Shadows In The Snow
1568 Words
CHAPTER FOURTEEN – SHADOWS IN THE SNOW
The following morning arrived quietly, as if the world itself were hesitant to disturb the fragile thoughts resting in Jane’s mind. Snow blanketed the villa grounds in an unbroken white sheet, softening every sound and turning the garden into a still, shimmering painting.
Jane sat by her window wrapped in a heavy burgundy blanket, watching the light stretch slowly across the city. She had slept poorly—turning from one side to the other, waking up at the smallest sound, unsure whether she felt anxious, excited, or afraid.
The possibility inside her—small, delicate, secret—followed her everywhere she looked.
A gentle knock sounded at her door.
“Jane?” her sister Alicia’s voice called softly. “Are you awake?”
“Yes,” Jane said. “Come in.”
Alicia stepped inside, her cheeks rosy from the cold and her dark curls dusted with faint flakes of leftover snow. She immediately noticed the weary look in Jane’s eyes.
“You didn’t sleep,” she said softly.
Jane tried to smile. “I suppose I’ve had too much on my mind.”
Alicia sat beside her on the bed. “Is it about the wedding? Or Frederick?”
Jane hesitated. She desperately wanted to confide in her sister, to say everything—the uneasiness, the strange changes in her body, the questions she was afraid to ask aloud. But something inside her held her back.
Not out of fear of Alicia.
But from an instinct she didn’t yet understand.
“I’m fine,” Jane said gently. “Just overwhelmed.”
Alicia studied her for a moment, unconvinced but unwilling to press. “Well… if you ever want to talk, I’m here.”
Jane nodded, grateful.
But as Alicia left the room, Jane felt the weight return—quiet, persistent.
Should she tell someone? Should she wait? Should she talk to a doctor? Should she tell Frederick?
The last thought made her chest tighten.
Frederick…
Would he be happy?
Worried?
Deeply involved?
Too involved?
She didn’t know.
And that uncertainty frightened her more than she wanted to admit.
---
Breakfast with Intentions
When Jane came downstairs, Frederick was already seated in the dining hall, impeccably dressed as always. He looked up immediately when she entered.
“There you are,” he said warmly, standing to pull out her chair. “I was beginning to think you weren’t coming.”
Jane sat quietly, offering a small smile.
“I woke up late,” she said.
Frederick watched her closely—too closely. Jane felt his gaze examining her face, her movements, her tone. She wondered if he could somehow see the changes she felt.
“You look tired,” he said softly. “Something on your mind?”
Jane’s chest tightened. He always asked. Always pressed—gently, but insistently—until she felt stripped of any private thoughts.
“I’m just thinking about everything we need to plan,” she said carefully.
Frederick nodded. “Good. I’ll take care of the harder parts. You only need to trust me.”
There it was again—that line he repeated often, always in a soft, comforting tone. Yet each time he said it, Jane felt a small part of her independence quietly shift away, as if she were handing over pieces of her life one by one.
She stirred her tea gently. “Frederick… do you ever feel overwhelmed by all these plans?”
“No,” he said simply. “Because I know exactly where we’re going.”
His answer was calm, confident—but it didn’t soothe her.
It frightened her.
---
A Walk Through the Winter Market
Later that day, Frederick suggested they walk through the Christmas market near Plaça de Catalunya. The streets were crowded with tourists and locals, bundled in scarves and laughing as they browsed stalls of ornaments, pastries, and handmade gifts.
Jane admired the glittering decorations, the warm glow of lanterns, the joyful chaos—but something inside her felt distant. Like she was watching life happen from behind a glass window.
Frederick held her hand firmly as they moved through the crowd, speaking with poised charm to anyone who greeted them. Jane noticed how easily he commanded attention—how people leaned toward him, impressed, intrigued.
But he never let go of her hand.
Not for a moment.
He guided her steps, slowed her pace, steered her away from conversations too long or people he didn’t want her speaking to. Subtle. Gentle. Intentional.
At one point, Jane tried to pause at a stall selling handcrafted angel ornaments.
