Nadia was still asleep beside him—it was their last day of their honeymoon. Nathan stared at his wife intently.
He still wasn't satisfied. He gently caressed her cheek, still in disbelief that she was now his wife.
"Hon?" She called out to him.
"Did I wake you?" he asked.
She slowly shook her head. "We need to get ready, right?" she asked.
He lay back down beside her. "We still have time, Nadia. You need more rest," he told her sweetly.
"I already slept; I'm good now," she replied.
"Do you want something to eat?" Nathan asked her.
"Yes, I'm hungry." She gave him a soft laugh.
He got up to get them something to eat. Meals were covered from breakfast to dinner anyway, and the only time they spent was when they decided to go out and explore.
Frank had chosen a beautiful place for them. If it weren't for his mother's request, he wouldn't have accepted it—but in the end, they weren't even able to enjoy it as much.
He sighed. They would be heading home soon and fixing what needed to be settled. For now, their plan was to temporarily stay with his parents. They had already discussed finding their own place soon, for just the two of them.
When he returned to the room, she was lying down again.
"Hon, what's wrong? Are you not feeling well?" he asked, concerned.
"My head hurts a little. Maybe it'll pass," she replied weakly.
He came closer, but she suddenly rushed to the bathroom to throw up. He followed her to help calm her down.
"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, visibly worried.
She gave him a smile. "This is normal," she said softly.
He furrowed his brows, taking in her symptoms—nausea in the morning, not feeling well lately...
"Hon, don't tell me..." He swallowed hard. "You're pregnant?" he blurted out.
She grinned wide and kissed him on the lips. "You're right. I'm almost two months pregnant," she confirmed.
He was stunned. Then he suddenly hugged her tightly. "You didn't tell me right away," he said.
She chuckled softly. "I wanted to surprise you, my dear husband," she said.
"I'm really happy." He embraced her even more.
"Me too. I'm happy I can give you a child, Nathan."
"I'll do my best to love and protect our little family."
She let out a soft laugh. "I don't want our child to grow up alone. I want a noisy house."
"You're something else. We really need to go home so you can rest properly," he said.
She simply nodded. "I will always love you, my dear," she whispered.
"I love you too—and our little one here in your tummy," he said as Nadia touched her belly.
He smiled lovingly at his wife.
***
When her brother returned home from their vacation, he immediately shared a big announcement with the family.
She was thrilled by the news he shared.
"Wow, a baby already?" She laughed softly. "Brother, are you in a rush to make me an aunt?" she teased.
Nadia just laughed at her teasing. For now, her brother and his wife would be staying at their house, as they were still preparing their new home where they could start their own little family.
"I know you'll be a good aunt to our baby," her brother told her.
She smiled. She knew that Nadia would need someone to accompany her for check-ups, and luckily, her parents warmly welcomed them. They were even happy that Nathan would be staying with them for a few months with his wife.
It wouldn't be as fun anymore once they moved out into their own place, she thought.
She sighed at the thought. Also, the waiting game for her board exam results was getting to her—nerves still haunted her every day.
So, she left it all up to the One above—whatever He had planned for her.
That morning, she was already in the faculty room. Her friend hadn't arrived yet, so she scrolled through her phone. She saw a lot of posts on her feed, but she just ignored them.
"Mariely!"
She was startled when someone called her name, so she turned to see who it was.
Her brows furrowed upon seeing Veron, who was laughing at her startled reaction.
"Too early for that, Veron," she said.
"Sorry! You looked too serious. Good morning!" Veron greeted.
"What's so good about this morning? You scared me," she said with a pout.
Veron put her arm around Mariely. "Come on, don't be mad. You'll get wrinkles early if you frown like that."
"You never change, Veron." Mariely shook her head. "Why were you late?" she asked.
"I woke up late. And I went home first," Veron replied.
She nodded. "Hey, I heard your brother's back home."
"You're such a gossip," she laughed.
"What?" Veron said, scooting closer.
"What—what?" she responded playfully.
"Tell me!" Veron urged her.
She just laughed. "There's good news," she said.
"No bad news?" Veron asked.
"None." She shook her head.
"I'm going to be an aunt!" she said proudly.
Veron gasped and looked at her. "Really?"
She nodded.
"How far along?"
"Two months, almost three," she answered.
"Gosh, they really didn't waste time, huh?" Veron joked.
"Dummy. It's exciting to have a baby in the family!" she replied.
"I know they're ready for this," Veron nodded.
"Of course. And they'll be staying at our house for a few months since Ate Nadia is pregnant and needs someone around."
"Well, that's good. I've heard having a baby isn't easy," Veron said.
Mariely nodded. "We'll find out if Ate Nadia has a sensitive pregnancy or not," she added.
"I'm happy for them," Veron said sincerely. "By the way, did Frank message you?"
Her brows instantly met, and she slowly shook her head. Hearing that name still made her heart react in a way she couldn't control.
"Why?" she asked.
"I have something I want you to read later," Veron replied, tapping her lightly.
She nodded. It was time for class to start anyway—it was their first period.