Nine

Valeria’s POV

"What?" I exclaimed through a throat that felt like it had been clogged with sawdust.

I didn't know that I had fallen backwards into the chair until Ivy put out a hand to steady me. The bottom fell out of my world. Pregnant? How could I possibly be pregnant? I tried to do a bit of calculation to remember when last I had seen my period, but my head was in a whirl and I could not think straight.

Horrified, I stared up at Ivy, who held my hand tightly. I convulsively squeezed her hand.

"Ivy... you wouldn't lie or joke about something like this, would you? If it's some kind of joke-"

Ivy looked disgusted at the very idea.

"You know me better than that," she said. "I would never joke about something like that in the first place."

"Okay. But- but are you sure about the results? Maybe there was some sort of mixup. Mistakes can happen, results can get swapped, or maybe you need to take another sample or- or-"

With a sigh, she sat beside me. "I know this is very hard for you t