His Toxic Addiction-Chapter 400: So Controlling.

Arissa scanned herself before the full-body mirror in the bathroom. Days passed since Nicklaus left and no matter how he managed to call her almost every second, she still missed him.

Her stomach was beginning to show itself, and she loved the sight of it. Her happiness knew no bounds, knowing she was about to give life to the child of the man she adored and loved to no end. She needed Nicklaus more than any other thing in this world.

Fixing her hair into a ponytail, she walked into Nicklaus’ deep bath and socked herself in it. Just as Nicklaus had pleaded with their child, she sees herself encountering less difficulty than what she read about pregnant women.

The feeling made her smile, beautifully.

"You’re already showing me how well-behaved you’ll be," she applauded her child and shut her eyes, letting the essential oils sink into her skin.

A lot ran through her mind. Nicklaus asked her not to step out alone and she wondered why. She hasn’t stepped out ever since she found out she was pregnant and earlier today, when she informed him that she’d have to step out for a few medical treatments and more, his whole body language became tense.

He asked about a lot of things and repeatedly asked her not to step out alone. She tried to sway her mind off disturbing thoughts but nothing was working.

Picking up her phone at her head side, she scrolled through her contact log, searching for Collins’s number. It’s been one week since she found out she was pregnant and five days since Nicklaus left her. She thinks it’s time to tell Collins about her baby before anyone does. She wondered what his reaction would be.

Standing straight, she took her night robe from the hangar and left the bathroom. Having nothing to do again in the room, she stepped out to take a stroll down to the kids’ nursery. She felt more relaxed in the nursery room. It always felt as if her child had arrived already.

Walking out of the elevator, she sent a voice note to Collins, asking him to call her in his free time. Almost immediately, her phone beeped up, signifying a caller.

Staring at her screen, her lips broke into a smile when she saw the caller to be Collins. Not replying immediately, she opened the door of the nursery, walked in, and closed it behind her before answering the call.

"Collins,"

"Arissa, it’s already past 9 pm. What happened? You can’t sleep?" Collins slammed her with questions the moment he heard her voice from the other end.

Arissa smiled at how caring he sounded. Sitting on the white fur couch in the room, she relaxed her back on the couch and replied, "Nothing happened. Well, I woke up two hours ago and haven’t been able to fall asleep since then,"

Collins let out a sigh of relief, "I’m glad you’re fine. Sorry, I haven’t been able to check up on you these past few days. The death rate is a little too much for me to handle. How have you been?"

Arissa bit her lower lip, contemplating if she should end the call for him to rest or continue. Sitting properly, she decided to continue, "I’ve been pretty much fine. I’m sorry you have so much work to handle and more,"

Collins chuckled from the other end, "You don’t have to apologize. What are you doing now?" he asked, walking into his bedroom.

"I’m talking to you," Arissa replied in a matter-of-fact tone and gave out a small laugh at the end.

Collins smiled at the sound of her laugh. He sat on his bed and thought of what to say. Ever since he confessed his feelings to her, their conversations haven’t been as natural as before anymore.

"Collins?" Arissa called softly, to know if he was still there. He went overly silent.

"Hmm, I’m listening,"

Arissa smiled, "I’m going to be a mother soon. I’m expecting a baby," her voice sounded so excited but low like a whisper. A tear rolled down her eyes, she couldn’t contain the feeling.

Collins froze. He forced out a bitter smile, making him look horrible. His chest tightened and he realized how much of a loser he was. He tried to feel happy for her but it wasn’t working.

He felt extraordinarily sad and the bones in him melted. He tried congratulating her but he couldn’t. He knew he’d sound too fake if he tried to say a word. The words also refused to leave his mouth.

Arissa’s brows came together when she heard no voice coming from the other end. "Collins?"

Collins forced himself back to reality at the sound of her voice. He thought he was already over the dream of having her but unfortunately, he still lives in that dream and now, they are expecting a baby to seal their marriage with.

He clenched his phone a little too hard, his knuckles turning white in the process. He couldn’t even justify his reason for getting so angry and uncomfortable.

"Well, that’s good news," he forced himself to say. To his disappointment, his voice was laced with emotions. He sounded unhappy and Arissa grabbed it.

Arissa sat up on the couch at the sound of his voice, "Huh?"

Collins cleared his throat and immediately arranged his emotions. Repeating himself, he forced himself to sound happier, "I said that’s good news," he said.

Arissa nodded. She felt the hurt in his voice. Rubbing a hand on her stomach, she let out a small smile.

’I’m so sorry," she apologized in a small voice, "I’m so sorry I took your time for such a long period,"

"Err, no," Collins stammered, "This has nothing to do with you. Also, the baby would be so lovely. To be honest, these days, I’m confused about my own emotions, they seem to be so controlling,"

Arissa blinked at his words.

Collins went on, "You should take some rest. The baby needs more rest,"

Arissa felt the sarcasm in his words.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