hia

since I slept with the devi

l had taken what he wanted and walke

eel warm and hopeful-filled with laughter, family, and a little bit of magic. I

eady beeping of the monitors filled the dimly lit room. The scent of antiseptic lingered in the

Cancer had stolen so much from her. The woman who once

about meaningless things-the Christmas lights decorating the streets outside, a funny comm

red the fragile peace. I glanced at th

than Bl

Reports – Re

ancials_Revised_Dr

ng Christmas weekend, Ethan Blackwell couldn't

all times. And I was merely his secretary. His sec

ly. "That boss of yours is going to run you into the ground. It's Christmas, f

into my handbag and

It helps with everything

st treatments had already pushed the medical bills past eigh

rything together. But she didn't need to know

I'd been dreading. "Have y

loor. "No," I said. "I h

debt collectors. Or the threats. Or the possibility that my father could be arrested because of the

ead and promised I would return tomorrow. The mom

tly where I had arranged for it. I climb

fice and stared out the window for the entire journey. The city blurred past in a

tle I could. Another painful chunk of my savings disappeared.

face like a slap. For a moment, I simply

ned against it. Silence greeted me. The kind of

throom and opened the drawer. Inside were four pregnancy tests. I boug

packaging and followed the instructions. Afterward,

es. Only th

lt like a

he cracked ce

k to the mistake that had changed everything. The torn protection. T

hundered i

conds, I couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. Then,

lines. On the second. The third. The fourth.

rly gave out

sound escape

o.

er. I stared at the tests. Then stared some m

mbling hand against my stoma

her was Eth

pered, tears f

have I