章節 30: Confession

Ririna helped him clean the gash of a wound in his right leg. He told her he got it when one of his men failed to make a move to his left when they were ambushed during their inspection at the church's underground laboratory. She silently listened to his story. This was the first time they were talking casually.

"Take care of yourself next time. You know I can't help you anymore," she replied after his long babbling and complaining about his men.

Eli, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, slightly touched her cheeks with his fingers. She was kneeling in front of him, applying an ointment to his injury. She's so beautiful, and she's all his. Now that they had talked about their relationship, he wondered if he should start finding a ring for her.

He wouldn't be content and satisfied just being her boyfriend. He would put a f*cking ring on that finger to tell the world that she was his. He couldn't wait to wake up in the morning to see her beautiful face beside him. He couldn't wait to come home from work to see her and their child waiting for him.

He swore he would do his best to make her and Skyler happy. They had wasted five long years, and he couldn't wait to make up for their lost time.

Ririna let him stay for the night in the guest room. She took his dirty clothes to the laundry room while he was taking a shower. She already had her dinner at Evan's place, and she wasn't sure if he already had his.

She took her own shower in her own room and prepared herself for bed. After applying her facial cream, she decided to check on Eli who was in the other room. She knocked on the door and opened it, revealing Eli who just got out of the shower, a towel on his head and just wearing his boxers. He lifted his head to see her standing in the doorway.

"Like what you see? You can touch it only if you have the right currency," he teased.

Her face flushed and turned her head on the other side.

"I'm sorry. I will get back later."

"No need. Wait here." Eli said before turning back to the bathroom to take a robe. When he came back, he saw Ririna sitting at the end of the bed with conflicting emotions on her face. He got a rough idea of what was going on in her mind.

Would she finally tell him about Sky?

"What's the matter?" he asked. He sat beside her and took her right hand into his. He couldn't resist touching her.

"I have something to confess. Will you hear me out?" Ririna lifted her head, her brown eyes glimmering.

Eli lifted up a hand and touched her fringe and then placed a gentle kiss on her temple.

"Whatever it is, I will listen. Just tell me the truth," he murmured.

Ririna clenched her hand that was lying in her lap. She lowered her head as if she was ashamed of what she did to him.

"I got pregnant and had a child," she finally said.

If another man was in his place and he had no idea about Skyler, her confession would sound like she had cheated on him. When he didn't reply to what she said, she glanced at his face and tried to read his reaction. His face was still impassive as ever, but his eyes reflected what he was thinking.

"When?" he asked.

"When I left you five years ago. I found out I was 10 weeks pregnant." Ririna started her confession. It was better for Eli to hear the truth from her than from other people. She knew if he found out about Skyler in a dangerous situation, all hell would break loose.

"The child is yours. He is already four years old, and his name is Skyler. I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

He could see that she really meant what she said. If Karissa successfully killed her and their child, he knew he would have gone mad and broken everything on his path. Remembering Karissa's attempt, his resolve to finally kill her settled on his mind. The bitch has crossed the line this time. He would make sure she would suffer and experience hell on earth that would surely drive her to insanity.

"I'll understand if you're mad. I just don't know how to explain this to you and Skyler," she added.

Eli pulled her into an embrace, tucking her head under his chin. He knew it wasn't easy for her to confess. She's always been by herself, keeping all her problems to deal without someone helping her.

"I know about Skyler," he said.

Ririna pulled away from his embrace and looked at him surprised. He already found out about Skyler, and he didn't confront her? Why? She thought he would confront her as soon as he knew about Sky. Was this what Rion meant when he said she kept assuming what would Eli do? Her heart clenched at the thought. She didn't trust him enough—was that it?

"You know? When? Why didn't you ask me?" she asked.

Eli brushes his fingers in her short black hair, wondering when it would grow longer. Without looking at her, he smirked.

"I just found out this morning. I wanted to ask you, but then I realized that if I confront you about Sky, we will probably end up arguing. We just got back together. I want you to trust me. I want you to tell everything to me without forcing you." Eli explained.

Ririna was in awe. She didn't expect that he would choose to keep silent just for her to trust him. Trust was one of the main foundations of a relationship. If one didn't have enough trust for the other, the relationship would fall apart. Tears started to brim in her eyes. Burying her face in his chest, she tried to suppress her sobs. She was so wrong about Eli. She should have listened to her heart and not doubt him.

"Let's try to make this work out this time for Skyler's sake," Eli whispered to her ear as he tried to console her.

Ririna didn't reply but nodded in response. What else could she say? Eli accepted her with arms wide open. He accepted her even if she hurt him. This man would do anything for her sake even if he knew they would never be safe from threats and enemies. His resolve to protect her and Skyler broke down all her defenses.

After a long silence, Eli finally asked her about Sky. They were now lying on the bed, her head lying on his chest while he played with her short hair.

"Where is he?"

"He's with Evan and Ginny tonight. He said he wants to play with his uncle," Ririna replied. She's still trapped in his arms, but she didn't mind.

Eli's gray eyes narrowed at her words. His half-brother knew about his son, and he wasn't informed? Who else knew that he had a child with Ririna and chose to betray him by not informing him?

"Who else knew about Sky?"

"Hmm… the girls knew, even Louie knows about him. Why?"

"Nothing. I wish to meet him as soon as possible," he replied. He couldn't wait to see what kind of child Ririna gave him. Did he look like his mother? Did he have those cute dimples that Ririna had? Or did he inherit some of his looks?

"Why don't we have dinner tomorrow? I'm sure Skyler will be happy to see you."

As she said this, the smile on her face vanished. She felt that somehow she lied to her child. How could she explain to Sky why his father didn't know about him?

"What's wrong?" Eli noticed her sullen expression. She shook her head and sighed.

"It's just I have told Skyler that you were busy working all these years. That's why you weren't around when he is growing up."

"I see."

Skyler asked about his whereabouts. It wasn't surprising. Any child would ask for his father if he wasn't seeing one when everyone had one to call their daddy. He wondered if Skyler had a hard time growing up without him.

"Ririna?"

"Yes?" She sounded sleepy. Her eyes already shut, and her breathing slowed down.

"Thank you. Thank you for making me the happiest man," he whispered.

He had spent the whole night in Ririna's place. After they had talked and settled everything last night, he couldn't wait to see and meet Skyler. Eli decided to drop by his penthouse, changed his clothes, and drove to the S&S Enterprise.

He needed to talk to his half-brother. Why did Evan hide this crucial information about Skyler?

As he opened the door of Evan's office, he was surprised to see a little boy leaning forward on the desk. He was kneeling on Evan's office chair, a big crayon in his hand, doing some doodling on a white sheet of paper on the table.

The child had the same shade of locks as him, his cheeks were slightly flushed by the warmth of the heater and his big gray eyes looking down on his drawing while humming something quietly.

Eli instantly recognized the kid in Evan's office. What was he doing here?

"Sky?" he called.

The child's face lifted up and looked at him. His big gray eyes widened when he saw him. A smile broke on his handsome little face.

"Daddy!" The little boy screamed in delight.