Chapter 11 Disappointment

Sierra ended up unable to sleep all night as she thought about what might happen to her.

She had never imagined she would find herself in a situation where she might be pregnant. And now that it was happening, she had to face the harsh reality—she didn’t have a husband and wasn’t in a serious relationship with anyone. She had slept with her best friend’s husband, and now, she might be carrying his child after everything they had done together.

When morning came, Sierra honestly couldn’t think of what to do.

She followed Callie, who had been very enthusiastic since the early hours. Callie prepared breakfast and made her finish a bowl of soup before they left for the doctor. Callie hadn’t told Axton anything, and he looked confused when Sierra said she was taking the day off because she had plans with Callie.

In truth, Callie had forbidden her from working since the day before, insisting they go straight to the hospital. However, Sierra refused because she remembered an important work she couldn’t postpone. Callie eventually agreed to go to the hospital the following day—which was today—but decided not to tell Axton anything. As a result, Sierra had to follow her command.

She didn’t understand why Callie chose to keep their plans from Axton, but since Callie kept it a secret, she felt she had no right to say anything either.

Her relationship with Axton had become more awkward after what had happened yesterday.

The agreement she made with Axton had backfired on her. Everything had gone out of control, and she didn’t know how to fix it.

“Is Callie hiding something?” Axton asked when it was just the two of them left at the dining table after Callie went to her room to get ready.

Sierra looked up from her bowl of soup, meeting Axton’s gaze briefly before shrugging. “Why don’t you ask her?”

She wanted to leave the dining table and lock herself in her room until Callie was ready, but she was too late. Now, she was stuck with Axton.

“Are you mad at me?”

Sierra put her spoon down with a loud clang, the sound startling. “Does it matter?” she asked, looking at Axton with a troubled expression.

“Of course, it matters. You’ve been acting like you hate me since yesterday. Do you think Callie won’t notice?” Axton lowered his voice, and she could tell he was checking to make sure Callie wasn’t nearby. “Look, I didn’t come up with that deal. We made the agreement you proposed, so you shouldn’t act this way, right?”

“Can we not talk about this now?”

“Then when do you want to talk about it?”

She wanted to throw her bowl of soup at Axton’s head. Of course, she couldn’t, and she wouldn’t.

“I don’t want to talk about anything related to that deal,” she said, clenching her fists. “There’s nothing to discuss about it. If you agree, fine. If not, we’ll stick to the original deal I made with Callie.”

“So you’re playing games with me?”

“For God’s sake, Axton!” Sierra stood up, glaring at him with the last shred of patience she had left.

She was sure she had lost all control over her emotions since her last conversation with Callie the night before.

She could very well be pregnant with Axton’s child, and that reality shook her. She didn’t know she would feel so emotional when this moment came, and maybe she simply wasn’t ready for everything that had happened so suddenly.

“Don’t say anything. It’ll only drive me crazier,” She said softly, using the last bit of strength she had.

“Sierra?” Callie’s voice came from behind her, and Sierra hoped desperately that her friend hadn’t overheard her conversation with Axton.

She swallowed hard and turned around, forcing a smile at Callie. “Are you... done getting ready?”

Callie returned her smile and nodded. “Have you finished your breakfast?”

Sierra nodded and quickly stepped away from the dining table. “I was just about to come to your room to tell you I was done,” she said.

“Nice!” Callie replied cheerfully. “I’ll be going with Sierra today. You can handle your work on your own, right?” she said to Axton as she walked toward him.

“Yeah, of course,” Axton replied calmly. “Take care of yourself.” He kissed Callie on the forehead before leaving the dining room.

Unconsciously, Sierra held her breath as he walked past her.

This is insane. Everything feels insane.

***

It felt so insane that Sierra didn’t even realize how she got to where she was.

Suddenly, she found herself in a car with Callie, arriving at the hospital and sitting absentmindedly in front of an obstetrician, with Callie by her side.

How did she end up here? Of course, because Callie had insisted on seeing a doctor instead of using a pregnancy test, Sierra had no choice but to follow her lead.

When had she ever had a choice?

“So, is Sierra pregnant?” Callie didn’t have the patience to wait for the doctor to explain after returning with the health report.

Oh no. It felt like she was standing on a gallows, awaiting the executioner’s axe.

This all felt so insane, and she wasn’t sure she could keep sitting there to hear the doctor’s answer.

“Pregnant?” The doctor furrowed her brow. “There’s no pregnancy. She might have been nauseous due to her health condition. Maybe she’s overly fatigued or ate something that didn’t agree with her.”

Sierra saw Callie’s face fall as she listened to the doctor’s response.

No pregnancy.

No pregnancy.

