Chapter 6
The next morning, I woke up early.
My stomach was turning.
I ran to the bathroom.
I heaved into the toilet.
Nothing came up.
Just dry heaves.
I sat on the floor.
My heart was racing.
I was late.
Two weeks late.
I’d been so busy with the wedding planning that I hadn’t noticed.
Or maybe I’d been ignoring it.
Hoping it was just stress.
I stood up.
I washed my face.
I looked in the mirror.
I needed to know.
I drove to the pharmacy.
I bought three pregnancy tests.
Different brands.
I wanted to be sure.
I drove home.
I went into the bathroom.
I locked the door.
Five minutes later, I stared at the results.
Three positive tests.
Three little plus signs.
I was pregnant.
I sat on the closed toilet.
My hands shook.
I was having Ethan’s baby.
And he already had a seven-year-old son.
And a dying ex-girlfriend in my guest room.
How was this possible?
How was I going to tell him?
I heard a knock on the door.
“Claire? Are you okay?”
It was Ethan.
I quickly stuffed the tests into the trash can.
I covered them with toilet paper.
“I’m fine,” I called. “Just… not feeling well.”
“Can I come in?”
I hesitated.
“Give me a minute.”
I washed my hands.
I splashed cold water on my face.
I took a deep breath.
I opened the door.
Ethan stood there.
Concern written all over his face.
“Are you sick?”
I shook my head.
“Just tired. And my stomach is upset.”
He put his hand on my forehead.
“You don’t have a fever.”
“I’m fine, Ethan. Really.”
I walked past him.
Down the stairs.
Sarah was in the kitchen.
She looked better.
More color in her cheeks.
Liam was eating cereal.
“Good morning,” Sarah said.
Her voice was stronger.
“Morning.”
I forced a smile.
I poured myself a glass of water.
My hands were still shaking.
Ethan came downstairs.
He put his arm around me.
“Claire’s not feeling well.”
Sarah looked at me.
Her eyes were sharp.
Observant.
“Stomach issues?” she asked.
I nodded.
“Morning sickness?”
The room went silent.
Ethan’s arm tightened around me.
He looked down at me.
“Claire?”
I couldn’t lie.
Not to him.
Not anymore.
I nodded.
Tears filled my eyes.
“I’m pregnant.”
The words hung in the air.
Ethan stared at me.
His mouth opened and closed.
“You’re…?”
“I took three tests,” I said. “All positive.”
Liam looked up from his cereal.
“Pregnant? Does that mean there’s a baby?”
I nodded.
“Yeah, buddy. There’s a baby.”
Liam’s face lit up.
“Am I going to be a big brother?”
I looked at Ethan.
He was still processing.
“That depends,” I said.
Ethan finally found his voice.
“Claire… I… are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
He pulled me into his arms.
He held me tight.
“I can’t believe it,” he whispered. “We’re having a baby.”
Sarah watched us.
A sad smile on her face.
“Congratulations,” she said.
Her voice was quiet.
I pulled away from Ethan.
I looked at Sarah.
Guilt washed over me.
Here she was.
Dying.
And I was announcing a new life.
“Sarah, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
She held up a hand.
“Don’t apologize. This is wonderful news. Liam deserves a sibling. And you two deserve happiness.”
She looked at Liam.
“See, baby? You’re going to be a big brother.”
Liam jumped off his chair.
He ran over to me.
He hugged my legs.
“I’m going to teach the baby everything. How to ride a bike. How to throw a baseball. How to…”
He stopped.
He looked up at me.
“Can boys be big brothers to girls too?”
I laughed through my tears.
“Of course they can.”
Ethan knelt down.
He put his hand on my stomach.
“Hey, little one,” he whispered. “We’re going to love you so much.”
He looked up at me.
His eyes were shining.
“We’re going to have a baby, Claire. We’re actually going to have a baby.”
In that moment, everything felt perfect.
Like all the pieces were falling into place.
But I knew better.
I knew that Margaret would find out.
And when she did…
She would use this baby against us.
She would try to control it.
Just like she’d tried to control everything else in Ethan’s life.
And I wasn’t going to let that happen.
Not to my baby.
Not to Liam.
Not to Sarah.
May you like
And not to Ethan.
It was time to fight back.
