7. Alternate Universe

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Joanne had not gained a single pound. In fact, she was suspecting weight loss.

But all her dresses felt uncomfortable.

She had not felt this way back in the past.

She guessed maybe it was because she was so used to maternity wear that wearing a fitted dress was making her both uncomfortable as well as insecure.

She looked at the baby pink dress and the floral yellow dress with beige flowers.

“I should just go with what I wore back then.” She said, “I mean, I am making it harder than it needs to be.”

She tossed the floral dress onto her bed and hung the pink dress next to her vanity mirror, scouring through her vast collection of footwear and accessories. She had no recollection of what she had worn in the past.

The difference? Last time, being all alone at home, she had picked out everything the night before.

But yesterday, she was so mad at the horrible man living across the hall that she had gone straight to bed.

She couldn't even blame the pregnancy brain for her confusion this early on. But she was so used to having it - the pregnancy brain, the mood swings.

“Ugh! I am not going!” Joanne finally gave up, plopping down on top of her rejected dress.

This had not been this hard in the past.

Another blip in the story, she assumed.

Joanne lay there thinking if anything significant happened on the day of the baby shower. She remembered very little of it. Was there anything that day that could have changed the course of her life?

She closed her eyes exasperated when she heard the knock.

What did this evil man want?

“Joanne?” He turned the knob and she cursed internally when she realized that she had forgotten to lock it after her last kitchen run.

Reagan wore a pair of loose navy blue sweatpants hanging low on his hips, his abs disappearing into a faint V just peaking above the waistband. And the monster had the audacity to walk around shirtless.

He had a glass of what appeared to be apple juice in his hand.

“Not ready yet?”

Joanne gritted her teeth. She turned away from him and closed her eyes, even though she knew she should not turn her back on the enemy.

“None of your business.”

She wished he would leave but no, the man walked in and to the side she was facing, the bed dipping as he sat down, looking intently at her as if she was some museum artifact.

“Have this juice.”

“I had my breakfast.” She muttered.

“It's important to incorporate some fruit into your meal as well.” He nudged her.

Joanne refused to open her eyes. “Don't tell me what I need.”

“Aren't you going?”

Joanne opened her eyes. “No.”

“Why not? Isn't it your friend's baby shower?”

Joanne glared at him. She knew it was Talia's baby shower. But this man had ruined it for her. Like he had ruined every aspect of her life. At some point in life, he had given her the gift of her child. And he had snatched her so cruelly from her as well.

She sat up and he held the glass to her.

Joanne picked up her phone and texted Elliot that she was not feeling well.

Elliot replied immediately.

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ELLIOT: LIAR!

JOANNE: I FEEL LIKE ABSOLUTE SHIT!

ELLIOT: The test comes positive and you are already using it to get out of things?

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Joanne smiled at the text and sent a cheeky grin emoji.

That might have been true but there was no way she could be blamed for it.

She tossed the phone on the bed and covered her eyes with her arm.

“I am pregnant and sick.”

“You had no problem last time- night. You had no problem last night.”

“I do not remember engaging in any soul-sucking social activities yesterday.”

“Grady was here all day.”

“Eli is not a soul-sucker.”

Reagan did not respond with anything more than a grunt.

Joanne wanted to ask him why he hated anyone who showed any affection towards her. But she decided to let it be.

There was no use asking a snake why it bit her.

“Get ready.” He finally said.

Joanne decided to ignore him. Sometimes it was better to just pretend your problems didn't exist.

She yelped when she suddenly felt his arms on her waist, hauling her up. Her eyes snapped open as her hands flew to grip his naked toned shoulders.

“What are you doing?” She asked as he settled her down.

“Isn't Talia not important enough to you?” Reagan asked, picking up the juice and holding it out.

Joanne gaped at him, royally ignoring the glass. What the heck was actually wrong with him? Why would he even care?

“Are you really going to guilt trip me?” She asked wryly. “Over a person you don't even know?”

Reagan shrugged, picking up the floral dress. “This is pretty.” He said. “Get changed. Or would you prefer if I did the honors?”

Joanne pushed him out of the room as fast as she could.

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“Whoa, I hope I look that good the next time I feel like absolute shit!” Elliot grinned as he hugged her. His eyes narrowed at the billionaire clad in a beige shirt, two buttons left open and white pants. Beige shirt that matched the flowers in her floral dress.

“What are you doing here?” Elliot asked, stepping back, grabbing her hand and securing it inside his huge fingers.

“What? You left the police squad and decided to become a bouncer here?” Reagan stepped forward, wrapping an arm around Joanne's waist and pulling her to him, effectively breaking the hand hold apart.

Elliot looked at Joanne with the same amount of confusion she felt.

“Let's go.” Reagan pushed her forward. “Talia must be waiting.”

As she was effectively dragged away, she turned to mouth ‘HELP!’ to her best friend, showing him the universal distress sign.

Meanwhile, Elliot was left gaping. But he came to the conclusion that the man probably changed due to the news of him becoming a father soon.

What surprised him more was how Joanne was taking it. No matter what happened, the girl had always loved Reagan and wanted his attention and affection. Now that she was getting it - whatever the reason may be - why was she rejecting it outright?

Was he in an alternate universe?

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