She repeated the phrase in her head, and slowly, she came to a realization that, for some reason, made her heart stop racing.

She wasn’t pregnant.

***

"Callie," Sierra called after Callie, who was walking briskly ahead of her.

Since the doctor explained that she wasn’t pregnant, Callie had been quiet. She hadn’t said a word and seemed unable to stay in the doctor’s office a moment longer.

"Callie, wait for me!" She struggled to match Callie’s pace, almost running as she reached out to grab her hand to stop her.

Callie was in a bad mood—Sierra could tell. But that didn’t mean she should be angry at everything, did it?

"Stop following me, Sierra!" Callie spun around and halted in her tracks.

Sierra took a deep breath as she saw the all-too-familiar expression on Callie’s face.

Of course, Callie was disappointed. She was disappointed to learn that Sierra still wasn’t pregnant and was probably upset about it, too.

Callie narrowed her eyes. “Didn’t I tell you that you needed to do it with Axton more often so you could get pregnant faster?”

Sierra glanced around, hoping no one was within earshot of their conversation. Thankfully, the hospital was still fairly quiet, as it was early in the day. This wasn’t a conversation they should be having here, but she knew she couldn’t stop Callie if she wanted to talk about it now.

"Believe me, Callie, I’ve been trying my best. But you know we’ve only been doing this for the past two weeks—it might take a little more time," she explained as politely as she could, trying to keep things civil between them.

“Are you serious about what you’re saying? You’re not trying to betray me, are you?”

Sierra closed her eyes, frustration simmering. “Why have you kept saying that since last night? Have I done something to make you doubt me? Or are you letting your friends’ words from yesterday get to you?”

“I’m asking because I have doubts, and you don’t need to ask where they come from. If you were doing it right, I wouldn’t be doubting you, Sierra!”

Sierra couldn’t believe they were ending up in a fight. Everything that had been happening lately had drained her energy, and she wasn’t sure she had any left for this argument.

"I am doing it, Callie. You know I’ll get pregnant and give you a child. But can you give me a little more time? Maybe I’ll need just a bit longer." she softened her tone, realizing that arguing would only make things worse. It wouldn’t fix anything.

Callie was probably very disappointed because she had truly been hoping for a different outcome. Sierra should have understood her feelings instead of making her more upset and angry about what had happened.

"Listen, we made an agreement about this. You’ve always been able to trust me, haven’t you?" This time, she took Callie’s hand, trying to reassure her. They were still in the corridor outside the obstetrics office, and making a scene here was highly inappropriate.

"I don’t even know who I can trust anymore."

Sierra exhaled deeply. She hadn’t expected today to turn into such a mess.

"If you’re going to act like this, maybe next time you shouldn’t come along for the check-ups. I can handle it myself, so you won’t have to feel so disappointed."

“How could you say that?” Callie shot back immediately. “Didn’t I tell you that you’ll carry my child? So how could you suggest that I’m not allowed to come to the hospital?”

“Oh, God, that’s not what I meant. I just don’t want you to feel upset if things turn out like this again. I promise you’ll get your child, so please don’t worry about that, Callie,” Sierra said, trying hard to calm her friend’s emotions. But it seemed her words weren’t enough.

For a moment, she wished Axton were here to help ease Callie’s tension.

“Listen, I just don’t want you to feel uncomfortable with everything that’s going on. I know this has been hard on you, so I don’t want to make it any harder.”

“Stop saying that, Sierra,” Callie interrupted sharply. She took a step back, studying Sierra for a moment before shaking her head. “I think you still don’t understand what I mean. I’m doing all of this for my child, not for anyone else. I don’t care if I feel uncomfortable knowing my husband is sleeping with you or if I have to accompany you to the hospital for a pregnancy check-up. I don’t care about my discomfort or yours. The only thing that matters to me is my child, and that’s my top priority. So let me make it clear—you just need to get pregnant and let me have the baby.”

Callie turned and walked away, leaving Sierra standing frozen in place, stunned by what her best friend had said.

Oh, she couldn’t deny that her heart hurt because of Callie’s words.

Callie had outright said she didn’t care about her feelings; she only cared about her child.

Callie disappeared around the corner of the hallway, but Sierra still couldn’t summon the strength to move.

It was hard to believe.

“Sierra?”

Sierra quickly turned her head when she heard someone call her name.

She was already frustrated by what had just happened and now hoped there wouldn’t be another mess to deal with. She prayed she wouldn’t face another problem that could... complicate things further.

But then again...

She wasn’t sure what to make of the situation when she turned and saw a familiar figure standing a short distance away—someone she saw almost every day at the office.

“What are you doing in the obstetrics department?”