Page 151 of Unleashed

Michael didn’t hesitate, quickly opening the door and helping me out. “Let’s get you upstairs and into bed.”

With one arm around my waist and the other carrying our bags, he led me toward the elevator, patient as ever. I leaned into him, letting his strength support me, knowing that wherever we were headed, it would be together

"Oh my God,"I said, staring in disbelief at the plastic stick in my hand. I waved it in Erika’s direction, feeling the ground shift beneath me.

“You’re pregnant?” Her eyes widened, though her tone remained calm.

Tears blurred my vision as I handed her the stick. "This couldn’t happen at a worse time. What the fuck am I going to do?"

Erika’s face hardened with determination. “This doesn’t change anything. You still go through with your divorce.”

She had wasted no time after I came home with Michael, connecting me with a lawyer the very next day. I filed for divorce from Slade immediately, sending him the damning video I had received. Erika had confirmed it was the same woman she’d seen him leaving a hotel with weeks earlier.

Slade’s reaction was explosive. He called me every vile name he could think of, fired me from my job, and spitefully announced he would stop paying for my parents’ assisted living. But I didn’t flinch. Michael had already promised to take on the financial responsibility, despite the fact we weren’t married yet. Slade’s tantrum no longer had power over me.

I sank down onto the toilet seat, my legs feeling weak beneath the weight of everything. Erika handed me the pregnancy test, her voice softer now. "It could be Michael’s."

I shook my head, bitterness creeping into my voice. "I doubt it. We barely had sex without a condom for a second. There’s no way. It has to be Slade’s. And he’ll fight me over this. He’s a vindictive bastard."

Erika’s brow furrowed as she pulled out her phone, tapping quickly on the screen.

I eyed her warily. "What are you doing?"

“They have a blood test you can get, but not until you’re about eight weeks pregnant,” she explained, scrolling through some information.

"Michael’s not going to want to raise Slade’s baby," I whispered, the hopelessness sinking in like a heavy fog. "I’m stuck."

Erika looked up, her voice steady. "Michael isn’t like that. He loves you. Lincoln told me he's over the moon now that you're with him."

"And it’ll all end when I tell him I’m pregnant with Slade’s baby," I said, my voice breaking.

“Don’t lose hope,” she urged, crouching beside me.

"My life is shit, Erika. Why should this be any different? I finally have the man I want, and I’m going to lose him."

“Stop that. Just stop it,” she said sharply, grabbing my hand. “You’re underestimating Michael.”

I shook my head, burying my face in my hands as the sobs came uncontrollably. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. This was the worst news I could imagine, and the weight of it crushed me.

Erika sat beside me silently, her hand resting on my back, offering the only comfort she could. But nothing could take away the fear gnawing my insides, the terrifying reality that I might lose everything just as I’d finally started to rebuild.

CHAPTER 32

Two Months Later

Iknew months ago that Slade would make my life a living hell once he found out about the pregnancy. True to form, he didn’t disappoint. He fought for custody of our unborn child, dragging me through the courts while flaunting his younger girlfriend at every opportunity. I was numb to it by then. Whatever love or care I had left for him was gone the moment he began tightening the screws.

The night I broke the news to Michael, I watched that familiar tortured look take over his face again, the one I had hoped would disappear after everything we’d been through. Just when things were finally falling into place for us, fate threw in another cruel twist. But unlike Slade, Michael stood by me, and that was all the assurance I needed. Even with the slim possibility that this child could be his, he didn’t flinch. He was there for me, for us.

On the day of the blood test, I prayed harder than I ever had before. The results would take five agonizing days. Five days of waiting, hoping, dreading. I told Slade the truth right away, and he wasted no time—his attorney immediately filed a motion to demand the results as soon as they were available. Those five days were a nightmare. I tried to hide my fear from Michael, but I knew he felt the same. The last thing we both wanted was Slade hanging over us like a dark cloud, influencing our lives and the life of our child.

“Sweetheart, did you check the website?” Michael’s voice broke through my thoughts.

I couldn’t hold back anymore. Tears welled up for what felt like the hundredth time that day. Michael pulled me into his arms as I clung to his shirt, my fists balled tight.

“I’m so sorry,” I hiccupped between sobs. “This is all my fault.”

He stroked my hair, his voice a calming murmur. “It’s no one’s fault. The chips will fall where they may. I have you in my life, and that’s all that matters. This child is mine, no matter what. I’ll love it like my own.”

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