HIS BEST FRIEND IS MY BABY DADDY

Insurance

Lisa's POV

I sat on the edge of my bathtub, the cold seeping through my robe.

For three weeks, I’d blamed the nausea on stress. I’d told myself the dizziness were just the fallout of moving out and my father freezing my primary accounts. But the truth was in my hands, staring back at me in the form of two pink strips.

I looked at the counter. Three more tests, all with the same result.

*This can't be true.*

I threw the test against the floor with every ounce of strength I had left. The plastic click sounded like a gavel.

"Fuck." I ran my hands through my hair, pulling at the roots until it hurt.

My phone vibrated. Chloe. I picked up on the second ring.

"Girl! When are you coming over? The party has already started—"

"I’m pregnant," I said, the words feeling like lead in my mouth.

"What did you say?"

"I'm pregnant, Chloe." My voice finally broke, a sob escaping.

"Holy s**t. How? I mean... who’s the father?"

I hadn’t let myself think about that until now. The Father.

"I hope it's not the guy from the other night," she whispered.

"No."

"How are you so sure?"

"We used protection," I said, though the memory was a blur. I had to believe I hadn't been that reckless. "I’m a hundred percent positive."

"Then it's Adrian?"

I sniffled, wiped my nose with the back of my hand. "Look, it doesn't matter. I have to get rid of it. My life is already in ruins; I can’t add a baby to the wreckage. I need your help."

"Okay, take a deep breath. I’ll be there in—"

The bathroom door suddenly swung open, hitting the wall with a bang. I gasped as my mother stepped inside. She didn't say a word; she simply snatched the phone from my hand.

My heart dropped into my stomach.

"No need to come, dear," she said into the phone before ending the call.

I stood up, trembling. "How... how long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to hear that you’re carrying Adrian’s child," she said.

The cold in the room turned to ice. "How did you get into my house?"

"I have spare keys." She waved a heavy gold keychain in my face.

"You’re trespassing. Leave. Now."

"That’s no way to talk to your mother," she replied, clicking her tongue.

"You’re not my mother."

"Of course. But what else would you call the woman who raised you?" She stepped closer, her perfume excessive. "Would you rather call the woman who abandoned you?"

"Leave!"

"Not until I stop you from making a foolish mistake. That child growing inside you? You’re going to birth it."

"Ridiculous. Get out."

"Lisa, if I leave now, I’m going straight to Gerald. I’ll tell him everything. You know him—this will be the last straw. He will ruin you completely."

"He already froze my accounts! He helped destroy my reputation! What is left for him to take?" I screamed, the tears finally flowing. "My life? He can f*****g have it. You all can!"

I collapsed back onto the edge of the tub. She softened her stance, moving toward me to raise my chin with a manicured finger.

"Lisa, dear, you don’t want to end up like your real mother. Wretched, with a child out of wedlock, putting that child through hell..." She stroked my hair. "You don’t deserve to go through hell twice."

I shook my head, pulling away. "That’s why I’m getting rid of it."

"That isn't the best option, and you know it. You can use this child to your advantage. Think about it. You and Adrian will come back stronger and more powerful than before. A miracle baby to save the brand."

"Adrian is trash. He doesn't deserve me."

"And Gerald? Does he deserve me?" she asked, her voice suddenly cold.

I looked at her. For a second, the mask of the perfect wife slipped.

"I know Gerald is selfish and greedy," she continued. "But he gives me security. Money. Power. That is what’s important. Life isn't a movie you act in or a song you write. It’s tough. You have to give up a piece of yourself to get more."

She picked up her luxury bag from the floor.

"If you don't do this, I can't guarantee your life will ever be normal again. You've seen how the last few weeks have gone. You can't have it all, Lisa. Decide which is more important: your pride, or your survival."

I watched her leave, the silence she left behind heavy.

I leaned my head back against the cold wall and stared at the ceiling, my thoughts spiraling into the dark. *You don’t have to go through hell twice,* her voice echoed. *You don’t have to end up like your mother.*

My real mother. I didn’t even know where she was anymore, or if she was still with the man who had forced me out.

I clenched my teeth so hard my jaw ached. I could still remember the early days—how we were happy enough even when we only ate once a day. But then he came along, and everything changed. My mother’s love split. When I told her he was making disgusting advances toward me, she didn't protect me. She chose to believe I was the problem. She blamed me for ruining her youth by being born, and then for trying to ruin her adult life by "lying" about her boyfriend.

