Fired.....then pregnant

Olivia Bennett wasn’t the type to cry in public. She wasn’t the type to get drunk on a Thursday night, either. But there she was, curled up on a high stool at the edge of a sleek hotel bar, staring down into the amber swirl of her third whiskey sour. It burned going down, but not nearly enough. Her reflection in the mirror behind the bar looked like a stranger. Red eyes. Smudged mascara. That thousand-yard stare of someone who’d just watched her world implode. Two years. Two years wasted on a man who called her his everything, who promised forever—and cheated with the one person she trusted most. Clara. Even thinking the name made her stomach twist. Clara, her best friend since college. Clara, her bridesmaid-to-be. Clara, currently screwing her fiancé on a desk Olivia used to work at. She took another sip, resisting the wave of nausea that came with the memory. She hadn’t said a word to either of them. Just walked out of the office without a scene. Without screaming. Wi

Olivia's povStarting over was supposed to feel empowering.Instead, Olivia felt like she was walking a tightrope—with no safety net, no plan, and no idea what she was doing.She should’ve been focused on her first day at Carter & Co. She should’ve been excited about the sleek office, the view of Manhattan, the brilliant career pivot that had landed her here.But all she could think about was one terrible truth:She had slept with her boss.And if that weren’t enough of a cosmic joke, her cheating ex and ex–best friend worked two departments over.So much for a fresh start.---The elevator ride to the seventeenth floor felt longer than it should have. She smoothed down the front of her blouse for the fifth time and tried to ignore the sweat prickling at her hairline.Nathan hadn’t said a word about the night before. No lingering glances. No subtle digs. Just a smooth, corporate welcome as if they’d never even met.Which somehow made it worse.She should’ve been relieved. But his indi

The text came in at 8:47 p.m.Olivia: Can we talk? In person.Nathan stared at the message for a long time. Long enough that the screen dimmed and locked. He tapped it awake again, reread the words, and still didn’t move.She knew. Or maybe she didn’t know he knew. Maybe she wanted to say it herself. Either way, it was coming. The conversation. The fallout.He was still in his office, the building long quiet. Just the hum of the city beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows and the soft whir of the AC. He hadn’t left since that morning, since the HR meeting he barely remembered because he’d spent most of it wondering if Olivia had noticed how pale he looked. How he couldn’t meet her eyes.He hadn’t been able to think straight since he overheard the conversation between her and Cassie two days ago. It played on a loop in his head."I’m pregnant.""Does he know?""No."Except now he did. And she knew he knew. Probably. Possibly. God, he was spinning.He grabbed his phone, typed a response, t

OliviaThe words were still there when I opened my phone again.Does he know who you really are?I sat on the edge of my bed, fingers numb and vision blurry. I’d stared at the message so long it had burned into my eyes. No number. No name. Just six little words that threatened to crack the foundation I was trying so hard to build.I deleted it.Then I blocked the number.And still… I didn’t feel safe.I hadn’t told Nathan. I wasn’t ready. I didn’t know how to be ready. Whatever this was—someone playing games, or something more serious—I needed time to figure it out before dragging him into the chaos. He was already adjusting to the idea of fatherhood. That was enough pressure without adding this shadow from my past.Because whoever sent that message?They knew something.---NathanI knew something was wrong.Olivia brushed it off in the office, but she hadn’t been herself. Not since the meeting. Not since the text. I’d seen the way her expression changed—the way she locked her phone

Olivia's pov The photo sat on my nightstand, flipped over, but I could still feel its presence like it was burning through the wood. Sleep hadn’t come. I’d changed positions a dozen times, counted backward from a hundred, tried breathing exercises—but none of it worked. My mind wouldn’t stop spinning. Vanessa’s visit had stirred up more than just memories. It had opened a vault I’d kept locked for over a year. And now the past wasn’t just tapping at the door—it had kicked it wide open. I glanced at my phone again. 11:47 PM. I couldn’t keep this in. Not anymore. Not when the threats were circling like vultures. Not when Nathan, unknowingly, had just stepped into the blast zone. And especially not when I was carrying his child. I opened my contacts and hovered over his name. You’re going to ruin everything, the voice in my head whispered. What if he changes his mind about you? But I tapped Call anyway. He answered after two rings. “Olivia?” His voice was soft, hoarse with sl