The first thing Viktoria noticed when she opened her eyes was the sound of a machine. Slow and rhythmic.
It took her a mont to place what she was hearing. It was the monitor attached to the bed beside her.
Her eyelids were heavy but she tried to force them open. The ceiling above her was white and unfamiliar.
The bright hospital lights made her blink twice.
Hospital.
The word ca slowly to her, as if her brain was just catching up to the rest of her. Her throat was dry. When she tried to swallow, she felt a twinge of pain.
She moved slightly in bed. The IV in her arm jerked. Viktoria scowled slightly. "What..." Her voice was rough.
Imdiately, soone moved from beside the bed. "Viktoria?" Viktoria slowly turned her head towards the sound.
Anya was sitting close to the bed. Her elbows were resting on her knees. She looked as if she’d been sitting there for hours. Her confident personality was replaced by tired-looking eyes.
"You’re awake," Anya said softly. Her voice was laced with relief..
Viktoria blinked, trying to clear the fog from her head.
"What happened?"
"You fainted."
Viktoria stared at her for a mont, then let out a small breath.
"Right."
The boutique, and the dresses. She rembered feeling dizzy, then nothing.
Viktoria looked around the room slowly.
Her mother was standing by the window, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. Her face was serene, but Viktoria knew her mother well enough to know that her body was betraying her emotions.
"How long have I been here?" Viktoria asked.
"Since the afternoon," Anya said. "A few hours."
"A few hours?" Viktoria asked.
"Yes," her mother said calmly. "They wanted to run so tests."
Viktoria adjusted her position on the pillow a little bit.
"I told you I was fine."
"You collapsed," her mother said.
"I got dizzy."
"And you lost consciousness."
Viktoria rubbed her forehead.
"Okay, that sounds worse," Anya said, exhaling slowly.
"You dropped so fast the attendant barely caught you."
Viktoria winced. "Wonderful."
She looked over at the IV line in her arm.
"This seems unnecessary."
"No, it’s not," her mother said. "They wanted to be careful."
Viktoria took a deep breath. "I fainted, Anya. I didn’t die."
Her mother didn’t smile. "The doctors wanted to know why it happened."
Viktoria shrugged. "Low blood sugar, stress. I skipped breakfast, rember."
Anya opened her mouth like she was going to say sothing, then stopped.
Viktoria saw that. "What?"
Anya glanced over at Viktoria’s mother for a second.
"Nothing."
"That wasn’t a nothing look."
Her mother drew closer to the bed. "The doctor will explain."
Viktoria furrowed her brows slightly.
"Explain what?"
But before either of them could say anything, there was a knock on the door. Not a loud knock. More of a gentle one.
A woman wearing a white coat ca into the room.
"Good evening, Miss Viktoria."
Viktoria imdiately looked at her.
"Please tell you are here to discharge ."
The doctor smiled politely. "We will talk about that."
She walked closer to the bed. She looked at the machine attached to Viktoria. She looked back at Viktoria.
"How are you feeling now?"
"Embarrassed," Viktoria said. "Mostly because everyone keeps treating like I have so dramatic story to tell."
"You did faint," the doctor said gently.
"Yes. I have heard," Viktoria said.
The doctor looked down at the tablet she was holding.
"When you ca to the hospital, we ran so tests on you."
"Yes," Viktoria said.
"And?" Viktoria asked.
The doctor paused for a second.
"One of those tests included a pregnancy test."
Viktoria blinked. "Why?"
"It’s standard procedure in situations like this."
Viktoria shrugged. "Okay."
The doctor looked back up at her. "The result ca back positive."
Silence filled the room as Viktoria looked at her, then Viktoria started laughing.
"Sorry, what?"
The doctor did not laugh. Anya shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
Viktoria looked back and forth between them.
"Wait."
The expression on her face changed slightly.
"You’re kidding , right?"
"No."
Viktoria imdiately shook her head. "No."
Her mother did not say anything, Viktoria looked back at the doctor.
"That’s impossible."
The doctor talked calmly. "We ran the test again to confirm our previous result."
"And?"
"It was positive again."
Viktoria looked back at her. "That’s ridiculous."
Anya spoke up finally. "Viktoria—"
"No," Viktoria said quickly.
Viktoria looked back at the doctor. "You’re wrong."
The doctor clicked on the screen of her tablet.
"According to your blood test and ultrasound we ran on you earlier, your pregnancy is approximately twelve weeks gone."
"Twelve weeks?"
"Yes."
"That’s three months."
"That’s right."
Viktoria’s chest constricted. "No."
Her voice ca out softer now. "That can’t be right."
Her mother finally spoke. "The doctor isn’t guessing."
Viktoria turned to her. "You believe this?"
"The tests are clear."
Viktoria looked back at the doctor.
"You said three months?"
"Yes."
Viktoria’s thoughts started racing.
Three months ago? Her stomach dropped slightly.
Three months ago was the accident, the car crash in which she lost her mory.
She rembered the weeks she had spent trying to piece her life back together.
Viktoria looked up again.
"I lost my mory three months ago."
The doctor nodded gently. "Yes, your family inford us."
Anya looked at the floor. Viktoria’s voice was quieter now.
"I don’t rember anything from before the accident."
Her mother spoke carefully. "We know."
Viktoria looked between them. "Then explain sothing to ."
No one answered. Her heart began beating faster.
"You all know Nikolai and I have never slept together."
Anya looked up slowly. Her mother’s expression remained calm, but the tension in her shoulders returned.
Viktoria felt sothing cold settle in her stomach.
"If I’m three months pregnant," she said slowly, "then that ans this happened before the accident."
There was silence. The doctor didn’t interrupt as Anya finally spoke quietly.
"Viktoria..."
Viktoria’s voice sharpened. "So whose baby is it?"
No one answered, none of them had the answer. Except Viktoria, and she had no mory of that.
Her mother looked away briefly, that small movent told Viktoria everything.
Her heart started pounding harder. "You know sothing."
Her mother didn’t respond. "Mom."
Viktoria felt fear start creeping in. "You all know Nikolai and I haven’t slept together," she said again.
Anya nodded slowly. "Yes."
"Then how am I pregnant?"
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