The Luna's secret pregnancy

Liora's pov "I need you to take a deep breath, Liora, inhale...hold it...now exhale slowly," Seraphina my cousin said to me calmly over the phone and I did as she instructed even though my chest was too tight to allow in enough air. "What if it comes out negative?" I asked her, pulling the hem of my dress. "Liora, listen to me, this time will be different..." I swallowed the lump on my throat, "You said that the last time, and the time before that, what makes you think this is going to be any different?" I asked as I wiped the treacherous tears that threatened to escape from the corner of my eyes. "Because, you've been doing everything correctly, the treatment, your appointments, your diet, and the drugs, everything, Liora, everything. If anyone deserves good news at this point, it's you," Seraphina cooed. "Three years of having the same results, I just want...one positive test," I murmured. "Just one, so I can finally tell Silas and see him smile like he used to," I said, tearing my gaze apart from the clock that hung on the wall which I glanced at at intervals. The time on the clock was 4:00 pm and it’s already been 30 minutes since I got here and one of the nurses instructed me that the doctor was coming. I noticed there was a brief pause on the line and wanted to say something but Seraphina beat me to it “He doesn’t know you’re at the hospital today, does he?” she asked. “No. He’s on a business trip. He left last night.” “And you didn’t tell him you were coming for the test?” I shook my head as if she could see me. “I didn’t want to get his hopes up. I thought I’d wait until the result is positive, then surprise him when he comes back. I even bought this tiny pair of baby shoes last month. They’re still in the box under my bed.” My voice cracked at the end, as I pressed my lips together quickly, blinking back the sting in my eyes. “Oh, Liora,” Seraphina said softly. “You and your dramatic surprises. Fine, I get it. But you know, even if it’s not positive, you don’t have to face it alone. You can always come to me.” That pulled a small shaky smile from my face. “You always make it sound so simple.” “It is simple. You’re not alone. Don’t forget that.” That's Seraphina for you. She has always been this sweet, always encouraging and telling me that things will get better even when I thought my marriage won't last because of my childlessness. Let's just say she has been more of a mother figure to me than a big sister. Before I could respond, the door to the office opened, and Dr. Bridget stepped in, her white coat crisp, her expression carefully neutral. “Liora,” the doctor called softly. “Good day Dr. Bridget,” I said quickly, sitting up straighter and spoke into the phone quietly “The doctor is here, Sera. I gotta go.” “Okay, okay. I’m here when you come out, no matter what the result is,” Seraphina said. “I love you.” “I love you too,” I replied, and ended the call as Dr. Bridget eased into her seat in front of me, my heart pounding so loud I was sure she could hear it. Dr. Bridget glanced at the file in front of her, then looked up. “How are you feeling today?” I forced a small smile. “Nervous. But I'm hopeful.” She nodded slowly, glancing at me carefully. “That’s understandable.” Silence stretched between us, thick and uncomfortable and I shifted in my seat, my nails digging into my palms, it turned snow white. “Please, you can just tell me. I can take it,” I blurted out when I couldn't hold the silence anymore. Dr. Bridget exhaled, then folded her hands together on the desk. “The test results came back this morning.” I held my breath as the doctor continued, "And I’m afraid the result is negative.” The word hit me like a slap. Negative? My ears started ringing. “Negative like… not pregnant yet, or negative like—” Dr. Bridget met my eyes. “Negative, as in you are not pregnant, and based on your medical history and the tests we’ve run, it is highly unlikely that you will ever be able to conceive naturally.” I stared at her, the words taking too long to register. “Ever?” I scoffed in disbelief. The doctor hesitated for a fraction of a second, then nodded. “I’m very sorry, Liora. The issue is not with your husband. It’s with you. Your reproductive system is not functioning in a way that would support pregnancy.” It felt like the ground should open at this point and swallow me. “That’s… that’s not possible,” I whispered. “I’ve been healthy my whole life. I don’t even get sick.” “I know this is difficult to hear,” Dr. Bridget said gently. “But sometimes these things happen without obvious symptoms. We can discuss other options, like adoption or surrogacy—” "I-I mean, I took the drugs, I took the medications, the supplement, I don't miss a single checkup, I take nothing but the food suggested by you, so even if I'm infertile, something should have happened, I cannot..." "Mrs Starveil, I understand your situation..." "No you don't, you're not the one who's just been diagnosed of being infertile, I-I cannot birth my own children..." I yelled, tears rolling down my face endlessly. "Mrs—" "Don't Mrs me," I jabbed, cutting her off. "Rerun the test," I said suddenly. "I'm sorry we cannot..." "Yes you can, rerun the fuckin test!" "These are three test results on the table, from three different specialists on cases like yours, and the results are the same, you just need to come to terms with it," She said, trying to steady me. I stood up so suddenly the chair I sat on scraped loudly against the floor. “No. I need… I need to go.” “Liora, wait—” “I need air,” I muttered, my voice trembling. “I can’t… I can’t sit here any longer and listen to you.” "You cannot, it's not safe to drive in this kind of situation, you're unstable..." She said, trying to sit me back down but I threw her hands off me. "If I cannot do the one thing I want to do, what else is there to live for?" I asked, staring blankly at her face. "I'll take my leave now and you better not try to stop me," I warned and turned to leave, grateful that she didn't try to stop me as I rushed out of the office, my vision blurring, Mr chest tight like someone had wrapped a rope around it and was pulling. I barely remembered getting into my car. I didn't know how long I sat in my car, in the parking lot, staring blanky outside while tears slid silently down my face. My phone buzzed with a message from Seraphina but I couldn't bring myself to open it. The doctor's report that I would never be able to birth a child replayed in my head. I wiped my face with the back of my hand and took a shaky breath, and instead of checking the message Seraphina sent, it was better to see her in person. 15 minutes later, I parked the car in her driveway, grabbed my bag and stepped out of the car. The front door of her apartment wasn't fully closed, which was strange, because Seraphina was always careful about locking up. "Hello?" I called softly as I pushed the door open, to no answer. I stepped inside, my heels echoing faintly against the floor, the living room empty, but I could hear voices from inside her bedroom. I heard Sera's voice but had to pause when I heard a man’s voice which sounded very familiar. My stomach dropped, as I moved closer, my step cautious and my heart pounding for a completely different reason now. The voices grew clearer as I got closer to the bedroom door, which was slightly ajar. My hand reached for the doorframe, and I froze. Through the narrow opening, I saw them, Seraphina, pressed against the wall, and Silas. My husband’s hands were on Seraphina’s waist, his head bent close to her neck. Seraphina’s fingers were tangled in his hair, her face tilted up toward his. They were kissing, a soft moan tore through seraphina's lips and I felt my feet weaken at the sight before me. Silas was s upposed to be in Zurich, for a business conference but the sight before me was undeniably my husband and the cousin I trusted with even my life.