The bitter truth
Silence swallowed the living room.
Even the air conditioner seemed to hush itself, its steady hum fading beneath the pulse of disbelief now filling the space.
Ares’s words lingered. “That’s impossible.”
His voice wasn’t loud, but the denial in it was heavy enough to bend the air.
Chloe didn’t seem surprised. Her fingers rested beside the white stick on the glass table, the two faint pink lines glowing like a confession she could no longer swallow. Her face was pale, but her chin didn’t tremble.
Tessa stood slowly from her seat, her breath sharp and ragged. “You’re pregnant,” she said, her tone flat, as if repeating it might change the meaning.
Chloe nodded once. “Two weeks.”
Julian blinked, his brows drawn together. “You’re serious?”
Chloe looked at him, then at A
