Chapter Three

SERENA

I sat hunched over the kitchen table with my fingers curled around a mug I hadn't actually drunk from, and a quiet ringing in my ears. The tea was cold, but my head was too full to notice.

Across the room, Lola was standing in front of the stove in her ridiculous pink pajamas, cutting up sardines like she wasn't slowly killing me with the smell. I'd gotten home about an hour ago, and I'd taken my shower and cleaned up. But now the smell of sardines was definitely going to cling to my skin.

"I need to tell you something," I blurted out before I lost the nerve. She turned immediately, with the knife still in hand as she said, "You look like you committed a crime. Spit it out."

I took a slow breath and said, "Remember the night of Paige's birthday? When I... hooked up with someone after leaving the party?"

Lola blinked slowly, then she pursed her lips and said, "The mysterious no-name and no-face stranger you left with even though I tried to warn you against it? Yes. I remember."

I clenched my mug tighter and said, "Well, I should have listened to you. I saw him today."

"Where?" she gasped. "At Knight Industries?"

I nodded and said, "And that's not all. There were two of him, Lola."

She frowned and said, "What do you mean two of him?"

"There are twins," I explained. "Adrian and Aiden Knight. They were identical twins. I didn't know. And I... I don't know which one of them I slept with."

She dropped the knife and said, "You're kidding."

"I wish I was," I muttered. "But neither of them reacted today when they saw me, which has left me very confused. One of them has to be him, but I can't tell which one. And if he recognized me, then he hid it perfectly."

Lola dragged a chair out and sat across from me, leaning in as she said, "Did he say anything to help? Or do you remember name? Or a tattoo? Or a scar?"

I stared down at the table and said, "There was nothing. He barely talked at all. He was just so... intense. But he was quiet and gentle actually, which made me think it was Adrian. But that one looks like he's married, so why would he be at a club hooking up with a stranger?"

"Who knows?" she said. "Men are crazy these days."

"You're not helping," I groaned.

She sighed and said, "Sorry. Honestly, you've managed to trap yourself in a very expensive disaster."

"I know," I said. "What if he's pretending? What if he knows and he's just watching me make a fool of myself?"

Before Lola could speak, the smell of sardines thickened in the air, and it hit me like a punch. My stomach lurched violently, and I felt like I was going to throw up.

"Lola, please turn that off," I choked, already pushing back my chair.

"What’s wrong?" she asked, but I didn't answer. I bolted down the hallway and slammed into the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before I started vomiting. My whole body trembled, and I felt lightheaded as the room began to spin.

What the hell was happening to me?

Moments later, Lola appeared at the doorway with her eyes wide as she said, "Serena? What's going on?"

I flushed weakly, wiping my mouth as I said, "It's just the smell. I don't know. I've felt weird all day."

She paused for a moment, but then she sank to the floor beside me and said, "We're going to the doctor tomorrow. First thing in the morning."

I nodded slowly, but I couldn't breathe. I knew what she suspected, but I didn’t want to believe it myself. It couldn’t be. It definitely couldn’t be.

That night, I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, and my chest heavy with dread. What if I was pregnant? What if it was his? And what if he (whichever one of them it was) denied it?

Two twins, one secret. And I was stuck between them with a truth I wasn't ready to face.

***

Lola and I arrived at the hospital before the sun had even come up. The waiting room was sterile and half-asleep, and full of people clutching files and murmuring into phones. I wrapped my hoodie tighter around me, my legs bouncing and my eyes fixed on the floor.

"Just breathe," Lola whispered beside me, nudging my shoulder. "Everything is going to be alright ."

"I hope so," I muttered, just as my phone buzzed suddenly. I glanced down and saw that it was my mom, and I stiffened a little bit before I answered.

"Hey, Mom,” I groaned.

"Hi baby,” she said. “Sorry, I forgot it’s still early in the morning over there. Did I wake you?”

“No,” I replied. “I’m up already. How are you?”

“I’m good,” she replied. “You didn’t text me back yesterday when I wanted to check on you. How’s the new job going?”

“So far so good,” I replied. “No complaints yet.”

“Hopefully it’ll remain that way,” she said. She kept talking about church, about my cousin who just got engaged, and about how I needed to start thinking about marriage soon because women don't have time like men do. Her words sank differently today, given the circumstances of where I was right now.

"Mom, I should go,” I said as soon as she started talking about my cousin Rebecca’s wedding coming up. “I'm... running late."

"Alright,” she said. “I’ll talk to you later. Bye sweetie.”

“Bye mom,” I replied, then I hung up and stared at my phone a little too long.

If only she knew what I was going through right now.

The nurse finally called my name, and I followed her into a small and overly-bright room. The doctor was a kind old woman with her glasses perched on the edge of her nose, and she smiled warmly when I walked in.

“Hello, Miss Hale,” she said. "What brings you in today?"

“Hi doc,” I said, taking my seat and staring at my fingers hesitantly. "I came here because I got sick yesterday, and I’ve been feeling kind of woozy over the past few days. I just want to make sure that everything is okay."

“Oh, so you’re here for a checkup?” she said. “That’s a smart move. More people should come for checkups more frequently if you ask me.”

I barely managed a grimace. She asked me a few questions, took some samples, and then she told me they'd get back to me as soon as possible. I nodded silently, pretending I wasn't breaking apart with every passing moment.

By the time we left the hospital, I only had ten minutes to make it to work. Lola squeezed my hand, and she told me that everything was going to be fine. I didn’t believe her, but I smiled anyway and waved down a taxi.

I had to make it back to that hellhole in time.

***

I slipped into the Knight Enterprises building at 8:57 a.m., with my heart in my throat. I dashed into the elevator with a sigh of relief, and the doors were just about to close when a hand suddenly stopped them, and I froze.

It was Adrian Knight. Or Aiden. It was definitely one of them.

He stepped in silently, looking immaculate in a grey suit and smelling like a million dollars (or rather a billion dollars). I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole, and I kept my eyes glued to the floor, until I glanced up at his hand and saw the ring on his finger.

Definitely Adrian.

"Oh, hello Serena Hale. Rough morning?" he asked casually, glancing at the coffee stain on my sleeve. He’d caught me staring, and I couldn’t believe he actually remembered my name. Was it from yesterday? Or was it from three weeks ago when I was curled up in his arms after he’d finished making love to me?

"You could say that,” I replied as I forced a smile to my face.

He chuckled and said, "The first week can be brutal. Don't worry, it gets worse."

I actually laughed at that. Why was he so funny all of a sudden? And why was my pulse betraying me?

He reached to press the floor number at the same moment I did, and our fingers brushed. And in that split second, I felt an undeniable spark.

No!

Absolutely not!

He had a ring. Or at least, I thought he did. And even if he didn't…

I yanked my hand away, and my cheeks were on fire. He looked at me curiously, like he wanted to say something else, but the doors opened just then, and he simply nodded.

"Have a good day, Serena."

I still couldn’t believe he remembered my name.

Why did that make everything worse?

***

The rest of the day dragged on in a blur. I buried myself in meaningless spreadsheets, trying to drown out the tide of what ifs in my head. I didn't check my phone, and I didn't eat lunch. I just worked, like if I focused hard enough, reality might un-happen.

At exactly 1:14 p.m., my phone buzzed suddenly with a new message, and my heart sank as I opened it. It was from Doctor Maria, and it simply said:

Miss Hale, your results just came back. Congratulations. You're pregnant.

Oh God! Please no! This couldn’t be happening! This could not be happening!