C69 sixty nine

Cyrus glanced into the void before turning to look at me. I heard Tito Ram's smirk as if he had succeeded in teasing his nephew, who still held my hand tightly.

"Your other cousins are inside, playing Uno cards, right?" Tito Armando redirected.

Cyrus nodded. "We'll go there later, uncle, but Yoreh prefers to stay here in the garden for now because it's windy. My cousins might do some mischief,"

I glanced at Cyrus. He said it seriously, as if he knew his cousins very well. Of course, they're his cousins! I have cousins too, but I'm not close to them or haven't talked to them for long periods. Whenever we meet at reunions or gatherings, I feel too shy to approach them, unlike my sister, who's close to almost all our cousins. Well, my sister is chattier than me, so I'm not surprised.

Mom stood up. "I'll go back to the kitchen and help them with the food. You guys talk here. When it's ready, you'll all be called," she said.

She took a sip of water before turning back to us.

"Honey, make the juice tastier," Tito Armando added.

Mom shot him a look before turning away again.

"Tito Armando says you make bland juice," Tito Armando chuckled.

I laughed, me too!

"Tito Alf, you're in charge of the juice!" Tito Raphael ordered.

Tito Alf chuckled. "You're the husband, Armando, that's your job,"

Tito Armando sighed. "If I come back here with bruises, don't blame me,"

We all laughed at Tito's remark.

"Baby," Cyrus whispered in my ear.

"Why?" I asked, watching the elders chatting.

He leaned on my shoulder. "When you see my other male cousins, don't talk too much. They're womanizers, and they might flirt with you even though you're already my fiancée," he said softly.

I adjusted my sitting position to see his face clearly. He moved his face slightly away from mine. I looked him directly in the eyes, noticing the movement of his jaw and how quickly he averted his gaze. I tightened my grip on his hand, prompting him to look at me again.

I nodded. "Don't worry,"

He smiled. "But they're nice, it's just that they're always up to mischief. You can talk to them more when you've taken my last name."

I pouted. "Okay," I replied simply.

I leaned on his shoulder as we waited to be called. With each breath, I felt a sense of relief.

I looked up at the dark sky, the twinkling stars, and the bright moon. A strong breeze blew, causing me to hold onto his strong arm. He looked at me, a beautiful smile on his lips.

"Are you cold?" he asked.

"A little bit,"

He nodded. "Do you want to go inside for a while?"

I looked at him seriously, realizing he didn't want me to talk to his male cousins, so he didn't want us to go inside until the food was ready.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yeah, and I'll keep an eye on you so my other cousins won't come near you," he said affectionately.

I nodded.

"Dad and uncles, we'll be inside for a bit. Selene is feeling cold," Cyrus informed.

"Oh sure!" they replied.

Cyrus held me by the waist and lifted me gently. I smiled at the elders before we started walking.

I looked at Cyrus, who furrowed his eyebrows as we walked. His jaw moved again as he tightened his grip on me.

"What are you doing here?" Cyrus asked with a stern tone.

I slowly raised my gaze to the woman he was talking to. She was wearing a black dress, and her face looked innocent.

"Hi, My name is Yoreh Selene. I'm Cyrus's fiancée," I introduced myself before extending my hand.

Her eyes widened as she looked at my hand hanging in the air. I turned to Cyrus, whose face was turning pale as he looked at me.

"Hera, Cyrus's ex-girlfriend," she said and shook my hand.

I felt frozen by her words, confused as I turned to Cyrus. After years of being apart, it's not unlikely for him to have had other exes besides Akia and me. I thought she was another cousin because she's also pretty, but apparently not!

Cyrus was about to speak, but Hera beat him to it.

"I'm pregnant,"

Her words felt like a lightning bolt, causing me to step back slightly. It felt as if someone pushed me to step back from her... from them. It's like something sharp pierced my chest along with a lump in my throat. My vision started to blur because tears wanted to escape. My chest tightened again. I thought all this was over.

I turned away with tears streaming down my cheeks. I felt so stupid for not thinking about this! Why didn't I think this could happen?

Even though it's difficult, I slowly glanced back at them. They were conversing peacefully, but each glance at them felt like a slap in the face, reminding me that we're not in a fairytale with a happy ending because in reality, it's unlikely... unlikely to have a happy ending.

I averted my gaze from them, hearing my uncles calling me and Tito Armando as I passed their table while tears flowed. I walked away, unable to muster the courage to stop because what right do I have to stand here?

I hope... I hope you'll stop me... Even though I want him to stop me, there's a part of me that doesn't want him to because I don't want to ruin a family.

My trembling hand covered my mouth as I sobbed. My hair swayed with the wind, blocking my face.

It hurts to think that he already promised me, knelt in front of me, that we would build the family we wanted.

But why would he fulfill that promise with someone else?

Why would he kneel again to another woman?

Why is the pain back again?

What about us in this situation?

What about me again?

I thought nothing could hurt more than what happened before, but it's even more painful to think that you thought you were already there... that it could already be... but it's not.