2. Worse

Lila

When I woke up again, the first thing I tried to do was move, only to hear the metallic clink. A cuff. I was cuffed to the hospital bed. That must have been because I had panicked earlier. And if I acted out again, who knew what would happen again so I stayed still and waited. God knows if Orion had plans to have me shipped out to some mental institution as a plan b.

I had to keep calm until I was out of the hospital if I stood a chance at knowing what had happened to me.

The door opened a few minutes later, and the doctor appeared again. It was time to put my acting skills to play.

“How are you feeling?” he asked while checking the monitors.

“Confused and tired,” I replied while also pulling at my hand, to which he smiled and got a key from his pocket.

“ We were worried you would try to hurt yourself again,” he said, smiling softly as the cuff fell apart and I massaged my wrist. Handcuffs outside the bedroom were not my kind of thing and I intended to keep it that way. 

“Confusion is normal after head trauma. It will take some time for things to make sense,” he said lightly. “But the most important thing is, your pregnancy is stable.”

My script had just taken a turn for the worst. 

“Preg….what?”

He chuckled softly. “Your pregnancy, Sera. The baby is fine. About six weeks along.”

“Baby? ” I whispered, and at that moment the heart monitor started beeping as the doctor frowned. I needed to calm down before I was drugged again. I tried to take deep breaths but that was getting difficult. I was on the verge of a panic attack once again, and I needed to pull myself together.

My guardian angel must have heard me as the door swung open.

“Sera, you’re awake, thank God!” a voice squealed. A bubbly girl with mascara-streaked eyes hurried to my bedside. She looked like she hadn’t slept in days, but her eyes looked relieved to see me.

“Oh my God, Sera, you scared the life out of me! But thank the heavens you and the baby are both okay.”

Baby again?

My voice trembled. “That’s… impossible.”

She frowned, crossing her arms playfully. “Impossible? You have been throwing up every morning for weeks. So now that you’re alive and officially a mom to be, will you finally tell me who the father is? I have never seen you with a guy. I honestly thought you were a virgin!"

“What?” I blurted, eyes wide.

The girl laughed nervously before shooing the doctor away and promising to fill in the gaps of my memory and ensuring I rested.

“Don’t act all innocent now. You said, It’s complicated. So? Was it someone from work?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I whispered.

Her smile fell and she looked disappointed but tried to cover it up with a shrug. “Sera…?”

But I wasn’t Sera and whoever’s baby this was, it definitely wasn’t mine. I was always careful. Image was everything in my world. I always used protection with Orion every single time, even taking an after-pill, just in case. Getting pregnant at twenty two had never been part of my plans. 

All the girl did was wave my confusion off and continue, “You have been through hell, Sera. The doctor explained so I understand this is not easy.” She pulled up a chair beside me and kept talking. 

“The doctor says you’re healing fast. You’ll be discharged in a few days.” Her tone brightened as she continued.

 “And guess what? Mr. Starvos called.”

My head felt like it was spinning. “Who?”

“Theo Starvos! Our boss.” Her eyes sparkled as she said the name. “He is promoting you. You’ll be his personal secretary once you report back to work.”

Theo Starvos. He was a tech and mining tycoon. I had met him once, nothing about the meeting was remarkable though. He had wanted to partner with Sterling Global on a mining deal but Orion had refused, claiming Theo was not someone I should be interested in doing business with. I had dismissed Theo’s offer and never thought of him again. 

“What?” was the best thing I could respond with. 

The girl grinned. “Apparently, he heard about what you did that night. You tried to save Lila Sterling before she fell.” Her voice softened.

 “They said she pulled you down with her, that you nearly died trying to help her. That is why the press didn’t print your name. Her fiance made sure it stayed out of the news to give you privacy.”

My stomach dropped. No. That wasn’t true. I remembered falling but not grabbing anyone. She must have seen the shock on my face and squeezed my hand. “I know it’s overwhelming, but this promotion is everything. After everything with your debts, your mom’s hospital bills, and now the baby…”

“Wait.” I frowned. “Debts? Mom’s hospital bills?”

She sighed. “Don’t tell me you’re blanking on that, too. Your mom’s dialysis costs a fortune. You have been working double shifts just to keep up. This raise could save you both.” I wanted to scream that I didn’t have debts, that both my parents were buried in the Sterling family crypt and had been for the past eighteen years.

But what would that sound like? Crazy.

I would be drugged and locked away so I did the smartest thing I could think of. I forced a shaky smile. “Right. Yeah… I remember.”

 She exhaled relieved. “Good. “I’ll get you some dinner. You need to eat for two now.”

The moment she left and the door closed, I pressed my face into my hands. This wasn’t real. I was expected to work as a lowly secretary while Orion was out there, playing the perfect grieving fiancé. 

My mind raced back to that night searching for the truth. The party. The ring. Orion’s hand on my waist and then the message from Orion.

Meet me on the balcony. Have you ever been fuc.ked while the whole city was watching, Miss Sterling?