#hidehillevent008

It was not how she imagined the day going, none of it had gone right.

As she stood at the table that held all the gifts lined up, Adriana ran her fingers against the wrapping paper of the large box laid up against the table. She moved her fingers across each present as she walked. Her mind was anywhere but the party she was hosting.

Throughout the entire event, Ana felt like she was a ghost. Moving through each stage, faking each smile, small talking every conversation the best she could. The best anyone with a broken heart could manage. 

There wasn’t a moment that she didn’t try to meet her eyes with Maxs from across the room, just for him to never return the gaze. She had broken their family before even giving them the chance. They would welcome this little girl with open arms and hearts full of love, but they would welcome her into a world of betrayal that her own mother had created. The thought of it brought a sickness to Anas stomach, as if the baby in there already knew.

He joins her at the table as people start to gather around them. There isn’t time for any of the words Adriana wants to say to him now that they are side by side again. She only has a few seconds until everyone is close enough to hear what falls from her lips. She leans in, her hand laid gently on his chest as she whispers. 

“Thank you for staying. I’m sorry this is hard.”

It’s all she can get out before she has to turn to the guests inside her home. A house that now holds a strange feeling for her because it doesn’t feel like home to her. Home isn’t a place anymore, the word takes new meaning in the form of Max. This place is nothing but walls and a bed, there is nothing homely about the emptiness it shares without him there.

Still, Adriana keeps the pretend smile on her face as they sort through the gifts together. Lingering at the moments their hands connect on the same piece of paper or moving of a bag. Each one sends a sharp pain through her heart, the absence of his touch already starting to sink into her, though she doesn’t let it show. With all eyes on them, including her father who stands behind the crowd but still easy to spot. She keeps up with the show, and doesn't let the facade falter. She does things the Martinez way.

The final gift sits in front of her and Ana can feel a wave of relief hit her as the ending starts to approach. All she wants is for this to finish, for one more chance to get Max alone and talk. The only thing she can think about is fixing things with Max, until she opens the card attached to the beautifully wrapped box before her.

‘Love, Marcus.’

Her hands start to shake immediately. The card would have fallen to the ground if it wasn’t for Max taking it from her hands. 

Even in her state of shock Adriana has to know what lies under the wrapping paper. Her hands move fast to rip the paper off the top before anyone can move her out of the way, tearing through to get the box open. An instant regret when her eyes meet with the lifeless ones of Nicos.

Her eyes move up to the crowd at the sound of a scream. She doesn’t even realize that it’s coming from her own mouth until she hears Max yelling at the others to stay away. 

Adriana stumbles backward, holding her hand over her mouth as she drops her gaze to Nico again. A part of her wants to reach out, to grab him and shake him. To scream at him and tell him that his jokes have never been funny. But she knows the joke doesn’t come from him this time, that’s it’s been played on the both of them. 

She can’t help the loud sobs that come from deep within her as she is pulled away from the scene. Her fathers grip on her arm is tight as he takes her out of the room, Ana turning her head back to see only the top of Nicos head now. She finds it hard to keep herself from looking at him, from feeling the pain of knowing the days he’d never have now. 

She mourns the days they had together.

"He's dead.." She manages to mumble through her sobs, her father the only thing keeping her standing up straight.