Page 86 of The Alpha's Crimson Vow

I barely make it before I’m sick. My body trembles as I grip the edge of the sink, my breath coming fast. I rinse my mouth, splash cool water on my face, and take a deep, steadying breath before heading back.

Alice is watching me when I return, one brow raised. “Are you okay?”

I nod. “Yeah, I think the cake was just too rich.”

Alice, however, looks unconvinced. She studies me for a long moment, then leans in, her voice lower. “Katherine… have you and Alex been together?”

The way she says it makes something click, and my eyebrows shoot up.

Alice notices the look on my face and adds. “You should get that tested.”

The moment Alice says it, something clicks. Like a puzzle snapping into place, the pieces of the past few weeks rearrange in my mind. The random waves of nausea that I’ve been having, the way I’ve been feeling off without really knowing why.

And then there’s the fact that my period is late.

I’ve been telling myself it’s been stress, that everything weighing on me from the company was throwing my body out of sync. But now, hearing those words, it’s like a light bulb flicks on in my head.

And just like that, a rush of excitement hits me.

A feeling I’ve carried since childhood, since the days I dreamed of having a child of my own, a child I would shower with all the love and attention I feel I missed out on when I was a child.

Alice pulls out her phone and makes a call. Moments later, one of her guards appears, waiting for instructions.

“Go get a pregancy test kit,” she tells him. He nods and leaves.

And I sit here, my pulse racing, my mind spinning.

I might be pregnant.

The guard returns in a few short minutes and hands me a small paper bag. I thank him and mutter an “Excuse me.” to Alice as I rise from my seat. My heart is pounding so hard I can feel it in my throat as I step into the bathroom. The door swings shut behind me, muffling the sounds of the restaurant, enclosing me in a quiet space where it’s just me and the thoughts racing through my head.

I clutch the small paper bag Alice’s guard handed me, my fingers trembling slightly as I pull out the test. I already know what I’m hoping for.

A child.My child.

Celebrating birthdays together, throwing extravagant parties, making sure they never feel forgotten or unloved for even a single second. I see myself holding them, comforting them, watching them grow, giving them everything. And the thought—just the idea of it—fills something deep inside me.

I take a shaky breath, grip the test tighter, and do what I need to do.

Then I wait.

I swear the seconds stretch into hours as I stare at the tiny screen, my heart thudding in my chest. My hands feel clammy, my breath shallow.

Then— A second line. My breath catches.

Positive.

A small, stunned sound escapes me. I blink rapidly, my vision going blurry for a second. My pulse races as I fumble for another test, my hands unsteady as I take it.

Both positive. I press a hand to my stomach, my body trembling with emotion.

Oh my God. I’m pregnant.

A rush of warmth spreads through me—so much joy that I don’t even know how to contain it. A smile tugs at my lips before I even realize it’s happening, and suddenly I’m standing here, in the middle of a restaurant bathroom, grinning like an idiot at a pregnancy test.

I laugh softly, shaking my head. This is real.

I am going to be a mom.

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