Page 12 of Royally Taught

“Again?” my mom asks from behind him. I hear the faucet running before a cool towel is placed on the back of my neck.

I release a groan at the feeling, but the relief doesn’t last long. I continue to throw up until I’m exhausted, and there’s nothing left in my stomach. I sit back against the cold tiles and look up at my mom. Her brows pinched together as she watches me carefully.

“Are you late?” she questions.

I blink, wondering what she’s talking about, but when her gaze moves to my stomach, it clicks.

Oh shit.

It’s been six weeks since Jacob and I had sex. Six. In those weeks, I haven’t had a period.

Oh. My. God.

“Mom,” I whisper, horrified, and watch as her eyes shutter close. “What do I do?”

“We need to be certain,” she says as she straightens up. “Then your father will have to be told.”

That’s the very last thing I want, but I know that if I am pregnant, I won’t be able to hide it.

“The person you were with will also have to know,” she says, her voice filled with disdain. “I’m assuming you know who it is.”

Pain laces through me. God. What does she take me for?

“Of course,” I hiss. “Jeez, mom, I’m not a whore.”

She lifts her head, not acknowledging my comment. “I’ll make an appointment with the doctor. Be ready and downstairs within the hour, Anastasia, do not be late.”

I hear the disappointment in her voice, and the tears form in my eyes. They put a lot of trust in me when I went away to university, but now look at me… Pregnant by my professor.

What am I going to do?

Three hours later, it’s been confirmed. I’m going to have a baby. My mom is angry and disappointed, and she hasn’t spoken to me. I’m so confused and heartbroken. Mine and Jacob’s last conversation keeps replaying over and over in my head. The coldness in his eyes, the anger in his voice. It didn’t make sense. We barely knew each other. We never spent time together talking. We let our attraction take over, and now look at us.

I’m pregnant and alone.

“Where is she?” I hear my brother Richard ask as he stalks into the room.

My parents dismissed the majority of staff not long after I came home, I guess they want to be free to scream and shout at me without having anyone overhear them that hadn’t been working in the palace for years.

“I’m here,” I say softly.

His footsteps sound hard against the tiled floor, and within seconds he’s crouching down in front of me. “Are you okay?”

I bite back a sob. It’s the first time anyone has asked me if I’m okay since I found out that I’m expecting.

“No matter what, it’s going to be okay,” he promises me as he pulls me into his arms.

“They hate me,” I whisper, trying my hardest not to let the tears fall. “Mom hates me.”

“She doesn’t,” he says, but even I can hear the hesitation in his voice. “She’s in shock, we all are.”

“No,” I say, shaking my head. “You didn’t see her, Rich, she’s so angry.”

“Ah, you’re here,” I hear from behind me and pull out of my brother's hold and glance behind me to look at my father, my mom right behind him, not looking any happier than she had been. My father steps into the room and glances at me before he turns to my brother. “You both are.”

“What are we going to do about her?” my mom hisses. “She’s going to disgrace our family.”

The disdain in her voice has my heart-shattering. Why is she so damn angry? Why is she treating me like this?

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