The Wrong Penthouse

Chapter Thirteen: A Secret Too Heavy

Ariana Cole POV

"No."

The word escaped my lips before I could stop it. I stared at the doctor as if he had spoken a language I didn't understand.

"No," I repeated, shaking my head.

The doctor remained calm.

"I'm sorry, Miss Cole, but the test results are very clear."

I looked down at the folder resting on his desk. The words blurred together.

Positive. Pregnant. My hands began to tremble. There had to be a mistake. There had to be. I had come to the hospital expecting bad news, but not this. Not this.

The doctor pushed the file gently toward me. "You can request another test if you'd like, but I'm confident in the results."

I slowly lifted my gaze. "You're sure?"

The question sounded pathetic even to me.

The doctor nodded. "Yes."

One simple word. One simple answer. Yet it shattered the little control I had left. A strangled sound escaped my throat. I covered my mouth with both hands. Tears instantly flooded my eyes.

The doctor frowned. Concern appeared on his face. "Miss Cole?"

I couldn't answer. The room suddenly felt too small. Too bright. Too overwhelming. I was pregnant. Pregnant. The word echoed inside my head again and again. I thought about my mother. I thought about the hospital bills. I thought about the ten thousand dollars my father had stolen. Then I thought about Damian. And everything became worse. The tears spilled down my cheeks.

The doctor handed me a box of tissues.

"You should be happy," he said gently.

Happy. I almost laughed. The sound would have been hysterical. Nothing about my life makes me feel happy right now. Nothing.

I quickly wiped my face. "It's fine."

The lie sounded weak. Even I didn't even believe it.

The doctor studied me carefully. "Do you need someone to call?"

I immediately shook my head. "No."

The answer came too quickly. Because there was no one I could call. Not Chloe.

Definitely not Chloe. Not after everything.

And Damian...

I wasn't ready to think about Damian.

Not yet. I gathered the test results and stood. My legs felt strangely unsteady.

The doctor looked like he wanted to say more. Instead, he simply offered a sympathetic smile.

"Take care of yourself, Miss Cole."

I nodded. Then I walked out. The moment I stepped outside the hospital building, cold air hit my face. I welcomed it. Anything to stop myself from falling apart.

The city moved around me as if nothing had changed. Cars drove past. People laughed. Workers hurried along the sidewalks. Life continued.

Meanwhile, mine had completely stopped. I stood there for several minutes. Unable to move. Unable to think. Unable to breathe properly.

Eventually, I forced myself forward. One step. Then another. Then another. I didn't know where I was going. I just walked.

My hand remained wrapped tightly around the folder. The folder that now contained a secret capable of destroying everything. I wasn't ready to face it. I wasn't ready to tell anyone. Especially not Damian.

A sharp pain settled in my chest. Because despite everything… Part of me already knew who the father was. And that terrified me more than anything else.

By afternoon, I found myself standing outside my mother's hospital room. I took a deep breath. Then another. I forced a smile onto my face. A fake one.

The same fake smile I had been wearing for most of my life. Then I opened the door. My mother looked up immediately.

The moment she saw me, her face brightened.

"There you are."

Her voice still carried warmth despite everything she was going through.

I smiled.

At least I tried to. "Hi, Mom."

She patted the chair beside her bed. "Come here."

I sat down. As always, she reached for my hand. Her fingers felt weaker than they used to. That realization broke my heart a little more every day.

For a while, we talked about ordinary things. The weather. The nurses.

A television show she had been watching.

Anything except the things that truly mattered. Then she became quiet. I knew that look. Mothers always know. No matter how old their children become.

Her eyes studied my face. "You've been crying."

The statement wasn't a question. I immediately looked away. "No, I haven't."

"Ariana."

I forced a laugh. A terrible one. "I'm fine."

She squeezed my hand. "Don't lie to me."

My throat tightened. For a moment, I almost told her. About the pregnancy. About Damian. About the stolen money. About everything. But I couldn't. She already had enough to worry about. The last thing she needed was my problems.

So I smiled again.

The fake smile felt painful. "Work has just been stressful."

She didn't look convinced. Not even slightly. But she let it go. For now. The conversation shifted again. And I was grateful for the distraction. Hours passed. I helped her eat.

We watched television together. I listened as she shared stories from her childhood.

Stories I had heard dozens of times before.

Yet somehow they still made me smile.

Being with her always felt safe. Even when my world was falling apart. For a little while, I managed to forget everything.

Then my phone rang. The sound shattered the peaceful atmosphere. I glanced at the screen. My heart immediately skipped. Damian. My stomach twisted.

I considered ignoring the call. But before I could decide, my mother noticed.

"Are you going to answer it?"

I hesitated. Then reluctantly pressed accept. "Hello?"

There was a brief silence. Then Damian's voice filled my ear. Deep. Familiar. Dangerous.

"Where are you?"

I frowned. "What kind of question is that?"

"The kind that deserves an answer."

Despite everything, irritation flickered through me. "I'm at the hospital."

His tone changed immediately. "Your mother?"

"Yes."

Silence followed. Then he sighed.

"Ariana, I've been trying to reach you all day."

"I know."

"You ignored every call."

I looked away. My mother was pretending not to listen. Pretending very badly.

"I've been busy."

"You've been avoiding me."

I couldn't argue with that. Because he was right. The truth was, I didn't know how to talk to him anymore. Not after today. Not after learning I was carrying a child he knew nothing about. A child I wasn't ready to tell him about.

His voice softened slightly. "We need to talk."

I closed my eyes. "Damian—"

"No." The firmness in his tone surprised me. "We're done avoiding this."

A strange feeling settled in my stomach. Then he said something I never expected.

"I'm coming to see you."

My eyes widened. "What?"

"You heard me."

"No."

My response was immediate.

"Don't."

"Why?"

Because I don't know what to do. Because I'm pregnant with your child. Because my life is a disaster. Because seeing you will make everything harder.

Instead, I said the only thing I could. "It isn't a good time."

"Ariana."

The way he said my name made my heart ache. Then his next words stole my breath completely.

"I want to marry you."

Everything inside me froze. Across the room, my mother's eyes widened. I stared at the phone in complete shock. For several seconds, I couldn't speak. Couldn't think. Couldn't breathe.

The room became painfully silent. Then my mother slowly turned toward me. A look of confusion crossed her face. Followed by curiosity. Then concern.

"Ariana," she said carefully. My grip tightened around the phone. "Who is the man asking you to marry him?”