Husband With Benefits-Chapter 878: Breakfast

Arabelle woke up with a jerk, her breath catching as she tried to orient herself. It took her a moment to remember where she was. Then, the sound of light snoring brought it all back. She was in the hospital.

And in the same room with her was a certain future king.

She shook her head, correcting herself silently—not with her, just in the same room.

Carefully, she sat up in the bed, trying not to make too much noise. Turning her head, she glanced toward the source of the snoring. Sure enough, it was him. For a moment, she just stared, surprised at how different he seemed. In the interviews she’d watched, he’d always appeared so sharp and intimidating. Now, though, he looked... almost peaceful.

Her lips twitched in a faint smile. It was strange to think that the man who could command a room with his presence could also seem so unguarded in his sleep. But her smile faded quickly as his snoring stopped. She froze, wondering if he was about to wake up.

When the sound started again, she let out a silent sigh of relief and quickly tiptoed toward the washroom. Her heart thudded in her chest, and she couldn’t tell if it was from the near miss or the strange way her thoughts lingered on him.

It took her a little while to return, and when she did, she was relieved to see him still asleep. She crept back into bed as quietly as possible, settling under the covers.

As she stared at the ceiling, her mind drifted back to the decisions she’d been mulling over all night. The sleep had helped clear some of her confusion, and now everything felt more certain.

She knew what she wanted to do. Keeping this child might not be the most practical choice, but it was the one she would make. She wouldn’t abort it.

As for Rafe... she sighed softly. She would let him meet the child if he wanted, but she couldn’t imagine having a relationship with him. That wasn’t something she could allow—not after everything.

But deciding that brought another realization. If she was going to do this, she would have to tell him everything.

How did someone even begin to explain something like that? How could she tell him about the kind of man her father was? Or the mistakes she had made when she was younger?

The thoughts swirled in her mind, heavy and unrelenting, but she knew there was no avoiding it. Eventually, she would have to tell him the truth. For now, though, she simply lay there, her thoughts spinning as the soft sound of his snoring filled the quiet room, until she actually fell asleep with the snores acting as some sort of a lullaby.

The next time she woke up, was to the scent of some delicious food wafting from the cart in the middle of the room and a smiling Rafe standing next to her bed, his hand extended. Her eyes widened when she saw his hand and she moved away, while he retracted his hand," I was about to wake you up. Let’s have breakfast before you are discharged."

She wanted to protest, tell him that she could have breakfast later. But considering the fact that skipping meals was what had landed her here, that seemed a bit too much. And she needed to talk to him so this would be a chance.

"Okay." She nodded slowly and stood up, letting him escort her to the table.

The breakfast actually turned out to be a silent affair with each of them lost in their own thoughts until finally both decided to break their silence at the same time, their voices overlapping.

"Rafe—"

"Arabelle—"

Their eyes met across the table, and Rafe leaned back in his chair, a small, indulgent smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He gestured with a slight wave of his hand, as if conceding the floor. "Okay then. Ladies first."

Arabelle hesitated, shaking her head quickly, her fingers clenching in her lap. "No, you go ahead. I’d like to hear what you were going to say first."

Her voice was steady, but inside, her heart beat a little faster and she clenched her hands in her lap. She’d been planning to tell him that she would keep the child and then discuss the future. But what if he was about to ask her to abort? Of course she wouldn’t abort but that would give her justification to keep things for them.

Across the table, Rafe nodded, not pushing back against her refusal. Instead, he straightened and met her gaze, his tone thoughtful as he began to speak. "Look, Arabelle," he started, his voice carrying a quiet sincerity, "I know I told you that I’d support whatever decision you make. And I meant that—I still mean it. But I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you what I’m really hoping for." He paused briefly, searching her face. "I hope you’ll decide to keep the baby."

Rafe leaned forward slightly, his hands resting on the edge of the table, his words picking up pace as though he feared she might cut him off. "I know it’s a lot to ask," he admitted quickly, his voice tinged with urgency. "And I know it changes everything for you—for both of us. But I just... I keep thinking about what it would mean, Arabelle.

He paused, running a hand through his hair, as though trying to steady himself. But his gaze never wavered, holding hers as he pressed on. " We can take our time till the baby comes and get to know each other during this time, so you don’t have to worry about compatibility or anything. I don’t want to make you feel pressured. This is your choice. Always your choice. But I needed you to know how I feel before you decide."

Her throat tightened, and she had to swallow hard before she could respond. "Rafe..." she began, her voice faltering slightly.