Chapter Two
724 Words
Ava sat frozen on the cold edge of the bathtub, the pregnancy test still clutched tightly in her hand. Two pink lines. No matter how many times she blinked, rubbed her eyes, or checked the instructions, the result didn’t change.
She was pregnant.
Pregnant with a stranger’s baby.
Her phone buzzed on the bathroom counter. She ignored it. The world could wait. Right now, she was busy spiraling.
She buried her face in her hands. Her mind ran wild—her career, her bank account, her future. She could barely take care of herself some days. How was she going to take care of a baby?
A knock on the bathroom door pulled her out of her thoughts.
“Ava?” Candace's voice was soft, concerned. “You’ve been in there for like... thirty minutes. Everything okay?”
Ava didn’t respond immediately. She opened the door slowly, revealing her pale face and tear-brimmed eyes.
Candace’s eyes dropped to the test in Ava’s hand. “Oh my God…”
Ava let out a small laugh that sounded more like a sob. “Yep. I’m officially a cliché. One-night stand. No name. Surprise pregnancy.”
Candace ushered her to the couch, grabbing a blanket and sitting beside her.
“Okay,” she said firmly, voice laced with determination. “We are not going to panic. We’re going to talk this through like rational women who drink too much coffee and overthink everything.”
Ava laughed again, wiping her eyes.
“First off,” Candace continued, “how sure are you?”
“I’ve taken three tests,” Ava said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Different brands. All say the same thing.”
“And you’re sure it’s… his?”
Ava gave her a look. “Unless immaculate conception is back in style, yeah. It’s him.”
“Damn,” Candace muttered. “Do you even know his name?”
“No. He never asked mine either. We didn’t talk about real life stuff. It was just... one of those nights, you know?”
Candace leaned back. “Well, this just turned into a real-life Netflix series.”
“I know,” Ava groaned. “It’s just—I didn’t think it through. I was careful most of the time, but that night I just... let go. It felt safe, somehow. Like the rules didn’t matter.”
They sat in silence for a few seconds.
Candace broke it first. “Do you remember anything that could help you find him? Like where he works, what he does, even a name drop?”
Ava shook her head. “Nothing useful. Just... steel-gray eyes. A penthouse suite. And the fact that he poured bourbon like it was a daily ritual.”
Candace raised an eyebrow. “Penthouse? Ava, he’s loaded.”
Ava blinked. “I guess. But I wasn’t thinking about that.”
“You’re telling me the guy you slept with could be a literal billionaire and you didn’t bother to snoop even a little?”
“I was trying not to get attached!” Ava exclaimed. “Besides, he didn’t feel like a rich guy. He felt... grounded. Thoughtful. Honest.”
Candace gave her a look. “Girl. That man probably owns a yacht named after a constellation. We need to find him.”
“Why?” Ava snapped, standing. “So he can accuse me of trapping him? So I can beg for child support from someone who probably thinks I’m a gold digger? No. This is my mess. I’ll deal with it.”
Candace stood too. “Okay, first of all, calm down. You’re allowed to feel overwhelmed. Second, it’s not just about you anymore. It’s about the baby. Don’t you think they deserve to know who their father is?”
Ava swallowed hard.
“I just... I don’t even know where to start.”
Candace smiled. “Then we start small. We retrace your steps. Maybe someone at that party knows who he was. That kind of crowd—rich, exclusive—they talk. We’ll find him.”
Ava looked at her best friend, overwhelmed with gratitude and fear. “And what if he doesn’t want anything to do with us?”
Candace took her hand. “Then we’ll figure it out. Together. But you don’t have to do this alone.”
- Writer
