. The weight of the result she saw, the fact that she was pregnant, had drained every ounce of energy she had.

she should call the doctor. With slow, tired moveme

still in the office?" she aske

"I'll be there soon." She hung up, barely able to gather th

sitting in Doctor Luis's office

d be different," she murmured, her voice th

ou're two months pregnant, Miss Wills," he said, h

ular," she said, confusio

u that you didn't miss something? Maybe an irreg

ding. "Doctor Luis..." she whispered, th

e pregnant. You might be one of them," h

ng sharper as she thought back to the symp

d job. This shouldn't be a problem," th

ready to face. Yes, she had her life together, but the one thing that m

He's said it so many times," she confe

pened?" The doctor asked, his voice softe

tears that threatened to spill. "I don't know," sh

und," Doctor Luis suggested, of

she said quietly, r

nd soon," the doctor add

fter a long moment, she shook her head. "I hope so."

Two months of carrying a child she hadn't planned for. Two months of pretending that it was just a passing thou

the turmoil inside her. What good was her independence if the one pers

. She was exhausted, physically, mentally, emotionally. The pregnancy test, the doct

future, he had been adamant about not wanting children. What would he say when she told him? Would he le

the parking lot. She hadn't told Stan yet. She couldn't bring hers

king her out of her spiraling tho

ading to Vogfill restaur

sage, her hands shaking as she clutched the phone.

y typed ou

to tell you over dinne

ime to face him. Time to tell him what had been weighing on her heart.

t. Her mind raced with the possibilities of how he might react. Anger. Disappointment.

ing lot, she sat in her car for a moment, g

marked with the number 32. There, she paused, taking a slow, deep breat

with each passing minute. As they sat across from each other, she found herself unable to speak the w

hing to avoid the topic that had her heart beating painfully in her

conversation forward. I'll tell

r worries robbing her of a peaceful night's rest. By the time she arriv

was empty. She let out a quiet sigh of relief, feeling the tension in her shoulders loosen just slightly.

ough the pile of documents on her desk. Turning on her computer, she checked her emails, hoping that if s

ind focused on the details of her work. But then, the door sudd

wisted in anger. "What did you tell the C

She wasn't in the mood for his petty games

fit of rage, he grabbed the stack of documents on her desk and

m a glare that could freeze the air. "You didn't just forge my resignation letter, Drake. Now you've

new lover, Vera had kept her silence. She'd seen no point in confronting him when her jo

wanted advances?" Her voice was low, dangero

t with rage. His next words came out like a vow, cold and threa

era stood frozen, her heart pounding, the cold chill of his threat creeping u

a, stepping inside with a look of disgust on her face. "He's so despicable. It's a good t

n. So, that's what had triggered

h you, but I couldn't," Tina began, her tone a

together for three years. If I resigned, shouldn't you have be

ra knew it. Even if Tina couldn't reach her by phone,

ce barely above a whisper. "I'

g?" Vera's words cut through t

holding back something she didn't want to admit. Ver

guilt. "I messed up. I'm sorry," she muttered, her voice barely a

he floor. She moved to pick them up slowly, her mind still churning. Once th

ind. Tina. Something was off. T

strange behavior, along with Drake's explosive ou

together, and she couldn't afford to igno