“Thank you, Doctor Parkes,” I say. Doctor Parkes is a middle-aged woman who Ruben had thoroughly vetted, impressed by her years of experience.

The contractions are coming quicker and harder by the time my legs are up in the stirrups. Ruben is by my side, holding my hand as Doctor Parkes does an internal. “Okay, so, you’re nearly ready.”

“What?” I ask with a high pitch. “How can that be possible? Contractions only started moments ago.”

“There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to deliveries, Mrs. Sacco. But you’re seven centimeters dilated and you’ll be pushing soon.”

“Seven? Already?” Ruben asks. Doctor Parkes smiles and nods. “It’s alright. You can do this.” He shrugs out of his jacket and rolls up his sleeves.

“Are you giving me the pep talk, or yourself?” I ask as I’m hit with a horrendous contraction. “What was that?”

“Welcome to child birth,” Doctor Parkes says.

It’s as if my body has decided to slam me with contractions. I bear through them for as long as I can until I can no longer control my own body. “Take my hand, Amorina. Squeeze it when you need.”

I swear if I could I’d get out of this bed and kill Ruben. “You did this to me, you bastard!”

Doctor Parkes is between my legs, smirking.

“I love you,” he says.

“You’re getting a vasectomy!”

“You’re doing so well,” he encourages.

“I hate you, you bastard. What the fuck is that?” I scream when my vagina feels like a hot knife is slashing through it.

“Baby is crowning. You’re nearly there,” Doctor Parkes says. “Ruben, do you want to come and watch?”

“If you leave me, I’m going to castrate you myself,” I yell at Ruben.

Ruben squeezes my hand tighter. “I’m not going anywhere, my love. I’ll stay right here.”

“Cut the ‘my love’ crap,” I growl through gritted teeth. A sudden urge overtakes my body. “I have to go to the toilet.”

“No, you don’t, this is happening right now.”

“No, I have to poop.”

“That’s the baby. You’ve got this, Eliza, the head is coming through.” Doctor Parkes is focused.

My body decides to do its own thing. I fall into total robot mode. I can feel everything happening, but the pushing and pain is automatic. “I can’t stop.”

“That’s it, that’s it. One more push and the head will be out,” Doctor Parkes encourages. “One more push, Eliza. You can do this.”

I grit my teeth, bear down, and push. “Oh my God,” Ruben says as he looks over my knees.

“Congratulations,” Doctor Parkes says.

Every single fear in the world floods through me. “Ruben?” I look to him for his reaction.

Ruben’s smile is massive. He leans over and kisses me. “My princess is perfect, just like her mother.”

My heart couldn’t be any more full of love as Doctor Parkes places our swaddled daughter in my arms. “I love you,” I say to the chubby, beautiful, little dark-haired girl.

“And I love you.” Ruben kisses my forehead, then leans down and kisses the top of his daughter’s head.

Never in a million years did I think I’d ever escape Adrian alive. But here I am, married to his uncle, the Don of the Sacco family.

Ruben Sacco is the man who loves me, and the man I will eternally love.

Source: www.seynovel.com