Chapter 3 Chapter Three

ELENA

TWO MONTHS LATER

Two lines. 

Pregnant. 

I stood frozen in front of the sink, my fingers gripped the edge so tightly my knuckles had gone pale. My heart wouldn’t slow down.

It had been racing ever since I woke up with that uneasy feeling in my stomach. At first, I had ignored it, blamed stress, long hours and skipped meals.

But then I counted the days and everything inside me had gone cold. Now the truth sat in my trembling hands.

Two thin pink lines.

Clear.

My breath came out in a sharp, uneven exhale.

“No” I whispered, shaking my head like that could undo it. 

“No, no, no…”

But the lines didn’t disappear. They only stated back at me, mocking me for the decision I had taken two months ago. 

My knees felt weak, and I sank slowly onto the closed toilet seat, the test still clutched in my hand. 

Pregnant.

The word echoed in my head, louder with every second.

From one night. One reckless, impulsive, completely unforgettable night. My chest tightened.

Cal.

I squeezed my eyes shut, his face flashing instantly behind them. The way he had looked at me. The way he had worshipped my body. My eyes snapped open again. 

“But we used protection. How could this be?” I said aloud, my voice breaking. 

“I don’t even know his last name”

Panic surged through me. What am I supposed to do? How would I handle this? A baby?

I shot up from the seat, pacing the small bathroom, my bare feet cold against the tiles.

“Okay. Okay. Think” I muttered.

But thinking wasn’t helping. Thinking was making it worse. My hands were shaking when I reached for my phone on the counter. There was only one person I could call. I tapped the contact and pressed the phone to my ear, my breath coming too fast.

It rang once.

Twice.

Then…

“Elena? Why are you calling me this early? Did you finally quit your job or…”

“I’m pregnant” I blurted out. There was a pause 

“What?” Her voice cracked completely this time. 

“I’m pregnant, Tessa. I’m confused” A sharp inhale came through the phone.

“Okay. Okay, wait…are you sure?”

“I took the test. Two lines. I’m currently holding it” I said, my words tumbling over each other. 

“I don’t know what to do” I cried. 

“Hey, hey, don’t say that,” Tessa said quickly, her tone shifting instantly into calm mode. “First of all, breathe”

“I can’t breathe!”

“Try”Tessa insisted gently. “In. Out. Come on” 

I pressed a hand to my chest, forcing myself to follow along.

In.

Out.

My breathing steadied slightly.

“Okay. Now tell me everything” Tessa continued. 

I let out a shaky breath and ran a hand through my hair.

“It was that night. The gala night, remember. I told you about the guy I met and we had a one night stand” I said. 

“I thought you both used protection?” 

“Yes. No. Shit! I don’t even know what I’m saying. I’m on the pill but it seems the pill fucked me up” I whispered.

“I don’t even know who he is, Tessa. Not his last name or no number… nothing”

“Wait…you didn’t exchange numbers?” Tessa asked, 

“It was supposed to be one night. I didn’t think…” I said weakly.

“Well, clearly ‘something’ was thinking,” Tessa muttered. I let out a strangled laugh that quickly turned into a sob.

“I’m freaking out” I admitted. “I don’t know what to do. I can barely manage my own life, let alone…” my voice broke, “…a baby?”

“Hey. You are not alone in this, okay? We’re going to figure it out. One step at a time” Tessa said firmly. I nodded even though Tessa couldn’t see me

“Tessa…”

“First step, you’re going to sit down and drink some water” Tessa instructed. “Second step, you’re not going to think about the worst-case scenarios”

“Too late” I mumbled.

“I mean it” Tessa said. “You’re smart. You’re capable. You handle a billionaire’s life like it’s nothing. You can handle this”

I leaned back against the bathroom wall, sliding down until I was sitting on the floor.

“This is different” I whispered.

“I know but we’ll dingier something out” Tessa said softly. I wiped at my eyes.

“God… I don’t even know how to find him 

There was a pause on the other end.

“You want to tell him about it?”

“Of course. I don’t want my child to grow up without knowing his/her father. I just don’t know how to find him. What if he’s a criminal or worst someone’s husband?” 

A new wave of panic hit me. I had not been thinking about that last two months but now seemed like the prefect time. 

“Calm down Elena. We’ll figure that out too” Tessa said. 

“I’m sure we’ll be able to find him. People don’t just vanish. Especially men who show up at those kinds of events” I let out a slow breath.

“Yeah…”

“Now, distract yourself for a minute while I order you food. You can turn on the TV” Tessa added, her tone shifting slightly. 

“I’m not hungry”

“I don’t care. You’re eating and I’m coming over now”

I huffed weakly but pushed myself up from the floor and walked into my small living room. I grabbed the remote and turned on the television, letting the morning news fill the silence. It was weekend and something always happens on the weekend. 

Tessa was still talking in my ear, something about comfort food and emergency ice cream but I barely registered it.

“…and in international news” the reporter said, “the president will be departing tomorrow for a global economic summit, accompanied by his son..”

My gaze lifted lazily to the screen and I froze. The world tilted. There he was.

Cal.

But he was just not Cal. He was the motherfucking president’s don!!

He stood beside the president with effortless confidence, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, his expression composed, powerful. 

“…Caleb Sterling’ the reporter continued, “has increasingly taken on a visible role in diplomatic and economic affairs…” my stomach dropped. My grip on the phone tightened.

“Tessa…” I whispered.

“Yeah?”

“I found him” my voice came out barely audible. 

“What? Already? How…”

I couldn’t look away from the screen. 

“He’s…” I swallowed hard, my heart pounding all over again, “he’s the president’s son”