Chapter 5: The Child That Changes Everything

"I can't believe this," I muttered under my breath as I sat on the edge of the bathroom sink, staring at the two blue lines on the pregnancy test. My heart raced in my chest, a mix of excitement and fear. I had hoped for a family, but now that the possibility was staring back at me, I couldn't help but feel the weight of uncertainty bearing down on me.

I swallowed hard, staring at the small test in my hands as if somehow, the answer might change if I looked at it long enough. The baby. Ethan's child.

But was he even going to be thrilled? Or would he see this as one more thing to control, something else to manipulate?

I knew Ethan wasn’t the man I had hoped he would be when I agreed to marry him. But I thought, maybe... maybe this would change everything. Maybe this would be the one thing that would make him love me.

Sighing, I stood up, feeling the weight of my thoughts in my body. The baby. What would this mean for my future? What would it mean for my son?

Just then, I heard the door open. Ethan’s voice rang out through the apartment.

"Sienna? Where are you?"

I quickly shoved the pregnancy test into the drawer and closed it. "In here," I replied, smoothing out my clothes. I had to pretend everything was fine, even when it wasn't.

Ethan appeared in the doorway, his cold gaze scanning the room. "What are you doing in here by yourself?"

"I—I'm just getting ready." I forced a smile, my heart pounding in my chest.

His eyes softened for a moment, but only for a brief second. "Are you okay?"

I nodded, even though everything in me screamed that I wasn’t. But I couldn’t let him know that. Not yet.

"Come on," he said, walking toward me. "Let’s go. You’ve been acting distant lately."

I took a deep breath. "I’m fine."

For a moment, there was silence. Ethan studied me closely, his expression unreadable. "You’re sure? Because you’ve been... off."

I swallowed hard. There was no way I could tell him now. I wasn’t ready to face his reaction.

Just then, his hand brushed over my stomach, and I froze. It was a casual gesture, but there was something about it that sent a shockwave through me. His fingertips lingered there for a moment, almost as if he were trying to feel something as if he knew.

I wanted to pull away, but I didn’t. I didn’t want to risk him seeing the fear in my eyes.

"What’s going on with you, Sienna?" Ethan's voice was soft, but there was an edge to it.

I pulled myself together, forcing a smile. "I’m just... thinking."

He raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. "Thinking about what?"

I shook my head, taking a step back. "It’s nothing. Really."

Ethan’s eyes darkened as he studied me, a frown tugging at the corners of his mouth. He wasn’t buying it. I could tell.

I felt my breath catch in my throat as he took another step forward, closing the distance between us. "You’re hiding something from me, Sienna. And I don’t like it."

I didn’t know how to respond. My mind was racing, and my heart was pounding in my chest. I couldn’t let him find out yet, not before I was ready to face the consequences.

"I’m not hiding anything," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

Ethan reached out and touched my face, his thumb brushing across my cheek. "Sienna, you’ve been different lately. You don’t seem like yourself."

I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to calm the storm inside me. How could I tell him now? How could I share this with him when everything about our relationship was already hanging by a thread?

His hand dropped from my face, and he stepped back, his gaze still fixed on me. There was something in his eyes, something that made my heart twist in my chest. He was waiting for me to speak, waiting for me to tell him what was going on.

But how could I?

Then the moment was over. He turned away, walking toward the living room, his shoulders tense. "Come on. We need to talk."

I followed him into the living room, my mind a whirlwind of thoughts. This wasn’t how I had imagined this moment going. I wanted to tell him about the baby, but fear clung to me like a heavyweight. What if he didn’t want it? What if he rejected our child, the same way he had rejected me so many times before?

We sat down on the couch, the air between us thick with tension. Ethan stared at me, his piercing gaze never wavering.

"Sienna," he said, his voice low, "I need to know what’s going on with you. You’re not yourself, and I can’t ignore it any longer."

I swallowed hard, my fingers gripping the edge of the couch. This was it. The moment I had been dreading, the moment I couldn’t avoid anymore.

I took a deep breath, gathering every ounce of courage I had left. "Ethan... I’m pregnant."

The words hung in the air like a bomb, and for a moment, there was nothing but silence.

His face went pale.

"What did you say?" His voice was shaky, disbelief in his eyes.

"I’m pregnant," I repeated, my voice barely above a whisper.

For a long moment, Ethan didn’t say anything. His eyes darted away as if processing the words as if trying to make sense of what I had just told him.

Finally, he looked back at me, his gaze cold and distant. "That child isn’t mine."

The words hit me like a slap across the face. I froze, my heart hammering in my chest.

"What do you mean?" I whispered, my voice trembling.

He stood up suddenly, his movements sharp and angry. "You heard me. That child isn’t mine. I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but I won’t be part of it."

The air in the room seemed to grow heavier, suffocating me.

I blinked rapidly, my mind spinning. Had someone planted doubts in his mind? Had someone convinced him that the baby wasn’t his? Or was this his plan all along? To reject me, to reject our child?

"Ethan, please... don’t say that," I pleaded, standing up.

But he was already walking toward the door. "I don’t want to hear any more lies, Sienna. You can keep your little secrets, but don’t expect me to play along."

I reached for him, my hand shaking as I touched his arm. "Ethan, please... I swear it’s yours."

He jerked away from me, his eyes dark with anger. "I said no. That child isn’t mine."

And with that, he was gone.

I stood there, frozen, the weight of his words crashing down on me. What had just happened? Had Ethan really just rejected our child? Or was there something deeper going on?

Did someone plant doubts in his mind… or was this his plan all along?