The Decision
277 Words
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*Chapter 10: The Decision*
Three days later.
The private clinic was white. Too clean.
I sat in the waiting room with sunglasses on.
No assistant. No driver. Just me.
"Nurse will call you in 5 minutes, Ms. Queen."
I nodded. My hand rested on my stomach.
8 weeks and 3 days.
My phone kept buzzing.
Rayan: `Please talk to me`
Rayan: `I sold my Rayan Corp shares`
Rayan: `I don't care about the company. I care about you`
I didn't reply.
The nurse called my name.
Cold room. Colder machine.
"Just relax," she said. "We'll check the heartbeat."
The screen flickered.
And then I heard it.
_thump-thump_
_thump-thump_
Small. Fast. Alive.
My breath caught.
Tears I hadn't cried in 2 years slipped under my sunglasses.
"Everything looks healthy," the nurse smiled. "8 weeks. Strong heartbeat."
I stared at the tiny flicker on the screen.
Not a problem.
Not a mistake.
A baby.
My phone buzzed again. Rayan.
This time I picked up.
"Alia?" His voice was desperate.
I whispered, barely audible.
"I'm keeping it."
Silence.
Then a shaky breath on the other end.
"What?"
"I'm keeping the baby," I said stronger.
"Not for you. Not for us.
For me."
Another pause.
"Can I... can I come to the next appointment?"
I looked at the ultrasound photo the nurse handed me.
At the tiny heartbeat.
"That," I said, "is my decision to make."
I hung up.
Outside the clinic, the sun was out.
No more rain.
No more Rayan Corp wars.
No more "option."
Just me.
And a future I was choosing.
Because Queens don't fall.
And Queens don't regret their decisions.
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*End of Chapter 10*
- Writer
