it just...happened, thanks to our mutual mistake."

And you don't need to insult an innocent child " I said trying to calm myself.

Gabriella whirled on me, eyes wild and accusing. "And how can you be so sure the child is even yours, huh? For all you know she could have gotten pregnant by someone else and now she's lying to you!"

And you you're just so stupid for sleeping with someone else. You should be ashamed and of yourself.

That was it I was done with her irrational jealousy and baseless allegations. Anger surged through me as I took a step closer, glaring right back at her.

"You know, you're the last person who should be questioning anyone's faithfulness," I said in a low, dangerous voice. "Not when you've been sneaking around behind my back with my own personal assistant, and a guy I couldn't get his name."

Gabriella's mouth dropped open in shock as the blood drained from her face again. "W-What?? I haven't...how could you..."

"Don't bother lying," I cut her off coldly. "I have proof of your little affair, screenshots of texts, the works. So unless you want me to air all your dirty secret too, I suggest you back off with being judgmental ."

Stunned silence fell between us, thick with tension. I could practically see the gears turning in Gabriella's mind as she realized I wasn't bluffing this time. I had undeniable evidence of her cheating on me but I choose to let it go thinking she would change .

Just then, a small sound from the hallway made me turn. There was Aris, rooted in place with a stricken look on her face. Realization washed over me that she must have overheard the whole argument between Gabriella and me.

"You..." I started, utterly at a loss in that moment. How much had she actually heard? And what would she think after witnessing the ugly confrontation?

Aris held up a hand, shaking her head slowly, eyes glistening with unshed tears. Then without a word, she turned on her heel and disappeared back down the hallway.

I froze, feeling strangely gutted by the wounded look in her eyes right before she left. Even though Aris and I were still virtual strangers bound by an insane contract, her overhearing the fight made me feel almost...ashamed. Like I had let my toxic personal drama spill over and impact her more than it should have.

The sound of Gabriella's bitter, choked laughter made me whip my head back around to face her once more.

"Well wasn't that just the perfect ending to our little lovers' quarrel?" she sneered, straightening her mussed hair with shaky hands. "Your new pregnant wifey overheard all about what a lying, cheating scumbag her temporary husband really is."

With that parting shot, Gabriella grabbed her purse and stormed towards the door, leaving me standing alone in the wake of the disastrous confrontation. I briefly closed my eyes, suddenly feeling utterly drained and empty inside.

This entire sham marriage situation , that had started as a reckless mistake to avoid legal consequences , had now completely blown up in my face in ways I never could have predicted. Not only was I unexpectedly going to be a father with a woman who was practically a stranger, but now Aris had a window into the ugly dysfunctions lying underneath my personal life too.

I slumped down onto the couch, scrubbing a hand down my face as I pictured the haunted look in Aris' eyes once more. Just when I thought my life couldn't get any more complicated from one drunken night in Vegas...yet again, I found myself treading into entirely new planes of chaos and consequence.

How was I supposed to handle sharing a home , sharing a life, raising a child , with someone like Aris now that she'd witnessed my relationship demons up close too? Our arrangement had gone from mere legal obligation and inconvenience to something more emotionally fraught.

As much as I tried to keep things strictly separated and transactional, I couldn't deny there was an undeniable human element emerging that wasn't so easy to ignore or control. Which meant from here on out, maintaining a distance and sticking to business as usual with Aris would likely prove much trickier than I had naively anticipated.

I did not want it, but the difficult situation between us had become much more complicated. The desire to end all connections and leave had quickly become impossible, now that we were permanently linked by this important secret we shared. 

In my heart, I knew our weird, surprising journey ahead together had only started to get rough and unsteady. As I sat there alone in the empty quiet of the large apartment, I prepared myself for the many unexpected problems still to come.

I sat on the couch for a while longer, letting the dust settle after that explosive fight with Gabriella. My mind was reeling from the personal revelations and ugly accusations that had been flung around. 

Part of me felt a strange sense of relief that Gabriella had finally stormed out, putting an end to her petty jealousy and paranoia for now. But the other part couldn't shake the hollow, unsettled feeling over how badly things had deteriorated between us lately. If I was being fully honest with myself, our relationship had become pretty toxic.

