When Two Winters Met (Henrietta and Yosef) novel Chapter 236

"The baby isn't even gone yet, and you're already rushing to get married?" Matteo fumed. "Once you're married, you have to sleep with him! How are you going to do that? You haven't even had that... restoration surgery. Forget the surgery, you need time to recover after an abortion! You think you can just stall and not sleep with him? Artina, what is going on in that head of yours? Were you that desperate? Couldn't you have waited until all of this was taken care of?"

Matteo was about to lose his mind. His words finally made Artina realize how rash she'd been. She had always been impulsive, never calm or level-headed in a crisis. She should have used Yosef's opposition as an excuse to put some distance between her and Jethro, keeping him on the hook while she dealt with her problems, and then reconciled with him later. The thought made her even more frustrated, and she lashed out. "Why didn't you say so earlier?!"

Matteo's anger boiled over. "You know what an impulsive idiot you are! Why didn't I say so earlier? Did you bother to tell me any of this? I was sick as a dog, and you went off and got married! What was I supposed to say? How could I have known?"

"I was afraid he'd get away!" Artina defended herself.

Matteo fought the urge to slap her. "I think you have a death wish! If that family finds out what you've been playing at, you won't even know what hit you! You... you're going to get me killed! In any case, if you're going to die, don't drag me down with you!"

Matteo was terrified.

His fear started to infect her. "Stop yelling! It's not that serious. He loves me. He won't suspect a thing. I have a plan."

Matteo stared at her. "What plan? Do you think they're all fools? And besides, you said he's being kicked out of his family to marry you. Why would you still marry him then?"

"The disownment is just them being stubborn," Artina said. "No matter what, he's still Jethro Nash."

Matteo didn't want to talk anymore. "Get out. Just get out of here. We're done."

At his words, Artina burst into tears, wailing that everything she had done was for Matteo. Her crying wore him down, and he forced himself to calm down. "Fine. What's your plan?"

Before Artina could answer, he continued, "You're already married to the guy. What excuse do you have to get time off for surgery? You've backed yourself into a corner! I'm telling you, you should leave tomorrow morning. Go abroad, don't come back. Or at least wait until you've sorted this out and have a plausible excuse!"

"No way!" Artina said. "If I just disappear, it'll make everything worse."

"Then were you an idiot to get the certificate in the first place?" Matteo shot back.

She grabbed her hair in frustration. "It's already done, what do you want me to do?! Stop yelling at me! I did all this for you!"

Matteo was losing it too. "So what do we do now?!"

Matteo's head was spinning.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Artina said, reaching for him.

Matteo pushed her away. "And what happens after you trick him? You think you're only going to sleep with him once? You're married!"

Artina frowned. "So, getting rid of it is the best option. I'll just say I got my period."

Matteo had to agree that it seemed like the best path forward. With a deep sigh of resignation, he nodded. "Fine. Go to the hospital tomorrow, get the pills, and just get this problem solved. Come on, I'll take you home."

Artina stared at him. "What do you mean?"

"You get a marriage certificate with another man in the morning, spend the night at my place, and then demand that I personally help you get rid of our baby. Does that... seem reasonable to you?" Matteo asked.

Artina gritted her teeth. "The hospital won't give me the pills! They said it's too early! What else am I supposed to do? If you don't help me with this, who will? This is the only way! The only way to solve this once and for all!"