I sat on the couch, staring at the calendar app on my phone, my heart slowly starting to pound in my chest. For a few months now, I hadn’t really paid attention to my cycle. My periods were irregular; they always had been. I’d go months without one, then it would randomly show up, so I never thought much of it. But now, sitting here, everything suddenly clicked.
I haven’t had my period in months.
I blinked, my fingers numb as I absentmindedly scrolled through past dates, trying to rember the last ti I’d actually had one. A cold, creeping feeling began to settle in my stomach. The mories started flooding back in pieces, the night with Arec, the drinks, the laughter, the one thing I’d tried to forget.
The one night stand.
We hadn’t used protection.
"Oh my God," I muttered under my breath, the realization crashing down on like a tidal wave. Panic surged through , my hands trembling as I lowered the phone. I stared blankly at the wall, my mind racing.
Kate looked up down on , worry written all over her face. "Hey, you okay?" she asked, her brow furrowed.
I shook my head, my throat dry as I tried to force the words out. "Kate... I think I might be pregnant."
The chocolate bars hit the floor. "Wait, what? Pregnant? Like, pregnant pregnant?"
I nodded slowly, the weight of those words suffocating . "I haven’t had my period in months. And that night with Arec... we didn’t use anything."
Kate’s eyes widened, and she quickly lean closer to on the couch. "Wait, are you serious? Oh my God, Ella. Are you sure?"
"I don’t know," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "I didn’t even think about it because my periods are all over the place. But now that I’m thinking about it, Kate... it’s been months. What if I am?"
Kate blinked, processing everything. "Okay, okay, don’t panic just yet," she said, though her voice sounded as tense as I felt. "We need to know for sure before you freak out. You want to go get a pregnancy test?"
I stared at her, my heart in my throat. The idea of actually confirming it terrified . But I had to know. "Yes," I said, my voice shaking. "Please."
Without missing a beat, Kate jumped up, grabbed her purse, and headed for the door. "I’ll be back in ten minutes. Just breathe, okay?"
As soon as she left, the silence of the apartnt felt overwhelming. My mind spiraled, every worst-case scenario flashing before my eyes. What would I do if I was pregnant? How would this affect the contract marriage with Arec? What would he say? What would I say?
I leaned forward, my hands gripping the edge of the couch as I tried to calm my racing thoughts. This couldn’t be happening. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. A fake wedding, a fake marriage, a fake everything, and now a baby? How did I get here?
I closed my eyes and prayed. For the first ti in a long while, I prayed. "Please don’t let this be true. Please let this just be stress or sothing else. I can’t handle this right now. Please, God..."
Minutes felt like hours as I sat there, waiting for Kate to return. My stomach churned, my hands sweaty as I stared blankly at the wall. Every thought was tangled, every breath felt too shallow. The weight of the possibility pressed down on like a ton of bricks.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I heard the door swing open. Kate rushed in, holding a bag from the pharmacy. "Got it," she announced, practically out of breath. "You ready?"
I wasn’t. But I nodded anyway.
We walked to the bathroom, and Kate handed the box with a tight-lipped smile. "Here you go. Just follow the instructions. It’ll be over soon."
I stared at the box like it was a ticking ti bomb. My fingers trembled as I opened it, reading the instructions over and over to make sure I understood. It seed simple enough. Simple, but life-altering.
"Okay," I whispered to myself, taking a deep breath. "Here goes nothing."
I locked myself in the bathroom, heart pounding, and did what I needed to do. The seconds that followed were pure torture. I set the test down on the counter and stared at it, the world around growing fuzzy as panic set in. I could hear Kate pacing outside the door.
"Ella?" Kate called through the door. "How’s it looking? Do you need to co in there?"
I couldn’t answer. I just stood there, waiting. Waiting for my future to be determined by two little lines.
The test slowly started to reveal itself, and when the result appeared, my breath hitched in my throat. Two lines. Clear as day.
Positive.
I stumbled out of the bathroom like a zombie, the test clutched in my hand. My legs felt weak, like they could give out at any mont. I t Kate’s gaze, my eyes wide, and handed her the test.
She took one look at it and her mouth fell open. "Oh my God, Ella..."
I collapsed onto the couch, staring blankly at the floor. Kate sat beside , holding the test in her hands like it was a precious artifact. She let out a soft laugh, trying to lighten the mood. "Well, I guess the fake couple is about to welco a real baby, huh?"
I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. The reality of it all was sinking in, and there was nothing funny about it anymore. My life was spiraling out of control, and I didn’t know how to stop it.
Kate noticed my silence and quickly backtracked. "Okay, sorry. Not the ti for jokes. But, Ella, it’s going to be okay. We’ll figure this out, I promise."
I looked up at her, my eyes filling with tears. "How, Kate? How is this going to be okay? This isn’t part of the plan! What am I supposed to do? Arec and I aren’t even... This was supposed to be a contract, not... this."
Kate sighed, rubbing my back gently. "I know. But you’re not alone in this. You’ve got , and you’ve got ti to figure it out. Maybe Arec will surprise you. You never know."
I shook my head, the tears threatening to spill over. "This complicates everything."
Kate nodded sympathetically. "Yeah, it does. But you’re strong, El. You’ve dealt with worse. We’ll get through this together."
I didn’t have the energy to respond. I just leaned my head against Kate’s shoulder, my mind a whirl of fear and uncertainty. The fake wedding, the contract, it all seed so trivial now.
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