**A week later
My eyes were wide as the two pink lines appeared on the pregnancy test I held with shaking hands. It has been two months since fatigue clung to me like a second skin and vomiting became a morning ritual. The absence of my period was a semi-verdict, solidifying my fears. The test was just a confirmation of my suspicions, a fact I vehemently refused to acknowledge, yet it still sent shivers down my back and set my heart on a race.
In my desperate need to drown my heartbreak, I walked away with consequences that felt more real with each passing day. I let out a sigh and placed the pregnancy on the sink. What am I going to do? I placed my hand on my belly, the host of an unwanted responsibility and a traitor to my soul
No, I am not happy, not at all, and I won't call it my life, not yet. What I feel right now is a crushing feeling of helplessness, of my life not being mine anymore. I barely survive on my own, work takes more than half of my time, how the hell am I even going to do with a child? I could already visualize the upcoming sleepless nights, the early mornings, my life wasn't mine anymore.
I wasn't sure if I wanted to terminate, but maybe I needed more time to come to terms with that. Then I suddenly became cold, it has a father as if realizing that I didn't impregnate myself. Why inform him if I wasn't sure I'd keep the child?
Then my mind traitorously drifted to the memories of that night; they rushed back in fragments: the taste of his mouth, his skin, the feeling of his arms, the way I lost myself in his gaze. A traitorous smile crept up my lips and I held my hand up to my lips where the memory of his mouth still lingered. Then came the crushing memory of the morning's cold sheets, the single note thank you.
The very few times he was around at work and that was actually just twice to be precise, I became blind and a ghost while he simply ignored me. It was normal but my heart sank at the thought of it.
And as the decision settled in my bones, I would keep it, a treacherous, secret part of my heart whispered the truth. It wasn't the product of a mistake. It was the product of a single, perfect night where I felt... seen. However fleeting, it was love.
Right I whispered as I went to prepare for work. I was going to keep it and, most importantly, inform him. I didn't care how he would take it, it's true he was a billionaire and could ease any financial reponsibilitites but I just wanted him to know,
I stepped out of the house feeling relieved, like a weight had been lifted off my chest. I stopped by the shop and picked up a bag of my favorite chocolate that had become my breakfast replacement.
Immediately I stepped into the sterile Covington building that morning, I headed to the first floor to get an appointment from the secretary. My heart was in a rush, my feet getting colder, but anyway, I had to. Mrs was an elderly woman probably in her 50s.
Her voice, when it came, was cold.
"Mr… doesn't take unscheduled meetings"
"I understand" I uttered " but this is something I need to discuss with him in person"
She glanced at me, her brow lifted in interrogation
"Is it work-related?"
"It concerns him directly", my voice was low as I fidgeted with my hands.
"How long will you need?"
"Just a few minutes"
She stopped typing
"There's a short opening at three"
"Thank you" I mumbled as relief washed over me.
I hurried to my desk and for the rest of the day, my eyes kept drifting almost automatically to the time on the laptop. As the clock struck 2:58, I climbed upstairs. The secretary glanced at her time then back at me
"You can go in now"
I stepped into the office with deliberate slowness. I stopped at the door, my eyes scanning the environment. He was sitting at his desk, his coat discarded, his hair disheveled as if he had been running his hands through it for hours. His impassible mask was firmly in place, his eyes showed no hint of barest recognition.
"Sit", it was a command here he was the CEO, and how the man of that night seemed miles away.
I sat down, locking my gaze with his. All the courage that had propelled me here seemed to have vanished. I met the man now, I was meeting the CEO, and conciliating it was beyond difficult.
I cleared my throat. How did you begin the conversation that would irrevocably alter two lives? The words fell into the quiet like stones. "I'm pregnant."
Silence. My gaze dropped to the floor, a flimsy barrier against his piercing gaze.
He finally spoke, his voice glacial.
"And according to all indications, I am the father." It was not a question but an observation, yet I nodded.
"We'll have a DNA test", he announced quietly.
Of course, what did I expect? A billionaire like him built or maintained his empire by not trusting anyone. I would have done the same anyhow yet it stung.
"I'll see how we'll proceed from the results. I'll forward any other thing to you by email"
He said nothing more, he didn't need to. I stood up and left the office. I did it, I told him yet I felt as hollow as before. Back at my desk, I stared at the lines of code until they blurred. I would be working very, very late tonight.