Chapter 2: Pregnant

Tatiana quickly lay on the bed, pretending to be asleep. Her heart racing, threatening to jump out of its ribcage.

"What are you talking about?" The man’s deep, rich voice sounded, and Tatiana felt a chill run down her spine. Oh heavens, what is she going to do?

She peeked at him just to see how he looked but only saw his back view. A tall, imposing figure, definitely not old or crippled, but incredibly hot. He was speaking with someone on the phone.

"I thought you promised to send someone. What the fuck am I supposed to tell her when she wakes?" he asked the person on the other side.

Tatiana frowned. He had been expecting someone to sleep with last night. He was probably one of those rich men who paid to sleep with women. She clenched her jaw.

‘I’m not a whore,’ she thought to herself.

He ended the call, and Tatiana shut her eyes again. She heard his footsteps fading and the door shutting. He had entered his dressing room.

Tatiana sprang up from the bed, put on her clothes, and stormed out. She took her phone and found many missed calls from Jolene. She called back.

"Tatie? Oh my God, are you alright? Where are you?" Jolene asked hastily.

"At the hotel," Tatiana responded.

"Hotel? I came to check on you, but you weren’t there. I thought Mr. Wallington got you," Jolene sounded worried.

"My father?"

"Yes, a maid called from the mansion twenty minutes ago. Mr. Wallington has sent his men, and they're searching for you everywhere, but I've got this under control," Jolene said over the phone. "Fortunately, I had prepared a flight for you last night."

"Good, let's meet at the hotel parking lot," Tatiana ordered, her voice firm.

Upon reaching the parking lot, Tatiana found Jolene and entered the car.

"So, where were you?" Jolene asked, raising a brow.

"Complicated, annoying, and I don't want to talk about it," Tatiana stated, her eyes fixed on the road ahead.

She knew they had to leave quickly, before her father's men caught up. There was no time to stop at the pharmacy, either.

___

[Europe]

Tatiana smiled warmly as her middle-aged aunt, Catelyn, placed a steaming cup of black coffee before her.

"Thank you, Mrs. Cat," Tatiana said, grateful.

Catelyn, her father's younger sister, was smart, lovely, and close to Tatiana. After the disastrous wedding, this was the only place Tatiana could find solace.

"I've spoken with your father," Catelyn began. "He's furious about the humiliation he suffered at the wedding."

Tatiana's eyes dropped, her voice barely above a whisper. "Did he disown me?"

Catelyn paused before responding. "Something like that. But you don't need to worry. My brother deserved what happened to him. He was trying to control your life, and I'm glad you stood up for yourself."

Tatiana's gaze lifted, a hint of a smile on her lips. "Thank you, Mrs. Cat."

Two months passed quickly as Tatiana found a job to keep herself busy. Catelyn had suggested she pursue acting, a dream she'd abandoned long ago, but Tatiana refused.

One day, while scrolling through social media, Tatiana saw Nathan flirting openly with his slut, Paisley. Her chest tightened, and she dropped her phone.

Her mind drifted to the mysterious man she'd spent a night with, and she sighed. Lately, she'd been feeling sick and tired, but hadn't mentioned it to Catelyn, not wanting to worry her.

Just then, the door opened, and Catelyn walked in with groceries.

"I'm home!" she announced.

Tatiana stood to help, but a sharp headache struck, and her vision blurred. She stumbled, falling to the floor.

"Ta-tie!" Catelyn cried out, rushing to her side.

Tatiana's world went dark.

When she woke up, she was in a hospital bed, Catelyn beside her.

"You're pregnant, ma'am," the nurse announced, and Tatiana's eyes widened in shock, mirroring Catelyn's.

“The doctor will attend to you soon.”

Immediately after the nurse left, Catelyn faced Tatiana with wide eyes.

"Please tell me this baby isn’t Nathan’s."

"It’s not. Nathan and I haven’t slept together for two years," Tatiana responded, and Catelyn frowned harder. She then explained how she ended up in another man’s bed the night she was betrayed.

"I'm stupid, I know. Not only did my marriage not work, now I’m pregnant by a man I know nothing about. I'm sure you probably think I’m a whore…" Tatiana croaked as tears streamed down her face.

"Shh... sweetie, don’t say that. I do not think of you like that. Everything happens for a reason. Everyone makes mistakes, and some mistakes can change one’s life forever," Catelyn assured her, and Tatiana gauged her expression; she didn’t seem mad at her.

"Do you wish to find the father?"

"No, that would be too embarrassing. I don’t want to inconvenience him because of my mistakes," Tatiana replied, and Catelyn nodded in agreement.

"I guess I’m becoming a grandmother soon," Catelyn said, and they both chuckled.

"Jolene will be so mad at me."

"No, I think she’ll be happy."

 ____

~Six years later~

Tatiana stepped into the apartment, exhausted from a long day. She found her five-year-old son sitting in the living room, swinging his legs while watching a movie and munching on popcorns.

"Mother!" He exlaimed, his head snapping towards her. Tatiana smiled brightly, pulling him into a warm hug.

"How was school, sweetie?" she asked, as Dylan broke the hug.

"I'm not going back to that school. There's no privacy," Dylan complained.

Tatiana's face turned cold, concern etched on her face. "Did someone hurt you?"

Dylan was her top priority, and she was fiercely protective of him. The last time a man had said something harsh about her son, Tatiana had broken his nose with a single punch.

"No. I can't get hurt; I'm a knight, remember? I can protect myself." Dylan flexed his tiny arm, making Tatiana chuckled.

"Then what is wrong?"

"Girls at school won't stop staring at me. It's so uncomfortable; I can't even focus well in class. My teacher called me cute several times, and I feel like she is crushing on me."

Tatiana struggled to contain her laughter.

"That's not funny, Mom. They're distractions—cute, but distractions. I need to focus on my studies and make you proud," Dylan said, and Tatiana pecked his round cheek.

Dylan was cute and brilliant, and Tatiana had long gotten used to the charm her son carried. Especially those blue eyes of his, which he definitely didn’t get from her.

"You're back," Catelyn emerged from the kitchen.

Soon, they all settled down to have dinner.

Catelyn liked Dylan very much, and Dylan considered her his grandmother.

"So, mom, am I changing schools?"

"No."

Dylan made a sad face. "Maybe I'll choose one of them as my girlfriend."

Tatiana almost choked. "Where did you get that side of yours? Eat."

Catelyn let out a secret smile, and they continued eating silently.

"So, mother," Dylan broke the silence again. Both women looked up at him, but his next question made their faces pale.

"When am I going to meet my father?"