Black Widow | 18+

30 | Questions

Artemisia 

I looked at him and as expected his expression only showed pure hurt and betrayal. It made me laugh internally, now he knew what it felt like. 

Leandro did deserve a conversation though, because I wanted my son to grow up happy and not walk around with the festering resentment towards a parent like I had towards both of mine. I had to do it for Rico, but I was scared of what would come of it. 

Leandro coming back into our lives was something I knew would happen eventually for the sake of our son, but hearing him say that he still loved me was something that hadn't been part of my plan. I would always love Leandro, but we weren't good for each other, our relationship had been built up off of resentments and anger, and it wasn't something that either of us ever wanted to truly admit, but we both knew it. 

Sure, we loved each other and we had tonnes of peaceful, normal moments; but even those were always kept hidden because our love was a secret. His secret that he got to leave at my front door and continue with his day as if it wasn't there, and mine where I had to lug it around with me everywhere I went in the world. 

"Arté," he rasped, pulling me out of my thoughts, and I hadn't noticed that I was staring at him. 

"Fine," I muttered, "where? You have your family here," I sighed 

"You're in a room alone, no?" He said and I gave him a look of disapproval, "it seems like the only place with zero risk to me." 

"Okay," I nodded, walking out of the lift and allowing Leandro to follow me through the halls to another section of the hotel. 

We came to the corridor where my room was, a suite that had a small garden overlooking the bay, and I led him through my room and out onto it, sitting down in one of the chairs and looking out at the dimly lit water.

There was a moment of silence between us, and I waited for Leandro to speak, "when did you find out you were pregnant?" 

"A couple weeks after Anton had taken me," I said, leaning back in my seat and looking at Leo. His jaw was clenched slightly as he rotated his wedding ring around his finger, and my mind thought of the tattoo that lay there, wondering if he still had it or if he had gotten it removed. 

"When is his birthday?" Leandro muttered 

"23rd of June," I replied, examining him. 

"Why didn't you tell me?" He immediately replied, looking up at me, clear frustration painted on his expression.

"You won't like the answer Leandro," I muttered, looking away 

"Try me. I don't think anything is as bad as finding out I have a five year old son who's mother is the woman I haven't been able to stop thinking about since I was seventeen." He shot back and I closed my eyes and took a steady breath in. 

I hated how fearlessly honest he was about his feelings, especially when they were so destructive to us both. 

"I never told you because you're not good for us Leo," I looked up at him, and saw the hurt flash through his eyes. "You hurt me time and time again, you went so far as killing the man who I owed my life to, and you almost let me lose mine on two separate occasions and lied about it. If you can lie about shit like that so easily, then what are you going to lie to Rico about?"

"That was different Artemisia," he said sternly 

"Is it? I really don't think so Leandro. Plus, what if I had come out of hiding when things had settled down between you and Anton, who is clearly now one of your good friends, what then? You stay married and me and Rico have to live our lives on the sidelines? That's no life for a child, to feel like they aren't important enough, to feel like they aren't love enough to be a priority. He's happy Leandro, I haven't hurt him by not having you around. He has father-figures in his life." I shot back and Leandro shook his head, clearly hurt and frustrated by my words