The wait
1014 Words
Naomi POV
Three days.
That is how long I have to wait before I know if my life will shatter or stay whole.
I sit on the edge of my bed and stare at the wall. The room is small. A bed. A chair. A window that looks out at the garden. It is not my home. It is not my life. It is just a room in a cold mansion owned by a man who looks at me like I am a criminal.
Maybe I am.
I lied to him. I hid my pregnancy. I came into his house with secrets in my belly.
But I did not mean to trap him. I did not even know if the baby was his. I still do not.
I press my hand to my stomach. It is still flat. No one would know. But I know. I feel the tiny life growing inside me. A secret. A hope. A fear.
A knock on the door makes me jump.
"Come in."
Amara opens the door. She carries a tray with soup and bread. Her brown curls fall around her face. Her eyes are soft.
"Mary sent this," she says. "She said you did not eat lunch."
I smile. It is weak, but real. "Mary worries too much."
"Mary loves to feed people. It is how she shows she cares." Amara sets the tray on the small table by the window. She looks at me. "Are you okay?"
I nod. I lie.
Amara sits on the chair across from me. She folds her hands in her lap. "I heard about the doctor. The blood test."
My stomach turns. "Everyone knows?"
"The staff talks. Mary told me to keep quiet. But I wanted you to know... I understand. My mother was alone when she had me. She never told my father. She said some secrets are meant to stay buried."
I look at Amara. She is young. But her eyes are old. Old from loss. Old from pain.
"I am scared," I whisper.
"Of Mr. Aaron?"
"Of everything. Of him. Of the results. Of what comes next."
Amara reaches out and takes my hand. Her fingers are cool. "You are not alone. Mary is on your side. Manuel likes you. And Alex... Alex loves you. That matters."
"What if the baby is his?"
Amara is quiet for a moment. Then she says, "Then you will have to decide if you want to stay or run."
Run. I have been running my whole life. From bad jobs. From lonely nights. From a one-night stand I cannot forget.
Maybe it is time to stop running.
---
The next two days pass like water through my fingers.
I wake. I dress. I go to Alex. I read to him. I hold him. I watch him sleep.
Kaelen stays away. I see him in hallways, at the dinner table, walking past the nursery door. He does not speak to me. He does not look at me. But I feel his eyes. Always watching.
Henderson visits the nursery one afternoon. He brings a stuffed rabbit for Alex. Alex names it Snowball and refuses to put it down.
Henderson smiles at me. "You are doing good work with him."
"I am just being with him. That is all he needs."
"Sometimes that is enough." Henderson leans against the doorframe. His eyes are kind. But something behind them makes me uneasy. I cannot name it.
"Mr. Aaron is not as cold as he seems," Henderson says. "He has been hurt. Badly. Trust does not come easy to him."
"I noticed."
"Give him time. He will come around."
I want to believe Henderson. He is the only one besides Mary who has been kind to me. But kindness can be a mask. I learned that from Julian.
Julian. My ex-boyfriend. He was kind too. Until he was not.
I push the thought away.
---
On the third day, I cannot eat.
I sit at the kitchen table, pushing eggs around my plate. Mary watches me with worried eyes. Amara chews her lip.
"You need to eat," Mary says.
"I am not hungry."
"You are feeding two now. You need to eat."
I take a bite. It tastes like cardboard.
The back door opens. Flynn, the young driver, walks in. He is tall. Dark hair. A smile that could melt ice. He winks at me.
"Morning, ladies."
"Morning, Flynn," Mary says. "Eat something before you go."
He grabs an apple and leans against the counter. His eyes find mine. "You look like you have seen a ghost."
"I feel like I have seen a ghost."
He laughs. It is a warm sound. "Mr. Aaron is in a mood today. Worse than usual. I would stay out of his way if I were you."
My stomach drops. "Does he have the results?"
Flynn shrugs. "Henderson got a call this morning. That is all I know."
I stand up. My chair scrapes the floor.
"Naomi, sit down," Mary says.
"I cannot. I need to know."
I walk out of the kitchen. My legs shake. My heart pounds. The hallway is long. Cold. The marble floors shine under my feet.
I reach the study door. It is closed.
I knock.
No answer.
I knock again.
The door opens. Henderson stands there. His face is unreadable.
"Naomi. He is not ready to see you."
"I do not care. I need to know."
Henderson looks over his shoulder. Then back at me. He steps aside.
Kaelen sits behind his desk. The DNA results are in his hand. His gray eyes lift to mine.
"Close the door," he says.
Henderson steps out. The door clicks shut.
I stand in front of the desk. My hands are shaking. My voice is barely a whisper.
"Whose baby is this?"
Kaelen stands. He walks around the desk. He stops inches from me. So close I can smell his cologne. Wood and smoke.
He holds up the paper.
"It is mine," he says.
The world stops.
"The baby is mine, Naomi. And now, you belong to me."
- Writer
