MoanaEdrick looked so peaceful as he slept in the armchair. His dark hair was illuminated by the soft glow of the city lights coming in through the window, and even from where I was laying on the couch I could see his chest gently rising and falling.But almost as soon as I woke up, he woke up, too.He awoke with a start, his icy gray eyes opening immediately as though he had never been sleeping to begin with. It really felt as though the only thing keeping him asleep was the fact that I was asleep; as soon as I awoke, it was as if a spell was broken for him and he was wide awake once more.Our eyes locked for a long moment as he came to his senses.“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”Edrick abruptly stood. “Since you seem well enough now, you should go sleep in your own bed. It’s hardly appropriate for you to sleep on the couch.”I couldn’t hide my frown as I sat up and pushed the blanket off of myself -- the blanket that Edrick had apparently so lovingly tucked m
MoanaAfter I hung up with Ethan, I felt a bit lighter with the prospect of enjoying dinner with a friend. I met Ella out in the foyer after that, and we went over to the farmers’ market.“Come on, Moana!” Ella yelled excitedly, pulling on my hand as we crossed the street to the park that was bustling with people.She looked absolutely adorable in her little blue and white checkered sundress and her big, floppy sun hat with the blue ribbon that wiggled when she moved her head.The stone pathway around the park was lined with various vendor stalls as we entered. Much of it was produce and canned goods, but there were also stalls with soft pretzels, face painting for children, handmade toys and clothing, and more. I had just deposited my first paycheck from Edrick, and had some money put aside after paying off a large chunk of my student loans. I double checked before we left the penthouse this time to make sure that I had my wallet, in order to avoid a repeat of the theme park.As the
MoanaI woke up the next morning, after having stashed the box of unused pregnancy tests in my medicine cabinet, and felt even more sick than the day before. I was sure, as I achingly dragged myself out of bed and turned on the shower, that I would have to either end the pregnancy soon or tell someone about it; I couldn’t go on feeling like this every day without some sort of support, and it was only going to get worse over time.The hot shower helped a bit with the nausea, and once I was dressed and took the medicine that the doctor gave me, I walked next door to wake Ella up.“Rise and shine,” I said, opening the curtains to let the sunlight in.Ella yawned and stretched, her small hands curled into fists. “I’m still tired…”“I know, love, but you have training today,” I said. I walked over to the bed and pulled the covers down, causing Ella to shiver and grumble before she finally got up. Soon enough, I had her dressed for training.As we ate breakfast, I couldn’t help but notice t
MoanaFriday evening came much more quickly than I expected. I was nervous for my dinner with Ethan, more so because of the constant looming threat of Edrick finding out and getting upset than anything.I found Selina in the kitchen that morning and decided to tell her about my plans, since we had an understanding between us now and I knew I could trust her.“Selina,” I said, walking up to her. “I hope it’s alright if I go out for dinner tonight. Will you be able to check on Ella while I’m gone?”“That’s fine,” Selina said, not prying about who I would be dining with. She had been much more open toward me since she had learned about the pregnancy, and it was a comfort. “I’ll make sure Ella gets to bed, but just be back by ten o’clock. Don’t forget that Ella has training in the morning.”
Moana“You’re not pregnant, are you?”I froze at Ethan’s words, my eyes wide as I stuttered to come up with a response. “I-- I’m not--”Ethan, seeing my uncomfortable struggle, lowered his glass and quickly shook his head to dispel the seriousness of the suggestion he had just made.“I’m sorry,” he said. “I was only joking. Maybe that wasn’t a very appropriate thing to joke about. It’s fine if you don’t want to drink alcohol tonight.”I tried to laugh off Ethan’s joke, but it was almost embarrassing how astute that joke actually was -- if only he actually knew. Then, quickly, I fumbled in my mind to find the right excuse so as not to raise any more red flags about the reality of the situation. “I just… I need to be up early tomorrow, to take Ella to her training.&
MoanaI didn’t see Edrick the next day, or the day after that, for that matter. When he was not at work, he mostly stayed in his bedroom or in his study, and only spoke in brief words to me in passing. I couldn’t help but wonder if he had some idea that I went out with his brother for dinner, although admittedly, I also didn’t hear from Ethan at all either.As the days ticked on and Selina’s deadline came closer, I still hadn’t made a decision over whether to keep the baby or not. I appreciated the housekeeper’s kind generosity, but I could tell that her patience was starting to wear thin. If I didn’t make a decision soon, I was almost certain that she would say something to Edrick; the housekeeper no doubt realized immediately from my insinuations that the baby belonged to Edrick, and she was too loyal to the Morgan family not to say anything to him about it.I
MoanaOn the morning of the gala, I woke up early with Ella to get ready for the day. She had an appointment with a stylist and hairdresser before the gala. Selina explained to me, after I questioned the reasoning behind this for such a little girl, that it was commonplace for these sorts of events. Even though Ella was not publicly known as Edrick’s daughter, everyone in attendance at the gala was aware of it, and it was important for public relations for Edrick’s daughter to look her best -- even though she was only eight years old. It felt a little ridiculous to me for such a young girl to be subjected to hours of having her hair done and being fitted for a perfect dress, but I didn’t complain.Once Ella was bathed, we walked out to the dining room for breakfast. Much to my surprise, Edrick was sitting there with his plate of food, a coffee, and a newspaper.“Good morning, Daddy,&rdquo
MoanaThe drive to the gala was quiet. Ella was too busy fiddling with the beads on her dress to talk much, and Edrick made no attempts at holding a conversation with me. I felt self conscious after the way he looked at my belly when I got in the car -- was I already beginning to show signs of being pregnant, or was it only a coincidence?Eventually, the driver pulled up to the curb outside a large stone building with huge marble columns on the front. Edrick told us to wait until the driver came and opened the door, then Ella and I got out first. She held firmly onto my hand as we approached the building, clearly just as nervous as I was. Her nerves only seemed to heighten when we stepped inside and she realized that there were no other children around.“Moana?” Ella whispered, tugging at my dress while giving me big doe eyes. “I don’t like it here.”&l