Page 48 of Plus-Size Bratva Bride

I waved him off. "It's nothing. I'm just tired."

He leaned against the table, arms folded across his broad chest. "Pippa," he said, his tone softening, "you don't have to put on a brave face for me."

I sighed, my resolve crumbling under his concern. "I've been feeling a bit off lately. Probably just a bug going around."

In an instant, Abe was crouching beside my chair, his hand on my forehead. "Thank god, no fever. But why didn't you say something sooner? Could it be that what we mistook for food poisoning was something else?"

"I didn't want to make a fuss," I admitted, suddenly feeling small under his intense gaze. “And yeah. Could have been a bug.”

Abe's jaw clenched, but his touch remained gentle as he helped me to my feet. "That's it. You're staying home to rest, and I'm taking care of you."

"But we have a dozen interviews—”

"Can wait. I’ll call the office and have them rescheduled." He finished firmly. "You're more important."

As he led me to my bedroom, his arm protectively around my waist, I couldn't help but lean into his solid warmth. Despite my protests, a part of me relished in his care, in feeling looked after for the first time in years.

***

The sharp trill of Abe's phone shattered the quiet of my bedroom. I watched his brow furrow as he answered, his voice low and tense. After a brief exchange, he turned to me, conflict etched across his face.

"I have to go," he said, running a hand through his dark hair. "There's an… issue that needs my immediate attention."

I nodded and gave him a smile. "Of course. Go, I'll be fine."

Abe hesitated. "You're sure?"

"Positive," I assured him in a chirpy voice. "I'm a big girl, Abe. I can handle a little bug."

He made way for the door but turned back before leaving. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Rest, okay? If you needanything, call me."

He made me promise before he left.

As the door clicked shut behind him, the silence of the apartment engulfed me. I sank deeper into the bed, my mind racing. The nausea, the fatigue, the dizziness—I'd been chalking it up to stress. Now, with Abe wondering if it was a bug, my mind began to spin.

Had I truly been sick, the symptoms wouldn’t have come and gone only to return in such a random manner now, would it? Some days, I threw up. On other days, I had headaches coming and going. The fatigue hit worst in the afternoons, but I had energy in the mornings.

It just didn’t make any sense. It couldn’t have been a bug. And I had faced a lot more stress in the past.

Was I…?

I picked up my phone and quickly looked at my menstrual app. Suddenly, the pieces fell into place like a cruel jigsaw puzzle completing a painful picture. Panic surged in my chest as I realized the truth that had been lurking beneath the surface of denial. The symptoms, the timing, the endless sex with Abe—it all pointed to one undeniable conclusion. I’d been so busy, I hadn’t noticed that I missed my last period.

***

I peeked down the hallway, before rushing back to my room, clutching the purse where I tucked away a pregnancy test I stole from the medical room. Must have been Emory’s or Adley’s, but I hoped none of them would notice.

With trembling hands, I retrieved the test, staring at the innocuous pink box. My heart pounded as I made my way to the bathroom, each step feeling like a march toward a life-altering moment.

The wait was excruciating. I paced, chewing my nails, my mind a whirlwind of 'what ifs'. When the timer on my phone chimed, I nearly jumped out of my skin.

Taking a deep breath, I picked up the test. Two pink lines stared back at me, unmistakable and earth-shattering.

"Oh, God," I whispered, sinking to the cold tile floor. Tears pricked at my eyes as a maelstrom of emotions washed over me—shock, fear, and buried beneath it all, a tiny spark of joy I wasn't ready to acknowledge. This was one of the things I wanted most. Someone to call family, having been deprived of one at such a young age.

My heart hammered in my chest as I pressed a hand to my still-flat stomach, my mind reeling. How would Abe react? What would this mean for us, for my career, for everything?

As I sat there, the test clutched in my shaking hand, I realized my life had irrevocably changed in the span of three minutes. And I had no idea what to do next.

---