Pregnant!
1817 Words
AVA'S POV
A few days later, I forced myself back into my routine.
It wasn't easy.
Every morning I woke up hoping the last few weeks had been some horrible nightmare.
Every morning reality proved me wrong.
Ethan's betrayal haunted me.
Chloe's laughter haunted me.
The image of them together haunted me.
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't escape it.
I buried myself in work.
Blueprints.
Meetings.
Deadlines.
Anything to keep my mind occupied.
Anything to stop thinking.
I had even moved into a small apartment across town. It wasn't much compared to the townhouse I had once shared with Ethan, but at least it was mine.
No memories.
No lies.
No betrayal.
Just me.
Unfortunately, peace didn't last long.
Just before lunch one afternoon, my phone rang.
Unknown Number.
I almost ignored it.
Almost.
"Hello?" I answered.
"Good afternoon, Miss Sinclair."
The woman's voice was calm and professional.
"This is Dr. Hale from Luna Medical Center."
Immediately, I frowned.
"We've been trying to reach you regarding your appointment."
My stomach tightened.
Appointment?
"I'm sorry, but I think you have the wrong number."
"No, Miss Sinclair. We need you to come in as soon as possible."
Confusion washed over me.
"I never made an appointment."
The doctor hesitated.
"Miss Sinclair, this is important."
A strange feeling settled in my chest.
"I'm sorry, but there must be some mistake."
I ended the call.
For several seconds, I stared at my phone.
Something about the conversation bothered me.
Still, I convinced myself it was nothing.
A clerical error.
Wrong patient.
Wrong number.
The calls continued anyway.
Day after day.
Different receptionists.
Different phone numbers.
Same hospital.
Same request.
By the end of the week, I was irritated enough to block every number that called.
Yet somehow they always found another way to reach me.
It was exhausting.
And that wasn't the only strange thing happening.
I constantly felt watched.
At first I ignored it.
Then it started happening everywhere.
Walking to work.
Shopping for groceries.
Sitting in cafés.
Even entering my apartment building.
Every time I turned around, nobody was there.
Yet the feeling remained.
Like someone's eyes were fixed on me.
Following my every move.
Watching.
Waiting.
One evening, I met Sonam after work.
The familiar coffee shop felt comforting.
Safe.
I desperately needed that.
Sonam took one look at me and sighed.
"You look terrible."
"Thanks."
"I'm serious."
I dropped into the chair opposite her.
"I haven't slept properly in weeks."
"Still thinking about Ethan?"
I laughed bitterly.
"As if I have a choice."
Sonam reached across the table and squeezed my hand.
"You're better off without him."
"I know."
"But it still hurts."
She nodded.
"That's normal."
I stared down at my coffee.
Then I told her about the phone calls.
The hospital.
The appointment.
The strange feeling of being watched.
Everything.
By the time I finished, Sonam looked concerned.
"That's creepy."
"Tell me about it."
"Maybe you should go."
I blinked.
"Go where?"
"The hospital."
I shook my head immediately.
"No."
"Ava—"
"It sounds like a scam."
"What if it isn't?"
I opened my mouth.
Then closed it.
Because honestly?
I didn't have an answer.
Sonam leaned back in her chair.
"Just promise me you'll think about it."
"I'll think about it."
I didn't.
Not really.
Instead, I kept pretending everything was fine.
Then my body decided otherwise.
Two weeks later, I woke up and immediately ran to the bathroom.
Violent nausea hit me without warning.
I barely made it to the toilet.
Afterward, I sat on the cold floor breathing heavily.
"Great."
Stress.
It had to be stress.
What else could it be?
But the nausea didn't stop.
Neither did the dizziness.
Or the exhaustion.
Every morning became a battle.
Every day felt harder than the last.
Still, I ignored it.
Until the bank called.
That conversation changed everything.
The townhouse mortgage was still under my name.
Even though Ethan now owned the property.
My blood boiled.
For days I had tried avoiding him.
Now I was done.
If he thought I was going to keep paying for his house, he was insane.
That afternoon I drove straight to the townhouse.
The moment Ethan opened the door, anger surged through me.
The smug smile on his face made it worse.
"What do you want?"
I crossed my arms.
"We need to talk."
His expression instantly turned bored.
"About what?"
"The mortgage."
He laughed.
Actually laughed.
My jaw clenched.
"Ethan."
"What?"
"The house belongs to you."
"So?"
"You should be paying for it."
He smirked.
"That's not how the paperwork works."
My stomach dropped.
"You planned this."
He shrugged.
"You signed everything willingly."
Rage exploded inside me.
"You used me."
"And?"
That single word snapped something inside me.
The slap echoed through the hallway.
For one glorious second, silence filled the room.
Then Ethan's face darkened.
"You crazy bitch."
Before I could react, he shoved me.
Hard.
I stumbled backward.
My foot caught the edge of the rug.
The world tilted.
Pain exploded through my head.
Then everything disappeared into darkness.
---
Darkness slowly gave way to light.
The first thing I felt was pain.
A sharp, throbbing ache pulsed through my head.
The second thing I noticed was the steady beeping of machines.
My eyelids fluttered open.
White ceiling.
Bright lights.
The faint scent of antiseptic.
A hospital.
Confusion immediately flooded me.
How did I get here?
Then memories crashed into me.
Ethan.
The argument.
The shove.
