The News

“Take it,” Zoe said, her voice low, her hand trembling as she pushed the stick into my palm.

I stared down at the small plastic test. Two bold lines glared back at me, mocking me, branding me with a truth I wasn’t ready to face.

I swallowed hard, my fingers shaking. “No… no, this can’t be real.”

Zoe rubbed her forehead, pacing the length of the room. “It’s real, Chloe. You’re pregnant.”

The word hit me like a slap. Pregnant. My chest tightened until I could barely breathe.

“But… how?” My voice cracked. My knees gave way, and I sank onto the edge of the bed, clutching the test like it was proof of my downfall. “That night… I don’t even remember what happened. How could I…?”

Zoe stopped pacing and spun around to face me, her eyes sharp. “That’s exactly what I’m asking. How do you get yourself pregnant from a night you barely remember? Didn’t you think? Didn’t you use anything?”

I looked at her helplessly, tears rushing to my eyes. “I don’t even know who it was, Zoe. I swear… I don’t remember his face, his name… nothing. It’s just… blank.”

Zoe’s jaw tightened. For a moment, she looked away. “I thought you remembered the guy.”

Her words sliced through me. My eyes widened. “Wait… you told me you knew. You told me you could take care of yourself that night.”

Zoe shook her head quickly, too quickly. “I was drunk too, Chloe. You can’t blame me for everything. I thought I could handle it, but I blacked out, same as you. I don’t know who you ended up with.”

Silence filled the room, heavy and suffocating.

My heart pounded, panic clawing at my chest. “Then what am I supposed to do? Zoe, what if people find out? What if Papa finds out? Do you know what this would do to him? To us? To the Rodriguez name?”

Her lips pressed into a thin line. She sat down beside me, her hand squeezing mine. “We can’t let anyone know. Do you hear me? Not a soul. We’re the daughters of Alejandro Rodriguez. People look at us like we’re untouchable. We can’t let one mistake drag our family through shame.”

Tears spilled from my eyes, blurring everything. “But what if…”

“No, Chloe.” Zoe’s voice hardened. “We’ll figure something out. We always do. But you cannot breathe a word of this to anyone. Not even Dad.”

My throat tightened with fear and confusion. She was my twin, the only one I thought I could trust, but the look in her eyes made my stomach twist. There was something she wasn’t telling me.

Before I could say anything else, a sharp knock echoed at the door.

“Girls.” My father’s voice boomed from the hallway, stern and commanding as always. “Come to the study. I have an announcement.”

I wiped at my tears quickly, shoving the test under a pillow. My heart raced, heavy with dread.

We followed him into the study. His tall frame stood by the window, hands clasped behind his back, his presence filling the room with authority.

“I’ve made a decision,” Alejandro Rodriguez said firmly, turning to face us. His eyes landed on Zoe. “You, Zoe, will be getting married. The arrangements are already in place. You will wed Jake Williams Martinez. It is settled.”

The room spun around me. My breath caught in my throat.

Zoe. Married. To Jake.

The only person I thought I could lean on, my sister, was being pushed into a marriage that tied our family to the Martinez empire. And I was carrying a secret that could destroy us all.

My chest squeezed until I could hardly breathe.

For the first time in my life, I didn’t know if I could trust Zoe anymore.