This made me wonder if allowing Aris to overhear the big argument was my hidden way of asking for help? A strange method of showing her the unhealthy situation I was stuck in, beyond the perfect appearance? 

I mocked my own analysis of myself. Pull it together, Nico. You don't need to make this complicated arrangement with Aris any stranger or more tense than it already is.

Determined to handle this latest problem as practically as possible, I got up from the couch and walked down the hallway, going towards Aris' guest room. I could hear faint noises from behind the door - she was still awake and moving around inside.

Taking a deep breath to prepare myself, I knocked on the wooden door. "Aris? It's me. We should...discuss what you may have heard earlier."

A pause, then the door opened a few inches, Aris looking out cautiously with eyes that were red from crying. It was clear she had been crying, likely because of the difficult truths she had accidentally been exposed to. I felt another feeling of guilt.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop," she said in a small voice, hugging her robe tighter around herself. "I just heard shouting and came to see if...well, if everything was okay."

"Clearly it was not," I stated dryly, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Gabriella and I...we have a lot of unresolved issues. Made worse by this entire crazy situation between us now."

Aris nodded slowly, worrying her bottom lip. "She said some pretty horrible things about the pregnancy. And about you...you know..." Her voice trailed off delicately.

"Being unfaithful myself, you mean," I finished for her bluntly. "Yes, well, we both have our secrets and indiscretions, it would seem." I held her gaze steadily, letting my words hang there.

To Aris's credit, she did not react with shock or judgement. She simply looked into my eyes for a long moment before giving a tiny shrug.

"I figured there was probably a lot I did not know, either way," she said finally. "We are still just strangers who got ourselves into a crazy situation, after all."

"Strangers bound by a legal contract now, don't forget," I countered, keeping my tone wry rather than accusatory. Which is why I wanted to make clear , despite whatever personal problems exist between Gabriella and me, it won't affect our deal or the way I handle my duties, personally and with money, regarding..." I stopped, suddenly feeling uncomfortable.

"Regarding the baby," Aris said softly, her hand moving to her belly that was still flat without thinking. "Our baby."

I gave an awkward nod of agreement, feeling very uncomfortable. "Exactly. This...surprising situation simply means I'll need to take extra steps to protect your privacy and keep you safe away from any unhealthy influences."

"So I'm supposed to just hide away in here like a loner for the next nine months?" Aris asked, raising an eyebrow doubtfully. 

"Of course not," I said, giving her a similar look back. "But for now, staying out of sight and keeping our...living arrangement a secret is a good idea. At least until I can get my personal situations in order, separate from this arranged circumstance."

Aris seemed to consider my rationale for a moment before giving a slow nod of acceptance. "Okay, if that's what you think is best going forward...I'll trust your judgment on this, Nico."

"Thank you," I said roughly, feeling an odd feeling of relief at her willingness to cooperate instead of arguing. "I know this is all still a challenging situation for both of us, but I appreciate your willingness to let me deal with things."

She gave a small, pained smile. "What other choice do I really have at this point? I'm just going along for the highly unpredictable journey you invited me on that night in Vegas."

I couldn't help but laugh a surprised laugh at her honest remark. She made it sound so simple, so clear cut - when my life had become anything but since agreeing to this crazy contract marriage.

"Fair point, Aris. Fair point." 

As I went back down the hallway to my bedroom, I felt the confused thoughts and feelings in my head and chest loosen a little bit.

Maybe there was a way to get through this difficult path ahead, even with the added complication of Aris' pregnancy now. She seemed open to letting me lead and keeping things private for now, which would give me time to deal with the Gabriella situation.

And from there...well, maybe the unclear way forward would start becoming clearer eventually. For both our sakes, I hoped that was the case.

I was going to have to find a way to end ties from the unhealthy dramas and start rebuilding a healthier foundation for myself, and now for the child I was unexpectedly going to bring into the world too. 

No more reckless mistakes, no more letting things spiral out of control so badly. It was time to persistently take control of my choices and circumstances again.

My life was about to be permanently connected with Aris' whether I wanted it or not. Which meant any immature indiscretions or self-destructive habits were officially a luxury I could no longer afford if I wanted to make this unexpected situation work.

Feeling a new sense of determination, I knew what I had to do next. The first step was simple , end all unhealthy ties once and for all, by any means necessary. From there, surely the ripple effects would start falling into place obediently.

...Right?