His Nanny Mate (Moana and Edrick Morgan) novel Chapter 97

Chapter 97: Treat You Better

Moana

I was so utterly, unbelievably stunned by Michael’s cruel ‘proposition’ and his rough mannerisms during our dance that I was frozen to my spot. Even as he walked away and disappeared into the crowd, I still felt as though my heart would beat straight out of my chest. I could already feel the vomit bubbling up in my throat from the fear, which was the only thing that got me moving.

I quickly ran to the bathroom, which was thankfully empty. Tears welled up in my eyes as I burst into one of the stalls and doubled over.

Nothing came up, thankfully. I gagged a bit, but that was it, so I took a deep breath and walked over to the sink to splash some cold water on my neck and try to calm down.

Surely, Michael’s threat meant nothing. Edrick would certainly handle this; I didn’t need to worry. I would tell him after the banquet so as not to ruin his fun, and for now I would just try to have some fun of my own and not think about what Michael said. I just needed some fresh air, and then everything would be better.

Taking another deep breath, I stepped out of the bathroom and followed the hallway until I came to a door that led out to the courtyard; the same one that I had danced in with Ethan at the first banquet. The air was hot, but there was a bit of a breeze. I made my way over to the fountain and sat down, letting the cool spray hit my back as I sat and tried not to cry.

“Everything okay?” a familiar voice said.

I lifted my head to see Ethan standing in front of me. He had his hands in his pockets and was looking down at me with a concerned look on his face.

“Everything’s fine,” I said, managing a weak smile — but as soon as I met Ethan’s soft gaze, I couldn’t hide it. My eyes started to fill with tears, and my face twisted into a grimace. I covered my face with my hands, not wanting to let Ethan see me cry. “I’m sorry,” I muttered into my hands. “It’s really nothing.”

Just then, I felt a pair of warm arms slide around me. I slowly looked up to see Ethan gazing at me with worry drawn across his face. “You can tell me,” he said gently, reaching up to tuck a strand of loose hair behind my ear. “It’s okay.”

I sighed, staring down at my lap and shook my head. “It’s just… Michael,” I whispered, biting my lip for a moment. “He— He tried to give me money to make me ‘go away’. And he called me a whore.”

Ethan’s face twisted into a scowl. I could feel his arms tense around me.

“That bastard,” he said, shaking his head. “Do you need me to talk to him?”

I shook my head vehemently. The last thing I wanted was for Ethan to confront Michael; it would only make things worse. Even Edrick would be upset that I confided something like this in Ethan. Edrick didn’t even know that I told Ethan about the pregnancy.

I didn’t know what to say. All I could do was stare back at Ethan and blink incredulously, my eyes wide. I thought that we agreed that we would just be friends, but… Clearly he didn’t seem to think that I was serious when I told him the first time.

Ethan stared at me for a few moments before suddenly turning and walking away without so much as a goodbye. I watched after him, watching as he disappeared in the direction of his studio.

I was alone again. More tears came, and I sat back down on the edge of the fountain. Now, more than ever, I felt alone in the world because I didn’t even have a friend I could trust. It seemed that men only ever wanted to use me, throughout my entire life. First, my boyfriend Sam only used me for emotional support before leaving me for a model and a fancy job at WereCorp; then, Edrick only had a one night stand with me and only saw me as the lowly human nanny, no matter how hard I tried; and now this… Not to mention Michael, trying to throw money at me to make me disappear. Was I really not worth anyone’s true love and affection?

I sat there for a while, not wanting to go back inside as I dabbed at my tears with a handkerchief. Part of me really began to wonder if I should have just taken Michael’s money and left; at least then, I could be free of all of this extra pain. With that money, maybe I could just raise my baby in peace. I could even start over fresh, in a new city, if I really wanted to.

But at the same time, I didn’t want to leave. I didn’t want to leave Ella behind, and I couldn’t deny the fact that I didn’t want to leave Edrick behind, either.

Suddenly, as I sat there staring into the fountain in deep contemplation, I heard the sound of heels approaching on stone. I looked up and my heart dropped.

Kelly was headed my way.