Page 43 of Bullied Pregnant Mate

My stomach settled, but the thought of eating Chinese, the thought of the smell, made me want to hurl again. I covered my mouth, counting, trying to focus on my breathing rather than the curling that was in my stomach.

I leaned back and reached for the rag I had set on the side of the sink. I pulled, and as it came down, it fell onto the small travel bag I'd been using. I hadn't unboxed everything, and asmall part of me was still worried that this lie would come to the surface and that I would have to leave this home.

I was decorating and imagining it, but I wasn't unboxing. I couldn't unbox things yet. I was still living out of bags in case I had to leave.

My bag tipped over, and I stared into it, wiping my mouth as my eyes took in the contents. Toothpaste, toothbrush, razor, tampons, my….

My hands reached out, grabbing my box of tampons, and my entire body tensed up. I blinked. I bought it when I left for here and haven't opened it yet. My stomach flipped as I realized my period was late.

I took a slow, unsettling breath in and started to count backward. Maybe I was just a few days late, but horror grabbed me. I'd been so focused and busy in my head that I'd missed a period entirely.

I thought of two weeks ago, knowing that wasn't the cause, and then my body froze, knowing it had to have been the first time with Lucas. We hadn’t used a condom; everything had happened too fast. I don’t think either of us even thought about it. I ran a hand over my hair, shaking my head. But he'd pulled out.

Jesus, I sound like a teenager. We all knew the pull-out method was not safe. Only an idiot would think that was safe sex.

I rubbed my palms into my eyes. I should have known. I should have picked up something from the store. I shouldn't have just….

Tears built up, and I felt panic creep over me. This couldn't be seriously happening to me. I couldn't be pregnant….could I? This was terrible timing. Utterly shit timing.

"Gina, if you don't come out, I'm going to come in," Lucas spoke in his neutral, normal voice, but I could tell he was worried.

"Just…let me brush my teeth, and I'll be out in a second."

I pulled myself up, grabbed everything, and slowly brushed my teeth, mulling everything over. I'd missed a period. I had indeed missed one.

I set my toothbrush down and headed out, finding Lucas leaning against the door frame. His eyes snapped up to me instantly, and he frowned. "You got a bug?"

I swallowed, shaking my head. There was no point in lying to him since it had been him. There was no one else whose child it could be.

"My period is late," I said softer, finding it hard to find my voice.

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Well, that happens sometimes, I’m sure. I wouldn't be too concerned about it."

My period was always on time. Every 30 days like clockwork work this….I knew this. I knew my body.

I shook my head. "Not mine." I swallowed. "I've not just missed. My period has stopped."

Lucas froze, seeming to understand what I was saying. I could see the way his eyes were counting back, knowing what I was referring to. His face remained neutral, and he simply nodded, "I see."

I looked away towards the woods. I suddenly wished I could run into them and never look back. This was terrible timing if I was. And such a stupid mistake on my part.

"Gina, you don't know for sure. Until you take a test…"

I glanced at him, seeing a little hope in his eyes. I'm sure he was hoping I was wrong. After all, he wouldn't want to be stuck with me. We agreed to a fake marriage, but a baby…a baby was real. A baby meant he was stuck with me forever. He would be tethered to me for life.

"I can get a test tomorrow."

He simply nodded. "And you're sure? You've never missed a period before….stress can do that. Can’t say you haven’t been stressed."

I shook my head. Even with all the stress in my life and all the pain I was forced to live in. I never missed it. Not once. My body was like clockwork.

"No," I said. "My body may be small and fragile, but it's never failed me." Until now. It had failed me by getting pregnant.

I couldn't look at Lucas as I questioned my life decisions. Why hadn't I picked up plan B? Why didn't I think about the aftermath that comes with unsafe sex?

The space between us fell silent, and it seemed neither of us knew what to say. What could we say? This changed everything.

Chapter 18 - Lucas

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