Page 55 of Malevolent Secrets

Fuck.

I gasp, my hand flying to my mouth in shock.

“What?” I manage to stammer, my voice a mix of disbelief and rising panic.

Dr. Hendricks’ expression remains calm. “I’m sure you weren’t aware. Your symptoms were heightened because of the imbalance with your hormones and I think it’s best that…” the doctor continues to speak, but I don’t hear her anymore.

I’m pregnant and the child belongs to Lorenzo. How stupid could I have been? How utterly foolish. I remember the first night almost exactly three weeks ago now, but when I think of him touching me, instead of the desire that typically curls in my stomach, bile rises and I slam my palm against my mouth to stop the puke.

“Are you all right?” Dr Hendrick’s voice is soft, and her eyebrows are bent with worry.

“No, I’m not all right, nothing is all right. This-this isn’t how it’s supposed to go.”

I am aware that there are tears in my eyes and they are spilling down my face, but I can’t do anything to stop them.

“No, that can’t be right,” I say, my voice trembling. “I—”

Dr. Hendricks nods sympathetically. “I understand that this comes as a huge shock. We can discuss your options and make a plan that’s best for you.”

I conjure up Jeremy’s face, trying to remember his smile and the tender way he looked at me. I can barely recall the sound of his voice, his laughter, the way he had loved me. He would’ve been an exceptional father. But what’s the point? The child isn’t even his.

He must hate me right now. Whereever he is, whatever he’s doing, if he can look down from the other world, he is probably disgusted with me right now, having another man’s baby in my womb and not just any man, Lorenzo Duretti. A fucking Duretti.

My mind races and I feel as though I’m sinking. “I need a moment,” I say, struggling to find the words.

“Of course. Take your time to process this however you need to.”

I jump down from the examination table and pick up my coat and purse.

“Thank you very much,” I tell her and she smiles, but it is strained.

“I know it may not have been what you planned for, expected, or even wanted, but babies have a way of being the blessing we didn’t know we needed or wanted. It’s the universe’s way of telling us that it knows us better than we do ourselves.”

Honestly, her pep talk is only making matters worse, so I sigh and smile at her.

“Thanks for all your help. I’ll be in touch.”

I leave the examination room, my heart pounding heavily in my chest. The bright, clinical lights of the hospital seem to mock me. I pass by the waiting area again, where the same woman from before gives me a concerned look.

“Are you okay?” she asks softly.

I shake my head, fighting back tears. “No, I’m not okay. It’s…complicated.”

She gives me a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry to hear that. If you need someone to talk to, sometimes sharing helps.”

I wonder what she would say if I told her that the man I love was brutally murdered by a crime syndicate family. And in a bid to infiltrate them and find out more about what happened, I got myself pregnant by their leader.

I offer a weak smile in return, then head toward the lobby. The bustling environment feels overwhelming. Each step I take feels heavier than the last and the weight of the news bears down on me. It is mingling with the fear and confusion about Jeremy’s death.

As I exit the clinic, the world outside seems different, more distant.

The bright sunlight hurts my eyes and the noise of the city feels like an assault on my senses. I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself, but the reality of my situation is overwhelming.

I am faced with an uncertain future, the looming investigation and a life that has just become infinitely more complex.

Chapter Seventeen

Daniella

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