Page 119 of Dr. Damaged Protector

“Hear me out and don't get upset please,” I pleaded. “I don't want to ask if everything is going okay. You seem a lot more stressed, and I'm worried.”

“I know but everything is fine; it's just maybe one of those months?” she speculated, unsure of herself.

I remembered that she had been buying toiletries, so maybe she was on her period.

“That's fine. And not to sound jealous or obsessive, who's the guy who keeps bothering you during your break?” I asked. “I'm not stopping you from talking to him. I just want to know that he isn't a threat.”

“He's a former friend. You've met him before at the superstore,” she said.

“The man with the tattoos?” I asked. “You were uncomfortable the whole time. Why would you let him meet you again!”

“it's not like he's doing anything; we are just discussing,” she replied.

“If that's the case, why do you always look so upset?” I asked.

“Because his energy is too much and he can be very demanding,” she explained. “I know what I'm doing, Lucas.”

“Are you sure? We promised that if we had an issue….”

“I could ask for your help if I couldn’t handle something,” she reminded me. “How exactly am I going to do it, if you don't let me try first.”

“That means there's a problem, right now, that you're trying to fix,” I concluded.

“A little less complicated than that, but just let me handle it,” she pleaded. “I know you want to protect me and I adore that, I really do…but you have to let me try.”

I stared at her. It's not like it had been a while since she had put some distance between us. But she was asking me to trust her ability. What kind of boyfriend would I have been if I didn't believe in her?

“You're right,” I said. “It was wrong of me not to let you at least try your own method. I'm just worried, that's all.”

“And you shouldn't be worrying,” she said as she walked over to the side of my desk and straddled me. “I've got this.”

“I guess you do,” I confirmed and smiled.

“How about a kiss to get you going?” she asked.

“I would love that,” I replied.

She kissed me and I returned it. There was nothing to worry about. Nothing at all.

Until there was.

Chapter thirty-five

Trusting the Wrong Persons

Olivia

Liam told me that he wanted us to meet and finally discuss terms. I decided to pick the location just to be safe. It was a cafe in the neighborhood. But that week, something happened.

I woke up feeling nauseous and very weak, but not too weak that I couldn't go out. It turned out that I was almost a month pregnant. Let me tell you, my body decided to spill the beans in the most clichéd way possible. Nausea became my constant sidekick. I swear, the smell of coffee I used to love suddenly turned into my mortal enemy, triggering queasiness all day long.

Guess what? Bathroom breaks became my new hobby, and that little stick with two lines confirmed what I had had a hunch about. My emotions were all over the place as the reality of being a mom-to-be hit me. And oh boy, the fatigue - I'd never felt tiredness settling into my bones like this before.

Classic morning sickness became my routine, and everything in the world seemed to spin with a crazy intensity. Simple scents started playing with my emotions like it was some kind of weird dance. Amid these regular moments, a subtle discomfort lingered, a reminder that my body was now playing host not to just me, but a tiny human in the making.

“Are you sure everything is alright?” Lucas asked.

I was yet to tell him, but I didn't want to tell him to avoid any problems.

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