Page 33 of Mortify

But those two lines would change everything.

My phone rings, startling me so badly I drop the box.

Unknown number.

My heart pounds as I debate answering.

What if it's Dylan from a different phone?

What if he knows I've blocked him?

What if?—

I let it go to voicemail.

A minute later, the notification pops up.

I listen with my finger hovering over the delete button.

"Everly, it's Luisa from MetStar Pharmacy. I'm calling about your birth control prescription. It looks like you haven’t gotten your last month's refill. I have it pending to pick up, but please call me back as soon as possible and let me know if you’re coming to get it."

Dylan always went to go get my refills, but he didn’t this time… how long has he been doing this?

The phone slips from my numb fingers.

I sink to the bathroom floor, back against the cold tile wall.

How long have I been taking fake pills thinking I was protected?

The sobs come hard and fast, shaking my entire body.

I press my face into my knees, trying to muffle the sound even though I'm alone.

Always trying to be quiet, even in my own apartment.

That's what he's done to me.

Made me small and quiet and afraid.

But there might be someone else to think about now. Someone innocent who didn't ask for any of this.

I force myself to stand, to pick up the test.

My hands shake as I follow the instructions, as I set the stick on the counter, as I set a timer for three minutes.

The longest three minutes of my life.

I can't stay in the bathroom, can't watch those lines appear.

Instead, I pace my small living room, arms wrapped around myself.

The photos on the walls mock me—pictures from before Dylan, when I still smiled without calculating the consequences.

Me with Gwen and Vail at my EMT graduation.

Me with Astrid at Christmas last year.

Me looking happy and free and whole.

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