Pregnant with the Enemy’s Heir

4

I fed the cat and set it down on its cozy pillow before I took a bath myself. As I gently dried the cat, a smile crept onto my face, reminding me of how Donovan had stroked the cat with such gentleness. Suddenly, I sat up, eyes wide with alarm. “What the hell did I just think about?” I was startled by my own thoughts.

“Tsk, stop thinking about him!” I huffed deeply and then flopped back onto the bed, closing my eyes in an attempt to catch some sleep. However, my mind was too restless, plagued by random scenarios and the lingering scent of Donovan’s cologne. I bit my lip and took deep breaths, trying to calm the turmoil in my head.

This wasn’t right, I knew for sure. Did I develop a crush on him so quickly? It felt reminiscent of how I was when I was younger, convinced that Leo was my soulmate. Back then, I could barely shake him from my thoughts until I got to know him better and realized I had been glorifying him unnecessarily. Could this be the same situation with Donovan? Especially since I hadn’t met anyone so different and intriguing in a long time.

I conceded that it was likely just a fleeting infatuation. I let my eyes drift shut, allowing my thoughts to flow freely, knowing that this feeling would probably fade in a week or so. It wasn’t as if I was going to see him again.

Two days passed, and I had seemingly started to forget about Donovan, settling back into my routine. My days felt monotonous, but I was somewhat relieved that Leo hadn’t intruded on my time, demanding my attention. It wasn’t that he was completely annoying—it was just that he came to me as if I were a vending machine, taking what he pleased before disappearing for as long as he desired, only returning to extract more.

The lecture was dragging on, so I rested my head on the table while Bliss diligently took notes. My phone, buried in my bag, buzzed incessantly, annoying me in my half-sleep. Finally, irritation got the better of me, and I sat up, retrieving my phone from my bag. To my surprise, an unknown number was sending me pictures.

I hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to download them, but my curiosity got the better of me. As the campus’s slow network did its thing, one by one, the images loaded. My jaw dropped as I saw what they contained. I stood up abruptly, almost shouting, “What the hell?!”

The entire class turned to look at me as I grabbed my bag and dashed out of the room, heading straight for the nearest restroom to confirm what I had just seen.

“This can’t be real!” I felt a sharp pain in my chest, as if something inside me had shattered. My throat tightened with bile, and my chest felt heavy. Someone had sent me pictures of Leo being intimate with another woman. Her identity was unknown to me, but Leo’s face was unmistakable.

“Is he cheating on me? But—he wouldn’t do that!” I tried to calm myself, desperately clinging to the hope that it was a fake. I dialed Leo’s number, waiting for him to answer. When he did, his voice sounded casual, “Hello?”

“Leo?! Where are you?” I asked, struggling to keep my voice steady as I still wanted to believe in him more than in the unknown messenger’s claims.

“I’m at home. Why?”

He must be telling the truth. I couldn’t confront him right now. Covering my face with my hand, I felt weak in my legs. “Nothing, I just wanted to know if you were around.” I ended the call, trying to compose myself as I stared at the phone in disbelief.

“What should I do?” I muttered, feeling lost and disoriented. How could I tell if these pictures were real or if someone was just trying to sabotage me? The only option left was to text the unknown number.

“Why are you sending me these?” I typed, hoping for an explanation. But the sender didn’t reply and appeared offline almost immediately.

“What the hell is going on?” My heart sank as I realized something was wrong. I frantically rubbed my neck, trying to catch my breath, when I noticed something missing—my pendant.

“What the hell?” I gasped. It was the second shock of the day. I grabbed my bag and rummaged through it, but the pendant was nowhere to be found. Panic set in as I ran back into the classroom. Once again, everyone turned to look at me, confused by my sudden reappearance. Bliss, noticing my pale complexion, stood up with concern.

“Are you okay?” she asked, her voice filled with worry.

“I’ve lost my pendant!” I exclaimed, almost in tears.

Bliss gave me a quizzical look before speaking. “You haven’t been wearing it for two days. Didn’t you realize?”

“Two days?” I thought, feeling as if the floor was giving way beneath me. “No, I can’t lose it!” I gasped, my panic escalating. Without another word, I dashed out of the classroom and sprinted to my car, determined to drive back home and search for it.

I searched everywhere at home, but the pendant was nowhere to be found. Overwhelmed, I broke down, crying my heart out. Part of it was the loss of the pendant, but the other half was the crushing realization that Leo might be cheating on me after all these years. My chest felt tight, and I curled up at the side of my bed, feeling utterly defeated.

My mother, noticing my distress, came into my room and sat beside me, gently stroking my back. “Why are you crying, Elenora?” she asked, her voice filled with concern.

I couldn’t bring myself to tell her about Leo, so I only mentioned the lost pendant. Her face softened with sympathy. “It’s alright. I can get you another one if it means that much to you,” she offered.

But I didn’t want another pendant; I wanted that one, specifically. It held my parents’ pictures, and I wanted to keep it just as my mother had let me. Now it was gone, and I felt a deep sense of loss.

My mother hugged me tightly, and in that moment, my phone buzzed again with a notification from that same unknown number. I checked it, and my heart sank even further. “I have more proof,” the message read, making my throat dry up and disbelief wash over me.