The fall.
Pain.
Darkness.
I sucked in a sharp breath.
The movement made my head spin.
"Easy."
A gentle voice interrupted my panic.
I turned my head and found a woman in a white coat standing beside my bed.
Relief flashed across her face.
"You're awake."
My throat felt dry.
"What happened?"
"You suffered a concussion after hitting your head."
I instinctively reached up and touched the bandage wrapped around my forehead.
"Am I okay?"
The doctor smiled.
"You're going to be fine."
Then her expression softened.
"And so is your baby."
Everything stopped.
My baby?
I stared at her.
The room suddenly felt too small.
Too bright.
Too hot.
"What?"
The doctor blinked.
"Your baby."
My pulse began racing.
"No."
Her smile faded.
"Miss Sinclair—"
"No. That's impossible."
The words came out as a whisper.
The doctor pulled a chair closer.
"Miss Sinclair, we've been trying to contact you for weeks."
The phone calls.
The hospital.
The appointments.
The strange messages.
Every single thing suddenly made sense.
My stomach dropped.
"Oh my God."
The doctor nodded sympathetically.
"You're approximately eight weeks pregnant."
Pregnant.
The word echoed through my mind.
Pregnant.
My hand slowly drifted to my stomach.
Pregnant.
Images flashed before my eyes.
The club.
The drinks.
The stranger.
The penthouse.
The next morning.
The memory was blurry, but I remembered enough.
Enough to know exactly who the father was.
The handsome stranger.
The man whose name I never learned.
The man I had run away from.
My chest tightened.
The doctor handed me a glass of water.
I drank mechanically.
Trying to process everything.
Trying not to panic.
Then the doctor cleared her throat.
"There is something else you should know."
I looked up.
Immediately nervous.
"What?"
She glanced down at her tablet.
"You've been listed under priority protection."
I frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"It means your medical records are being monitored."
My confusion deepened.
"By who?"
The doctor hesitated.
Then she answered.
"Mr. Adrian Blackwood."
Silence.
Complete silence.
The name hit me like a truck.
Adrian Blackwood.
Everyone knew that name.
The billionaire CEO.
The owner of Blackwood Global.
One of the youngest self-made billionaires in the country.
The ruthless Alpha.
A man whose face appeared constantly in magazines and business articles.
Powerful.
Untouchable.
Dangerous.
My heart started pounding.
"No."
The doctor looked surprised.
"You know him?"
I swallowed hard.
Not really.
And yet...
I remembered those dark eyes.
That intimidating presence.
The way he had watched me from across the club.
The way my heart had reacted when our gazes met.
The stranger.
The stranger was Adrian Blackwood.
"Oh my God."
The doctor looked confused.
"Miss Sinclair?"
I barely heard her.
My thoughts were spiraling.
How?
How could Adrian Blackwood know I was pregnant before I did?
How could he have arranged all this?
Something wasn't adding up.
"Why would he do that?"
The doctor frowned.
"I'm afraid I can't discuss confidential information."
I stared at her.
"Please."
She looked uncomfortable.
Then finally sighed.
"All I can say is that Mr. Blackwood instructed us to immediately notify him if anything happened to you."
The room fell silent again.
Notify him?
My pulse accelerated.
"What exactly does that mean?"
The doctor looked away.
"Miss Sinclair..."
My stomach sank.
"What aren't you telling me?"
Before she could answer, a knock sounded on the door.
Both of us looked up.
The door opened.
A tall man wearing a black suit stepped inside.
He wasn't a doctor.
Or a nurse.
Everything about him screamed security.
His expression remained completely neutral.
"Miss Sinclair is awake."
The words weren't a question.
They were a statement.
The doctor nodded.
The man immediately pulled out his phone.
My heart skipped.
"What is he doing?"
Neither answered.
The man simply turned and walked out.
I stared after him.
Then slowly looked back at the doctor.
"What was that?"
The doctor's expression suddenly became awkward.
Very awkward.
"Miss Sinclair..."
A horrible feeling settled in my stomach.
"What?"
She hesitated.
Then finally said it.
"The men you've been seeing."
My entire body froze.
"What men?"
"The ones following you."
Every muscle in my body tensed.
Cold fear spread through my veins.
The doctor sighed.
"They belong to Blackwood Security."
I stared at her.
Unable to process the words.
"No."
"I'm afraid so."
The room started spinning.
Walking to work.
The grocery store.
Outside my apartment.
The coffee shop.
The feeling of being watched.
The black SUV that seemed to appear everywhere.
The strangers lingering nearby.
The unexplained phone calls.
All of it.
Every single thing.
My mouth went dry.
"You're telling me Adrian Blackwood has been watching me?"
The doctor didn't answer.
She didn't need to.
Her silence told me everything.
My heart pounded violently.
Why?
Why would one of the most powerful men in the country be monitoring me?
What did he want?
What was he planning?
And how long had this been going on?
A sudden knock interrupted my thoughts.
The doctor looked toward the door.
Then her eyes widened.
The room instantly felt different.
Heavier.
Tenser.
My pulse skyrocketed.
Because the expression on her face told me exactly who had just arrived.
The doctor immediately stood.
Straightened her coat.
And moved aside.
Fear curled in my stomach.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
The hospital room door began to open.
And for the first time since that night...
I was about to come face-to-face with Adrian Blackwood.
- Writer
