I stared at the screen, heart thudding like it wanted to leap out of my chest. Her name kept flashing — bright and taunting — as if the universe wanted to remind me exactly who I was betraying.
I didn't answer.
I couldn't.
Not yet.
I let it ring out.
But Selena, as unrelenting as ever, called two more times before I finally picked up.
I placed the phone between my neck and shoulder and sighed, already bracing myself for whatever she was about to say.
"Hello," I greeted, my heart thudding in my chest like a child caught sneaking a jar of sugar. "How are you doing, Selena?" I added, trying to sound normal — trying to sound like a sister who hadn't just betrayed her.
"Hey. I'm fine," she replied, but she didn't sound fine. She sounded tired. Exhausted. Worn thin. "I'm just so tired," she added, desperation — I think — clinging to her voice like a lifeline.
"I did it."
The words came out low, like something inside me was still fighting to keep them in.
There was silence on the other end. Then—
"Huh?" Selena's voice was laced with confusion.
"I said I finally did it." I paused, swallowing hard. "I had sex with him. We can only pray it works... and that I get pregnant."
I said it all in one breath — like ripping off a bandage.
"Oh my God. Oh my God, thank you!" she breathed, the excitement in her voice almost too bright, too much.
Then, just as quickly, it dimmed.
"I'm so sorry for putting you in this position, Serena."
And there it was — the guilt, creeping in behind the relief. Too late."I already told you not to apologize. If I didn't want to do it, I wouldn't have. You're my sister, after all."
I tucked the mess of my feelings into a small, sealed box somewhere in the back of my mind — and started comforting her, like that made everything okay.
"I don't know what I would've done if I didn't have you," she said, her voice catching — thick with emotion.
"Let's just hope for the best," I said quietly. "Which is me getting pregnant… and your husband never finding out about any of this."
I was silently hoping too.
"Yes, I kn—"
Her voice was cut off by a sharp clatter near the library door.
Something — or someone — had been there. And whatever it was… moved away fast.
"What was that?" Selena's voice came through the phone, sharp with panic — the fear of being found out hitting her fast.
"I don't know," I said, already rising to my feet and walking toward the door.
I opened it and peeked into the long, empty hallway. Nothing. Not even a pin on the floor.
"I think it's just a maid cleaning," I told her, trying to keep my voice steady — trying to keep her steady.
Even though I didn't believe what I'd just said.
"Okay," she breathed, relief softening her voice.
We talked a little more — nothing too serious. I asked when she'd be back, but she gave me her usual response:
"Soon."
**********************
Two weeks later.
Things between Killian and me have been... okay.
We had sex again when he finally came home twelve days ago. And yes, it was even better than the last time — but this time, I made sure to close my heart off.
Completely.
"Hey, what are you doing out of bed?" Killian's voice came from behind me, his arms slipping around my waist.
"I couldn't sleep," I said, eyes still fixed on the night sky. "So I wanted to watch the stars."
"Mmm, that sounds nice... but you need to sleep," he murmured, tucking my head under his chin and wrapping his arms tighter around me.
It felt... nice. Safe. And I liked it — maybe more than I should have.
"I know," I mumbled against his chest, turning my face slightly to nestle deeper into him.
"Okay," he said simply.
Then, to my surprise — with a soft gasp escaping me — he scooped me up in his arms, bridal style, and started walking toward the bed.
"Killian! What are you doing?" I squirmed in his hold, not expecting a move like that from him.
"Mmm... what does it look like?"
His deep voice rumbled against my skin, vibrating through my body, and I shivered."You didn't have to—carry me!" I protested, though by now I'd stopped struggling.
When we reached the edge of the bed, he gently laid me down on the right side, then moved around to the other, slipping under the covers.
He pulled me close, tucking me into his arms like I belonged there.
And... the guilt crept in.
This isn't fair.
What we're doing to him — it's not fair.
----
"Blech."
I bent over the bathroom closet, throwing up for what felt like the hundredth time — though it was probably only the fifth.
I'd woken up that morning feeling weak, my stomach unable to hold down food, and my nose suddenly sensitive to smells that never used to bother me.
"Oh God," I moaned, sliding down to sit on the floor, my back resting against the cool bathroom wall.
The sound of the door creaking open made me lift my head — as much as my weakened body would allow. I looked up at Killian, pitiful and drained.
"Hey… how are you feeling?"
He walked over and knelt down in front of me, tucking a few stray strands of hair behind my ear. Gently, he lifted my chin and wiped the sweat glistening on my face with his thumb.
"Not good," I moaned. "I feel like shit."
I let my head fall back against the wall.
"Okay," he said softly. "I'll call the family doctor to come check on you."
He slipped one arm behind my back, the other beneath my outstretched legs, and lifted me effortlessly from the bathroom floor — carrying me back to the bed.
I didn't know when I fell asleep.
But I woke up to the sound of two voices — one was Killian's. The other belonged to a man I didn't recognize.
"—Mr. Reign, your wife is fine. But she needs rest. A lot of it, considering the condition she's in," the unfamiliar voice said.
"Condition?" Killian sounded confused. My eyes snapped open.
Is something wrong with me?
I turned my head toward the voices. Killian stood there in black pants and a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, speaking to a man who looked to be in his early fifties — salt-and-pepper hair, clean-shaven face, a stethoscope hanging casually around his neck like he'd just come from a clinic.
Then came the words that dropped like a bomb.
"Congratulations, Mr. Reign. Your wife is two weeks pregnant."
I blinked.
I'm pregnant?