“Frederick, wait—” she began.
But he tugged her lightly forward.
“We don’t need that. Come, there’s something else I want you to see.”
Jane looked back at the angel ornaments, feeling a strange pang in her chest. She didn’t know why such a small thing bothered her. But it did.
---
A Moment Alone—Or Almost
Later that evening, Jane retreated to the balcony of the villa, desperate for a breath of air that didn’t feel monitored.
The snow was falling again, soft and slow. She wrapped her arms around herself, gazing at the glittering city lights.
She whispered, “…What’s happening to me?”
She wasn’t just overwhelmed.
She wasn’t just tired.
Something bigger was happening inside her—emotionally, physically, intuitively.
And as the wind brushed past her face, she realized something with a quiet, trembling certainty:
If she truly was pregnant… this child might be the only part of her life Frederick couldn’t completely control.
That thought made her heart race.
She heard the faint creak of the balcony door behind her.
Frederick’s voice reached her, soft as the snow:
“Jane? Why didn’t you tell me you came out here?”
She closed her eyes, steadying her breath before turning around.
“I just needed a moment.”
He stepped closer, his expression unreadable.
“You never need a moment away from me,” he said softly. “We face everything together.”
Jane forced a small smile.
But inside her heart, the first real fear bloomed.
---
CHAPTER FIFTEEN – THE SECRET THAT COULDN’T WAIT
Jane woke before sunrise the next morning. For once, she didn’t feel tired—she felt restless, alert, almost trembling with unease. Something in her heart urged her to act. To confirm her fears or hopes. To seek the truth she had been avoiding.
She slipped quietly out of bed, wrapped a shawl around her shoulders, and left the room without waking Frederick.
The villa was silent. Only the soft hum of the heating system and the faintest creak of the old wooden floors broke the stillness.
Jane made her way to the small private medical room the Whitmores kept for checkups and emergencies. Her hands trembled as she reached for the door handle.
This was it.
Once she stepped inside, everything would change.
---
The Confirmation
A family physician was already reviewing documents for her father’s upcoming trip when Jane entered. He startled slightly at the sight of her.
“Miss Whitmore…? You’re up early.”
Jane’s voice was soft. “I need to check something. Something important. Please.”
The doctor blinked, concerned by her pale expression and trembling hands.
Within minutes, Jane found herself sitting on the small exam bed, fingers twisting nervously in her lap as the physician asked gentle questions.
She answered quietly.
Then came the silence.
A long, heavy silence.
The doctor folded his notes, exhaling slowly.
“Jane… you’re expecting.”
Her heart stopped.
The world fell perfectly still.
She felt everything and nothing at once—relief, terror, hope, confusion, shock. It washed over her so intensely she could barely breathe.
A child.
Her child.
Inside her.
A life she had not yet told anyone about. A life she barely understood. A life that felt fragile and precious in a way she could not put into words.
Tears filled her eyes.
The doctor spoke gently. “You’re healthy. Everything looks stable so far. But you must avoid stress and take care of yourself.”
Avoid stress.
Take care of yourself.
Words that sounded simple.
But Jane’s world was already becoming entangled in shadows she didn’t yet understand.
---
The First Decision She Made Alone
Jane left the medical room with her hand pressed lightly over her stomach. She did not return to her bedroom immediately. Instead, she walked toward the garden doors and stepped into the cold morning air.
Snowflakes drifted gently around her, catching in her hair, melting on her cheeks.
She looked up at the pale sky, whispering shakily:
“…Hi there.”
Her voice cracked.
The idea that a tiny heartbeat was forming inside her made her chest ache with emotion.
Tiana.
She didn’t know the name yet.
But destiny was already shaping the life she held.
What would Frederick say?
Would he be happy?
Would he want control?
Would he use the child as another way to shape her life?
She didn’t know.
But for the first time in weeks, she made a decision entirely on her own:
She would not tell him. Not yet.
She needed time.
Time to understand what this meant.
Time to protect whatever future her child might have.
And perhaps…
time to finally face the truth she had been avoiding about Frederick.
---
- Writer
