Chapter 0298

There are two lines on the pregnancy test.

Aauick glance at the little key to the side of the screen confirms what I already know.

Pregnant.

I'm pregnant.

I feel everything drain from me in this moment — like all color, all life, all breath and joy floods from me as I stare at the little stick

in my hands.

“Shit,” I hear Jerome say, watching my response.

“Fuuuuuuck,” Daniel hisses, turning away for a split second, his shoulders tense. I raise my eyes to watch him, to look between

him and Jerome, desperate for...

For any solution.

For anything at all, now that my world has turned upside down.

Jerome’s eyes are on me. “It’s okay, Fay,” he says, coming forward to me slowly with his hands out, like he’s approaching a

startled horse. And as I see the sympathy and the worry in his face, I feel myself start to tremble, feel my eyes start to fill with

tears as my hands clutch around the test.

Pregnant!

I gasp in a sudden breath, all of my emotions and thoughts and panic snapping back into place as my mind starts to whirl, frantic

for a plan, for a solution —

“Oh my god,” I murmur, leaning back against the sink and staring down again at the test. “What are we going to d-*

But I don’t get a chance to finish my sentence.

Because we all go silent and perfectly still as we turn as one towards the bedroom door.

Which Daniel didn’t lock behind him.

And which now, quite slowly, is pressing open.

“Shit shit shit,” Jerome starts to say, his whole body going rigid.

Because we all know precisely who it is.

Only one person left in this house would come boldly into this room uninvited.

“Give it to me,” Daniel hisses in a panic, hurrying forward, grabbing at my hands. But I’m frozen — absolutely frozen — as I watch

Kent walk into the bedroom, watch him look around, and then watch him frown a little as he sees movement in the bathroom.

“Fuck, Fay!” Daniel whispers, clawing at my hand.

Late — probably too late — I open my hand and let him take the test from me, which he quickly whips behind his back. I stay

where I am, my lower back pressed against the sink, as Kent crosses the room and comes to stand in the bathroom doorway

and looks between the three of us.

“What's going on here,” Kent asks, stern, all business. He knows already that something is off — he’s too practiced at

interrogation for us to hide anything from him now, especially since we're all so clearly worked up. His eyes fix especially on

Jerome, which makes sense — Daniel and I have a reason to be here.

But Jerome?

“What are you talking about, dad?” Daniel asks, too innocent. His voice is just barely higher than it usually would be, but it's

enough.

“I heard shouting,” Kent replies

evenly, slipping his hands into his

pockets as he prepares himselon)

question us, Hp wRSOSsI cool, as

Aes e he always is at these

moments. I can feel my body

betraying me though, starting to

shake again. I press my jaw shut,

wondering how the hell we're going

to get out of this. Please read the

original content at .

“It was nothing,” Daniel says with a shrug. But Kent ignores him.

“Why are you here,” he asks, lifting his chin towards Jerome, ignoring me for the moment, though his eyes flick to me once,

taking in my rigid form, my trembling muscles.

“I —“ Jerome says, coming up with nothing. And I don’t blame him, under the Mafia King’s heavy gaze. “I’m just...”

“You're just what,” Kent asks, taking a step forward towards him.

“Um,” Jerome says, not looking at Kent, his eyes moving fast around the room as if looking for some sort of explanation. And

then they land on something on the floor that makes him go pale.

My eyes follow his only a second

before Kent's do. And my blood

freezes again ui peplize «B60

its (tg the Bok that the pregnancy

test came in. Frowning, Kent steps

forward, trying to get a better look,

but Daniel takes a frantic step in his

way. Please read the original content

at .

“Stop,” Daniel says, putting one hand on Kent's chest.

Kent swipes the hand away and

keeps moving, but Daniel shouts this

time, telling his dad te-stap, muted!

I in\flat on Kent's chest

and shoving him back, keeping his

other hand with the pregnancy test

twisted behind his back. Please read

the original content at

.

Kent snarls at his son, glaring at the deliberate opposition, but then he notices that Daniel is only using one hand to stop him. His

eyes move swiftly to Daniel's elbow, to where his arm disappears behind him.