VIVIAN As I pulled the door open, my heart nearly stopped.Standing there, smiling at me, was Clara…my only friend from the orphanage."Clara?" I whispered, my voice shaky from disbelief.Without a second thought, I threw my arms around her, hugging her tightly. "Oh my God, how did you….how are you even here?" I asked, pulling back just enough to look at her face, still holding onto her arms.She laughed softly,"I just turned eighteen a few weeks ago, so I had to leave the orphanage. No one adopted me," she shrugged, trying to brush it off like it didn’t hurt.I squeezed her hands, unable to contain my joy at seeing her here. "But how did you find me? How did you get my address?"Clara’s smile widened. "The matron gave me Mrs. Anderson’s number. I told her I wanted to surprise you, and here I am! I even found a job close by, so... I thought I’d come to see you."Tears welled up again, but this time they were tears of happiness. "I can’t believe it, Clara. I’m so happy you're here!"
VIVIAN I couldn't breathe. It felt like the air had been sucked out of the room. Pregnant? My hands trembled as Dr. Lewis's words echoed in my mind. Of all the things I thought could be wrong with me…this was the last thing I expected.My chest tightened, and my vision blurred as tears welled in my eyes. My legs felt weak, unsteady, but I somehow managed to stand up, pushing the chair back with trembling hands. I needed to get out of there. I couldn’t handle it..not now. My head was spinning, the weight of this new reality crashing down on me. Pregnant.I practically stumbled out of the office, hot tears slipping down my cheeks. I didn’t care who saw me. I just needed to breathe. But each breath felt sharp, painful, as if my lungs couldn’t process the weight of what was happening.I needed to find Clara. She would know what to do, how to make sense of this chaos swirling in my head. But before I could make it down the hall, I collided with someone.Sebastian.Of all people…wh
VIVIAN The loud murmur of voices from outside my room stirred me awake.Rubbing my eyes, I strained to make sense of the conversation echoing through the walls.The voices were familiar… my foster parents. Unease gripped me as I threw off the covers, my heart suddenly racing.Why were they here so early? And why did it sound like something serious was going on?Taking a deep breath, I stepped toward the door, cracking it open slowly.Mrs. Anderson’s voice greeted me first. “Oh, you’re awake. Good morning,” she said casually, holding a cup of coffee.Standing beside her was Dr. Lewis. The second family doctor. The one who had done my pregnancy test.The moment I saw him, my breath caught in my throat. Shock rippled through me, freezing me in place. What was he doing here? And why now?Panic surged through my veins as I locked eyes with Mrs. Anderson, who looked far too calm, as if everything was perfectly normal. But nothing about this was normal.Mrs. Anderson walked toward me with
JACK I sat there in stunned silence, the weight of Sebastian’s words crashing over me.My hands gripped the arms of the chair, my knuckles turning white as I tried to wrap my head around what was happening. Marry Vivian? My mind raced, and for the first time in a long while, I couldn't keep quiet anymore.My parents had already started rising from their seats, clearly ready to leave the conversation behind, but I couldn’t let them go just yet.“Wait,” I said.They paused, turning back toward me with questioning eyes.“What is it, Jack?” my mother asked.I took a breath, trying to steady my voice. “Why did you agree to this marriage proposal? From Sebastian?” My eyes moved toward Sebastian, who stood awkwardly at the side, his eyes darting around the room, unsure where to focus.My mother’s expression hardened. “Jack, you should be happy for your sister. Instead, you’re behaving like this?”“Happy? Happy?” The words escaped before I could stop them. “You expect me to be happy when y
VIVIAN The house fell silent once the front door closed behind them. I stood there for a moment, taking a deep breath, replaying everything that had just happened. And then I remembered…Mrs. Anderson called me 'Vivian' the whole time. Well, that's progress, I thought, my lips curling into a smile.I could sense Jack’s eyes on me. I wasn’t in the mood for a confrontation, but I knew it was coming. Now that we were alone, there was no escaping it.I turned, heading for the stairs, hoping to avoid whatever was going on in his mind, but before I could reach the stairs, Jack’s voice stopped me in my tracks."Vivian,” he shouted. "What game are you playing?"I closed my eyes for a second, steadying myself, before slowly turning around. "What do you mean?"He took a few steps closer, his face filled with anger. "Why would you lie to them? Why tell our parents it was Sebastian who got you pregnant?"I crossed my arms over my chest. I knew he’d have questions, but I didn’t care. I’d made my
SEBASTIAN As I walked into the hospital, Dr. Lewis strolled beside me.My mind was spinning with everything going on, but the last thing I needed right now was his smug face.Dr. Lewis glanced at me with a smirk. “So... it’s true then? You’re the one who got Vivian pregnant?”I clenched my jaw, fighting the urge to snap back. I hated the way he said it. “Yes,” I replied flatly, not bothering to hide my irritation. He chuckled, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “I have to say, Sebastian, I didn’t see that one coming. I didn’t even know you two were close, let alone... this.”I stopped walking, turning to face him, my patience wearing thin. “Why did you tell Vivian’s foster parents?” I asked, my voice barely holding back the anger boiling inside me.Dr. Lewis raised an eyebrow, his expression staying calm despite my fury. “You wouldn’t understand.”“Try me,” I growled, stepping closer, daring him to give me a real explanation.He sighed, shaking his head. “Vivian’s fost
VIVIAN Just as the panic threatened to consume me, the sound of a door creaking open ahead brought me to an abrupt halt.A security guard stepped out of a nearby office, his brows furrowed with concern."What's going on? Are you alright?" he asked, his deep voice cutting through my fear.I stumbled toward him, breathless. "Someone... someone was following me," I gasped, clutching my bag to my chest as if it could protect me. "They were right behind me. I swear I heard them."The guard's eyes narrowed as he glanced past me, scanning the hallway behind. He stepped forward, moving down the now-silent corridor.But it was empty. The echo of footsteps, the shadow that had been following me…it was all gone, as if it had never been there.He turned back to me, his expression softening. "There's no one here," he said gently, though his eyes stayed alert, still searching the dimly lit hallway. "Are you sure you saw someone?"I nodded, my heart still pounding. "I didn’t just see him…I hea
VIVIAN I followed him quietly into the room, my legs trembling as if they might give out at any moment. The sight of his bloodied hand, the wound on his head... it all pointed to something I couldn’t accept. Something I didn’t want to believe.As I entered, Jack walked straight to the dresser, not saying a word, as if nothing had happened. His movements were slow, he was exhausted but trying to hide it. I watched as he reached for the first aid box from the top drawer and began cleaning the wound on his head with shaky hands.My throat tightened as I stood there, watching him in silence for a moment before the words burst out. "Jack, how did you get that bruise?"He didn’t look at me. His focus remaining on the wound as he pressed a cloth against the bleeding spot. “It’s nothing, Viv. Just a scratch.”I took a hesitant step forward. “That’s not an answer. Where did you get hurt? You weren’t here when I got home, and now you show up bleeding from the same place I hit the intrude