~LAYLA~
Two pink lines.
I couldn’t stop staring at them, unable to process what they ant or what they changed. The bathroom door opened quietly and Helena’s face peeked in. "Layla?" Helena’s voice was soft and concerned.
I looked up at her, unable to form words. My hand trembled as I held up the tes for her to see.
Helena crossed the small space and took it from , her eyes widening as she saw the results. "Oh."
"I’m pregnant." The words felt foreign in my mouth. "I’m pregnant, and my marriage is falling apart."
Helena set the test down and knelt beside on the cold tile floor. "Okay. Okay, let’s just... let’s take a breath."
"How can I breathe?" I asked, my voice rising. "How am I supposed to process this? Axel and I are not in the best place currently, and now I’m carrying his child?"
"First things first," Helena said calmly. "Let’s be absolutely sure. Take the other two tests."
My hands shook as I opened the second box. Then the third. Each ti, the sa routine: pee on the stick, wait three agonising minutes, and watch as the second line appeared.
Positive.
Positive.
Positive.
All three tests sat in a row on the bathroom counter, all showing the sa undeniable truth.
"Three out of three," Helena said softly. "That’s... that’s definitive."
I pressed my palms against my eyes. "This can’t be happening. Not now. Not when everything is so broken."
"Layla, look at ." Helena waited until I t her eyes. "This doesn’t change anything about what you’re feeling about Axel. You’re allowed to be angry with him and pregnant at the sa ti. These are separate things."
"Are they?" I asked desperately. "Because it feels like everything is tangled together. How do I tell him? When do I tell him? Do I even tell him right now?"
"You don’t have to decide that this second," Helena said firmly. "Take your ti and process this. Figure out what you want first."
I looked back at the tests, and my hand went straight to my still-flat stomach without even thinking about it. Underneath all the fear and confusion, there was a different feeling.
It was sothing I hadn’t expected at all... joy. A tiny, fragile feeling, but it was unmistakably there.
A baby. My baby. Axel’s baby.
Despite everything that was wrong between us, despite the lies and broken trust, there was a part of that wanted this... wanted this child.
"I’m not telling him," I said suddenly. "Not yet."
Helena nodded. "That’s your choice to make."
"Not until after the morial Tea," I continued, thinking it through. "Tomorrow is about exposing Isabelle, about the Duke making his return. I can’t let this distract from that. And after..." I took a shaky breath. "After, we’ll have ti to deal with everything. To figure out what cos next."
"Are you sure you can handle the morial Tea in this state?" Helena asked. "You’ve been sick every morning."
"I’ll manage," I said with more confidence than I felt. "I have to. The Duke is counting on . This plan has been weeks in the making."
"Okay." Helena helped stand. "But promise you’ll take care of yourself. Eat sothing, even if it’s just crackers. Stay hydrated. And if you feel faint or sick, you tell imdiately."
"I promise." I looked at the three tests again. "What do I do with these?"
"I’ll dispose of them," Helena offered. "Sowhere Axel won’t find them."
"Thank you." I hugged her tightly. "For everything. For being here."
"Always," she said, hugging back. "Now, go rest. You look exhausted."
But I couldn’t rest. My mind was racing with too many thoughts, too many questions. Instead, I decided to check on my grandfather, to see how he was preparing for tomorrow’s confrontation with Isabelle.
I left the guest room and headed down the hallway toward the Duke’s suite. The house was quiet, just the sound of my footsteps on the hardwood floor.
Then I heard another set of footsteps.
I looked up and froze.
Axel was coming around the corner, looking as exhausted as I felt. He had dark circles under his eyes, dishevelled hair, and a wrinkled shirt on. He looked like he hadn’t slept any better than I had.
We stopped a few feet apart, the silence stretching between us.
"Hi," he said finally, his voice sounding rough.
"Hi." I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly feeling cold. "I didn’t know you were around."
"Yeah, I ca in not quite long ago." He shifted his weight, looking uncomfortable. "Tomorrow is the D-Day."
"Yeah." I couldn’t et his eyes. "I was about to go see the Duke."
"Layla..." He took a half-step toward . "Are you feeling okay? You look exhausted. And pale."
My hand instinctively moved toward my stomach, but I caught myself and let it fall back to my side. "I’m fine. Just stress."
"Are you sure? Because..."
"I’m sure." The words ca out sharper than I intended.
He flinched. "Right. Of course."
The silence returned, heavier now. There was so much I wanted to say. So much I needed to say. But the words stuck in my throat, tangled with hurt and love and the secret I was now carrying.
The silence ca back, feeling much heavier this ti. I had so many things I wanted to say... so many things I needed to say. But the words were stuck, caught up with my hurt, my love, and the secret I was now carrying.
"I should go," I said quietly. "The Duke is expecting ."
"Layla, wait..."
But I was already walking away, leaving him standing alone in the hallway. I couldn’t do this... I couldn’t have this talk right now. Not when I was barely keeping myself together.
I knocked on the Duke’s door, trying to steady my breathing.
"Co in," his voice called from inside.
I pushed the door open and stepped into his suite. He was sitting in his armchair by the window, a book in his lap, but he set it aside when he saw my face.
"My dear girl," he said, concerned. "What’s wrong?"
Everything, I wanted to say. Everything is wrong, and I don’t know how to fix it.
But tomorrow was about him. About his return. About finally exposing Isabelle for what she’d done.
So instead, I forced a smile and said, "Nothing. I just wanted to check on you. Make sure you’re ready for tomorrow."
The Duke studied for a long mont, and I knew he didn’t believe . But he was kind enough not to push.
"Co," he said, gesturing to the chair beside him. "Sit with ."
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