Page 39 of Heart of The Night

The irritation I felt was laced with a bitter sense of irony. To greet me in such a way further entrenched my suspicion of her intentions and reinforced my resolve to reject her.

‘Quite the adolescent stunt, Francesca,’ I couldn’t help myself from saying. My voice carried an edge, a blade forged from frustration and a lingering feeling of disappointment. ‘What are you? Fifteen?’

Caught off guard by my acerbic tone, she stepped back a pace. Her eyes, those arresting hazel eyes, now seemed devoid of understanding. She tucked a stray lock of her caramel curls behind an ear, her lips – full and recently glossed – pressing together.

I took a moment to marvel at the absurdity of it all – the glossy lips, the satin robe. It was a descent into desperation that plumbed new depths.

‘Your dress,’ I said, terseness creeping into my tone. I thrust the paper bag toward her.

Her reply was a soft, ‘Thank you,’ the words trembling in the wake of my hostility. Her hand, the nails manicured to perfection, shook slightly as it closed around the bag. ‘Would you like to come in?’

I couldn’t hold back a scoff, the words tumbling out with more venom than intended: ‘Absolutely not. It’s time you respected my wishes, Francesca.’

‘I didn’t arrange this for that reason,’ she said, the waver in her voice betraying her vulnerability. ‘There’s something I need to tell you, something that should be said face-to-face.’

A shadow of unease crossed her features, one that demanded my attention, and I felt a knot of panic tighten in my stomach. My mind buzzed, swarming with conjecture – was it something to do with Kate? Had some misfortune befallen her?

‘What is it, then?’ The question escaped me before I could rein it in, a morbid curiosity winning over my dread.

Francesca inhaled sharply, the swell of her chest noticeably rising and falling. Her gaze drifted away from mine, lost in some private turmoil. A silence hung between us – thick, palpable. Fraught with anticipation.

‘For heaven’s sake, spit it out,’ I snapped, my patience thinning.

‘I…’ Her voice trailed off before she drew herself up to full height, her eyes resolute as they found mine. ‘I’m pregnant. And there’s a strong chance… it’s yours.’

The world seemed to tilt on its axis, her words echoing like a thunderclap in my mind. I felt a strange, guttural gasp tear itself from my throat, the single word ‘How?’ filling the silence between us. My mind whirled back to our encounters; I had always used protection. Could it have failed us? The statistics, once so reassuringly on our side, now felt like a betrayal.

‘How do you think, Will?’ Her rhetorical question hung in the air like a weight, a bitter reminder of our past.

A deafening quiet stretched between us, time distorting as I grappled with this life-altering revelation.

‘I intend to keep it,’ she murmured, breaking the silence. Her gaze flitted to the empty corridor behind me before she gestured into her room. ‘Please, come in. We should talk.’

I felt anchored to the spot, a waxen statue unable to move or react. But then, as if propelled by an unseen force, I found myself crossing the threshold into her room, my mind swimming in a surreal haze, a puppet severed from its strings. What the hell was I supposed to do now?

8 | everything okay?

CARA

My alarm blared, marking the start of another Monday. But, far from the typical blues, today felt different. There was an electric buzz in the air, and I was up in a flash, excited at the thought of seeing William in just a couple of hours.

Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I reached for my phone, silencing the alarm, and quickly scanned my notifications. A smile spread across my face as I spotted a message from William. He had been oddly quiet yesterday, which left me feeling, quite frankly, dejected. We had spent almost all of Saturday together after our Friday night date, and yet, the single day of radio silence had felt like an eternity. Desperate for a bit of him, I had sent a text just before bed: Hope you had a nice day. Can’t wait to see you tomorrow x

But he hadn’t replied – hadn’t even read it – before I fell asleep.

His response, time-stamped two o’clock in the morning, read: I miss you x

A warm flush of relief filled me. It was comforting to know he felt the same. Still, the late hour of his message gave me pause. He would be tired today, no doubt. What had kept him up? Work, probably. Then I recalled Jian would have called him yesterday. Perhaps the trouble at Fusion was what had eaten into his sleep hours. Whatever the reason, I resolved that today would be a day of extra kindness and efficiency on my part, to help alleviate the inevitable fatigue William would face, and to help him manage his looming workload.

Rolling out of bed, I breezed through my shower and breakfast. Jason was still asleep, which was odd. Like his brother, he was an early riser, usually off to the gym at the crack of dawn. Maybe he was taking a rest day. I shrugged, deciding not to disturb him, trusting he had his reasons for the lie-in. I went about my morning routines as quietly as I could, applying make-up and selecting my outfit for the day: a chic, black satin blouse with the top two buttons undone, a white, high-waisted pencil skirt, and some understated black heels.

The morning sun was in full force as I stepped outside, the balmy air washing over me. I instantly regretted my choice of a black top, feeling it hungrily absorb the heat. The trip on the Tube was less than refreshing – hot, stuffy air and a train crammed with people. By the time I spilled out onto Cannon Street, the outside air felt surprisingly good in comparison.

Inside the imposing Day & Night building, it was a whole different climate, the air conditioning a saving grace. No sweltering through the workday here. As per my routine, I was ten minutes early. William was typically a right-on-time kind of guy, clocking in at eight sharp. So when I pushed open the door to his office, I was taken aback to see him already there.

Our eyes met, and for a fleeting moment, I thought I caught a glimmer of apprehension in his.

‘Hi,’ I said, curiosity tingeing my tone. ‘You’re here early. Everything okay?’

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