Like I had any choice in being brought into this world.

He didn’t relent. When he moved in, the air in our tiny home turned toxic. The night he nearly r***d me, I didn't pack a bag. I just ran. I ran until my lungs burned, waiting for her to come looking for me.

She never did.

Melissa was right. Life wasn’t a fairytale. By eight years old, I was living on the streets, doing whatever it took to keep my stomach from cramping. By twelve, I had run up a debt with the kind of people who don't take "no" for an answer. They sold me to a club. I was supposed to be w****d out to the highest bidder.

But on my very first night there, Gerald saw me. He didn’t just pay my debt; he bought my future. He took me home to Melissa. For years, I looked at him as my savior. I looked at Melissa as my mother.

I stood up, a cold, hard resolve settling in my chest.

The girl who ate out of dumpsters and slept in alleyways was dead. I had clawed my way out of that life, and I would never, ever go back. If I had to give up a piece of my soul—if I had to keep this child for security and the money, then so be it.

I would never be "Poor Lisa" again.

This pregnancy? This was my insurance policy.

___

I took a deep breath before pressing the doorbell, my heart hammering against my ribs.

*You’re making a mistake, Lisa,* a voice whispered in the back of my mind.

*At least it’s a f*****g good mistake,* I snapped back, silencing the doubt.

The door opened, and Adrian stood there. For a split second, surprise flickered across his face before it hardened into a scowl.

"Look what we have here," he sneered, leaning against the doorframe.

"Can I come in?"

"I have a visitor."

"They can wait," I said, brushing past him before he could stop me.

I was trembling inside, but I kept my head high. In the living room, a man sat in one of the velvet armchairs. He wore a sky-blue suit that looked tailored to perfection, a pair of glasses resting on his nose, and a jawline so sharp it looked like it could draw blood.

"Hi," I said, barely giving him a glance.

"Hi," he replied after a beat.

"Now, what the f**k are you doing here, Lisa?" Adrian asked, slamming the front door shut.

"We need to talk. Privately." I glanced pointedly at the visitor.

"Say whatever the hell you have to say right here and now," Adrian snapped.

I stayed silent. I wasn't going to hand him this win while an audience watched.

"I’ll head out. We’ll catch up later," the man in the blue suit said, starting to rise.

"No, no. Ivan, stay. You don't have to leave because of her."

*Ivan.* I finally looked at him. This was the friend Adrian was obsessed with, the one he was clearly intimidated by. Ivan's family was old money, more influential and powerful than Adrian could ever dream of being.

"But she’s your fiancée," Ivan noted, his eyes scanning me with a strange intensity.

"Ex. With a f*****g capital E," Adrian corrected. "In fact, let me do the honors. Ivan, meet my ex, Lisa. Lisa, meet my best friend, Ivan." He gestured dramatically, mocking the very idea of us.

"Nice to meet you, Lisa," Ivan said. I only gave a stiff nod.

"Whatever it is, Lisa, say it. Ivan isn't going anywhere."

"Fine." I reached into my bag and tossed the pregnancy test onto the coffee table. It landed right in front of them. "I’m pregnant."

The room went still.

"What?" Adrian’s eyes darted to the test, then back to me. "For who?"

"You, obviously."

Adrian paused, then reached for a gold lighter. He lit a cigarette, taking a slow drag. "Well... congratulations."

"Congratulations?" I repeated, my voice rising. "That's all you have to say?"

"What the heck do you want me to say, Lisa? You want a parade?"

I exhaled, squeezing my sweaty palms together. "Let’s get married."

He burst into laughter, a loud, chilling sound that echoed off the high ceilings. "Now why would I ever do that?"

"Because I’m carrying your child. And this is our chance to come back. We can be the powerful couple the industry wants. We can have it all back."

"Hmm. Very touching," he said, puffing a cloud of smoke into the air. "But I’m not moved."

"I’m not asking you to love me, Adrian. You never did. Just say the damn vows and put on an act for the cameras. Give the child a name and give us our careers back."

Silence stretched between us. Adrian looked at Ivan, then back at me. He stood up slowly, stubbing out his cigarette.

"Beg me," he said, stepping in front of me.

"What?"

He reached out, grabbing my chin with bruising force, forcing me to look up at him.

"You slapped me. You humiliated me in front of everyone. Now? Get on your k

nees and beg me to marry you," he said, his voice hoarse.

I felt Ivan’s gaze on my back. I was trapped between the girl who ate from trash cans and the woman who would do anything to never go back.