The Only Exception

Part One - Chapter Thirty: Please Stay with Me

“How are you feeling?” Lionel asked softly as he walked into Lucia’s hospital room, he was here to take her home knowing that in a few days she would be leaving for Italy for six months.

Lionel didn’t want her to leave but she seemed to have her heart set on leaving him behind; he had hurt her so badly when he’d had his emotional affair that he didn’t know what to do anymore to fix this.

Lucia glanced at Lionel as she prepared to go home, there was a long couple of days ahead of her; she was going to have to pack up all her things for the six month move to Rome.

“I’m fine,” Lucia said as she brushed her hair, she knew that he wasn’t happy about this but she was giving him little choice; she needed to put some distance between them before she ended up doing something that she might regret later on.

Lionel nodded his head, he was still on the receiving end of a lot of anger from his team-mates and their spouses; none of them could believe that he had treated his wife in such a horrible way.

“How is the baby?” Lionel asked as he looked down at Lucia’s flat stomach, she might have been eleven weeks along but there were no signs that she was indeed having a baby just yet.

Lionel hadn’t been allowed to be with his wife while she’d had a scan that morning, Lucia refused to allow him to be a part of something special and it was her way of punishing him for choosing Antonella over her.

“Good,” Lucia replied shortly as she set down her hairbrush, she had asked Shakira to pick up some fresh clothes for her and other things that she might need; she still wasn’t prepared to talk to Lionel about what was going on.

Lionel nodded his head, he shifted awkwardly the press were having a field day with this; he had made a complete fool of himself and for nothing.

***

Lucia chewed on her lip as she sorted through her clothes, most of them wouldn’t fit her as her pregnancy progressed but she would deal with that problem later on.

“When do you leave?” Lionel asked as he hovered by the door, his chest aching at the sight of her already packing to leave him; he hated this and wished that there was something that he could do to fix it all.

Lionel cursed Antonella for ever coming to Barcelona and leading him on, he had been finally happy with Lucia and his ex-girlfriend had ruined it all for him; she had allowed him to hope for a future that wouldn’t be.

“I leave on the 12th,” Lucia said she wanted to get away from all of this and Francis was more than happy to arrange an apartment for her in Rome; she would have everything ready for her when she arrived.

Lionel looked at Lucia as horror filled him, he had at least thought that he would have a couple of weeks to change her mind; he hadn’t considered that she would leave so soon.

“That’s in three days’ time,” Lionel whimpered as he moved towards his wife, he hated that she had been living in this room away from him and he despised the idea of her leaving him for six months while she was pregnant with his child.

Lucia nodded her head as she looked at Lionel, this wasn’t much of a warning but she needed to go; she needed to think about whether she could do this anymore or not.

“Please stay with me,” Lionel whimpered as he stopped Lucia from packing anymore of her things, he was being unfair to her and this trip was an amazing opportunity but he feared for his marriage.

His emotional affair had done a lot of damage and there was no taking back what he had done with Antonella.

Lionel was all too aware that his wife was unhappy with him and he had so little time to try and get Lucia to forgive him that he wondered what would happen if she met someone in Italy that she came to love.

“I don’t want you to go, I don’t want to miss anything with the baby,” Lionel pleaded as he tried to think of what he could do to make up for the mess that he had caused.

Lionel hadn’t even known that Francis had made this offer, he hated the other man for stealing his wife away when their marriage was so weak.

Lucia sighed as she shook her head, there was a small chance that he would put up a fight; she’d half expected Antonella to be hovering around still but there was no sign of the other woman.

“I think some space would be good for us right now Leo,” Lucia said carefully as she watched her husband, she could see tears forming in his eyes and she wanted nothing more than to comfort him but she couldn’t do it.

Lucia crossed her arms as she resisted the urge to hug Lionel, it wouldn’t help to give him any false hope right now since she had no idea what she was going to do in the future anymore.

“I need time to think what I want and you need to decide what you want,” Lucia whispered as she looked down at her feet, she took a deep breath as her fingers carefully brushed against her stomach knowing that she wasn’t just responsible for her own life anymore.

Lionel whimpered as he watched Lucia, he didn’t want time to think about what he wanted; he wanted his wife to stay with him so that he could fix this.

“I don’t need time… I need you,” Lionel said as he stepped closer to Lucia only for her to take a step back keeping space between them; he blinked at the look on her face as she shook her head.

“I can’t play second choice to another woman anymore,” Lucia said as she watched her husband, he didn’t understand how hard the past month had been for her while he followed Antonella around like a puppy.

Lucia could see it only ending badly and she had to think of their unborn child as much as it pained her to think of becoming a single mother.

“Antonella gone… she didn’t want me,” Lionel said hoping that this would convince her to stay, he had made a big mess of things and he had never meant for Lucia to feel like second best to anyone.

Lionel looked at his wife with big brown eyes, he’d always thought he’d be a hands on father when it came to her first pregnancy and now that seemed so far away.

“But you still want her… you need time to figure things out for yourself,” Lucia said with a shake of her head, her heart was breaking at how hard he was making this for her; she had never thought he’d put up so much of a fight to make her stay.

Lionel watched as something flashed through Lucia’s blue eyes, he could see that she was still hurting but he hoped that there was some way that he could fix this.

“How can I prove to you that it’s you that I want?” Lionel asked as he had to move closer to Lucia but stopped himself, his brown eyes watching her knowing that this wasn’t over yet.

Lucia stared at Lionel she didn’t have all the answers, she just knew that when the time came that he would know for himself what he had to do.

“You’ll know when the time comes,” Lucia said softly as she watched her husband for a moment, there was a chance that he would still try and talk her out of leaving but she had made up her mind.

Lionel nodded his head as Lucia turned back to packing her things, he messed with his wedding ring for a moment knowing that he had three days to convince her to stay and then he’d have to live without her.

Something that Lionel was determined to keep from happening.