MR.BILLIONAIRE, I AM PREGNANT

CHAPTER 04

I swallowed hard, but not (never) my ego.

"We can make this work. We just have to pretend to be in love, and I'll do the same. We can't cheat because everyone would find out, but we know, after last night, that at least in bed, we're good."

"We're not good at anything," I emphasized each word and touched his chest with each one. "The night didn't happen, and both of us, honestly... just a little f**k, right?"

"What made you scream my name?" he said in a tone that left me completely stunned with memories of what had happened.

When I wanted to get out of an awkward situation, mockingly, it was always the best choice. And I was the best at it. I found myself laughing out loud and shaking my head.

"So old but so... inexperienced." I mocked, a hair's breadth away from him. "I am great at faking smiles, faking it in bed, it's even simpler."

We just stayed there, for a few seconds, in a silent struggle. As if it were possible, the same desire that hit me last night came, even stronger. This had to pass!

Surprising me, he gave me a glimpse of a smile, which I rarely saw him do. He took a step back, and I held on tight because my legs almost gave out.

— Lucas will drop you off at home. — He just commented, and turned his back on me. — You're still going to beg to marry me, child.

—Damn old man! — I just shouted, seeing him walk away, and sighed deeply.

A few seconds passed, and I was stuck looking at the path he was taking, completely lost. How was that contract marriage thing real?

— What’s up, little noisemaker?! — I heard Lucas scream and turned towards him.

He had a truck, parked a few meters away. That nickname was terrible, but he had had it all his life at school, and some people just couldn't let go of it.

Lucas just seemed to be as gossipy as everyone else, since he was practically Ian's age, and in the end, he seemed to know everything. Even that horrible nickname.

Better than "kid" – I thought.

— Did the boss send it? — I shouted back, walking towards him, and knowing that if he was the one taking me, no one would know that I had actually spent the night there. Lucas was Ian's trusted man, and as a good gossip about other people's lives, he was sure of that.

"Plus, he told me to steal clothes from my little sister," he winked as I approached, and I stared at him in disbelief. "They're in the back seat. You can change there, and I'll just sit here, looking at the bushes. The air conditioning is on, and the windows are completely tinted."

"What's that old man got in his head?" I asked, and he looked at me as if I were a walking punchline. "Stop looking at me like you know something!" I pointed my finger at him, and he smiled slyly.

"Just get in the car, chatterbox."

I got into the car, and it was true, there were clothes there, and despite Lucas claiming they belonged to his sister, it was obvious they had just come from a*****e. The tags were still on them and everything.

I shook my head at the nonsensical thoughts that came up and didn't even try to sort them out. I sighed deeply, fitting perfectly into a blue floral dress and putting on a flip-flop with no brand on the sole.

Who were they trying to fool?

"You can come in now, man," I said, rolling down the window, and he turned around, smiling. "Now, are you going to explain to me why you bought clothes and flip-flops in my exact size? Or better yet, how?"

"Speechless," he made a zipper motion across his lips and climbed into the pickup truck.

I tried to open my mouth to ask again or rephrase the question, but he turned up the volume to the maximum. So, I would be mulling over all of that in my mind.

Worse, when I leaned back against the seat upholstery in the back, I found myself replaying that night, and suddenly, I just wished I could have a little more of it.

**

Positive.

I looked at the test and double-checked, swearing to the heavens that it was wrong. Just like the other five that indicated the same result.

I breathed once, twice, maybe a thousand times while staring at that small piece of plastic. I found myself sitting on the toilet lid, rehashing what had happened about two months ago for the fiftieth time.

I had replayed that night in my mind so many times, but for the first time, it wasn't because I desired him and was trying to understand the desire. It was because it had consequences.

How had I forgotten the condom?

How had he forgotten?

I couldn't think of anything coherent. I saw myself picking up my phone and thinking about calling my best friend to scream. I found myself staring at the house around me, which I was on the brink of losing because I couldn't afford the rent.

I swallowed hard, thinking about how Ian would react. We were going to have a child.

It wasn't a fairy tale. It wasn't how I meticulously planned it in my head. It wasn't how I dreamed it. And suddenly, I found myself not knowing what to do.

But in the next moment, I figured out exactly what I needed. I dialed my best friend's number and simply asked her to come with her car.

I had always dreamed of that moment. I always imagined that I could rebuild the family I had lost.

But what would I do?

I was going to launch my first book that weekend, and I had no idea how the sales would go. And from what I understood, I wouldn't have the money for two months. In other words, I would be pregnant, by my quick calculations, four months along, homeless, and jobless. Suddenly, everything became even more confusing as hell.

Five minutes passed, and I heard knocks on the bathroom door. As soon as I opened it, I came face to face with Letícia, my best friend and confidante, but she had no idea that I was completely broke.

Leti was happy, newly married, building her fairy tale. How could I just tell her that I was selling my lunch to buy dinner? It wasn't fair to her. And I didn't want to be a burden to the one I loved.

Even more so for her, who had always been the person who held me up. She had already done so much when she lent me the money to pay the first rent that I had fallen behind on, and even more when she would show up out of nowhere at my house with a month's worth of groceries, basically saying: "I brought some things I saw at the store and knew you'd love."

It was her way of helping me, and I couldn't deny it. My pride was too great for that, but in that moment, it devastated me.

"Where's the body?" she asked, and I had to smile amidst the desperation. I was thankful that she was inattentive and only focused on my face, not on the pregnancy tests on the sink beside me. "Where are we going to bury it?"

"I need a ride," I said, getting up and practically dragging her away from there.