Vivian steeled herself as she touched her own abdomen. The baby which grew inside her was the only thing that could keep her going. She was determined to do everything she could to protect him from harm.
Even though she did not want to see Finnick right now, Vivian had no choice but to return to the home which was once a source of warmth and comfort for her.
When she stepped inside the villa, she saw that Finnick was already off work. He was on the couch in the living room with a vacant look on his face, seemingly lost in thought.
She found it peculiar, as having lived together for so long, he was rarely seen lacking in vigor. However, she was in no mood to speculate what may be on his mind.
Finnick snapped out of it when movement at the door drew his attention. He turned in its direction to see Vivian there. He jumped onto his feet and looked at Vivian, seemingly unsure of himself.
After Vivian left, Finnick had gradually regained his composure. He regretted the tone with which he spoke to her earlier.
Too self-conscious to take the initiative to call her, he got back in early instead. He did not expect that she would return this late.
When Vivian saw right past him and head straight for the bedroom upstairs, he immediately caught up with her. “You probably haven’t had dinner yet. I’ll have Mrs. Filder warm up some soup for you.”
Since Finnick took the initiative to extend the olive branch, Vivian could not possibly continue to ignore him. She nodded and said, “Okay.”
Her responsiveness prompted a smile from him. “Wait at the dining table first. I’ll go get you a bowl.” With that, he disappeared into the kitchen.
Once she settled herself down, Vivian made up her mind to thrash things out with him regarding the child by the end of the day.
Finnick returned shortly with a bowl of soup cupped carefully between his palms. He had it placed down in front of Vivian before he sat down across from her. “Help yourself to it. Mrs. Filder said that the soup will be very comforting for your digestive tract.”
“Hmm.” She nodded slightly, appearing a little nonchalant as she was distracted by thoughts about the baby.
As she lowered her head and ate quietly, Finnick felt a little disconcerted and broke the silence. “Where did you go today? Why were you back so late?”
“Nowhere in particular. Just to the hospital to accompany Mom.” It was probably not a good time for her to share with him the truth behind Evelyn and her own parentage as she felt he may end up thinking that she was gunning for Evelyn.
“How’s Mom?”
“She’s doing okay.”
He nodded. It was hard to keep the conversation going as he was never one for small talk. The atmosphere in the room fell back into stillness.
It was only after she finished her soup that she found the courage to lift her head to regard Finnick. “I’ve something to tell you.”
“What is it?” He was keen to hear her out as she appeared quite serious.
Vivian took a deep breath. “I want to keep the child inside me. If you were to insist that I should opt for an abortion, then we should divorce.”
Finnick’s temper flared when he heard that and his tone reflected as much. “Can’t you listen to me this once? You can’t keep this child!”
“Why not?” Vivian similarly became upset. “I’ve told you this morning that I’ve not been violated by anyone. Surely you’re not saying that you want to get rid of our child?”
When Finnick saw how insistent she was, he had no idea how to convince her to face up to reality.
If he could, he would rather have her continue to believe that. Devoid of that memory, she would probably not become scarred by it.
However, she cannot keep this child. If she could not recall that incident, he was afraid that she would never agree to an abortion.
