Chapter 242

Nicola Taylor

“No, no, no…” I whispered, staring at the calendar date, a hollow dread filling my chest.

This can’t be happening.

My hands shook slightly, and I felt my pulse hammering beneath my skin. I swallowed hard, pressing a hand to my stomach. The overwhelming thought was louder, more urgent now:

I knew this would happen.

My breathing grew uneven, and I tried to push down the panic building inside me. "Oh God," I murmured to myself. "I’m going to die…" My stomach turned as the reality began to set in.

I was pregnant.

A dizzying mix of emotions crashed through me—fear, confusion, something that felt like excitement but was smothered by worry. My mind raced, piecing together the fragments of memory that led up to this.

Cole and I had never really used protection. I’d been on birth control for so long that it felt routine. But after I moved here, I’d stopped taking it—part laziness, part my own complacency. I’ll grab an after-pill if we need it, I’d told myself. Surely, we’d eithe