Chapter Six 

**Natasha's POV**

 

                   

              One Week Later 

I woke up feeling… strange. My head felt heavy, and my stomach churned a little. It wasn’t the kind of pain that needed medicine, just a dull, nagging discomfort.

I rubbed my temples and sighed. Maybe I didn’t sleep well… or maybe I skipped dinner last night, but I didn't.

The morning sunlight peeked through the curtains, warm against my face. I pushed myself up from bed, moving slowly, as if my body was heavier than usual.

I entered the bathroom and splashed water on my face, hoping it would wake me up. I stared at my reflection. My skin looked a little pale, and my eyes… tired.

As I picked up my hair brush, I felt this sudden feeling that I didn't understand and in the next minute, I found myself throwing up in the sink. I rinsed my mouth and washed my face before coming out.

“What kind of feeling is this? Why am I suddenly throwing up this early morning?” I asked myself. “Hope it isn't what I am thinking.”

I brushed my hair and dressed in a simple t-shirt and jeans. My mind kept drifting to the fact that I’d been feeling like this for a few days now—sleepy, tired, and sometimes uneasy.

But I didn’t want to tell my parents anything. Not yet. Not when I wasn’t even sure what was going on.

I went downstairs and found my mum in the living room, folding laundry.

She looked up as soon as she saw me. “Good morning baby, You’re up early.”

“Good morning, mum,” I said with a small smile.

Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Where are you off to this morning?”

I hesitated, gripping the strap of my bag. “I, uh… I need to get something.”

“What is it?” she asked, still folding a shirt.

“It’s… just something from the supermarket,” I replied.

She tilted her head. “Do you need me to come with you?”

I shook my head quickly. “No, no. It’s fine. I’ll be back soon.”

She gave me a curious look but didn’t push further. “Alright. Don’t take too long.”

“I won’t,” I promised.

I slipped out of the house and walked down the quiet street, the cool morning breeze brushing against my skin. My mind was racing. I hated the idea that I might be overthinking… but there was only one way to know for sure.

When I got to the supermarket, I walked straight to the health aisle, keeping my head down. I scanned the shelves until my eyes landed on the small pink-and-white boxes. My heart thudded in my chest.

I picked one up and held it close, as if hiding it would make it invisible. At the counter, I avoided the cashier’s eyes, paid quickly, and stuffed the bag into my tote.

The walk back home felt longer than usual. Each step was heavy with the thought of what I might discover in a few minutes.

When I entered the house, mum was in the kitchen, humming softly as she chopped vegetables. She didn’t notice me slipping past her and heading straight to my room.

I closed the door, locked it, and sat on the edge of my bed. My fingers trembled as I opened the box and read the instructions twice, just to be sure.

I entered the bathroom, did the test. The longest five minutes of my life passed in silence.

When I finally looked, my breath caught in my throat. 

Two lines.

It was clear and unmistakable.

“Oh my God! I'm Pregnant.”

I sat back against the wall, my mind spinning. The first thing I did was reach for my phone. I dialed my best friend’s number.

She picked up on the second ring. “Hey, babe. What’s up?”

My voice was low, almost a whisper. “Can you talk?”

“Yeah… What's wrong? You sound weird.”

I took a shaky breath. “I just… I did a test.”

There was a pause. “What test?”

“A pregnancy test,” I said, the words tasting strange in my mouth.

“And?” she asked quickly.

“It’s positive,” I whispered.

“Oh. My. God!” Her voice rose. “Are you serious?”

“I wouldn’t joke about this,” I said softly.

She let out a long breath. “Okay… okay. Listen, come over to my place right now. We need to talk about this.”

“I don’t know if I can,” I murmured.

“No,” she insisted, her tone firm now. “Just come. We’ll sit down and figure this out. You shouldn’t be alone right now.”

I closed my eyes. “Alright. I’ll be there soon.”

When I hung up, I stared at the small stick still sitting on the bathroom counter. No matter how many times I looked at it, the lines didn’t change.

I was confused about what to do next. “How do I explain this to my parents?. Or maybe I shouldn't even tell them. But I haven't slept with anyone…..”

Oh…..!! 

That was when I remembered the night with the stranger.

“Wait..did he pour his seed inside of me?” I asked no one in particular.

“Fuck!!!! I'm finished.” I yelled with my hands on my head.

I picked up my bag and my car key, and walked quietly to the living room door. I didn't want anyone to see me leaving so, I gradually opened it and made my way to my car.

Ashley was living in Texas but she has another apartment here in California where she stays whenever she comes for her contract work that usually lasts some months. 

I drove and halted the car in front of her apartment. I walked towards the building, my heart was racing. I had never felt so nervous and embarrassed at the same time. She already knew I was coming. I had called her a few minutes ago, but she had no idea how heavy this conversation would be.

When I knocked, she opened the door quickly.

Raising her eyebrows, “You’re here. Come in, babe.”

I walked in and sat on her couch, clutching my handbag tightly. She stared at me, noticing how restless I was.

“Okay… what is going on? You sounded weird on the phone.”

I swallowed hard, then opened my bag and slowly brought out the pregnancy test strip. It was still inside the small paper bag from the supermarket.

“I… I think I’m pregnant.”

Her eyes went wide.

“You think or you are pregnant, which of them?”

“I'm pregnant.” I answered, trying to control the tears welling up in my eyes.

“What?” she took the paper bag from me and pulled the strip out. She stared at it for a moment, then looked at me again. “This says you’re pregnant?”

I nodded slowly, my throat dry.

“Wait….how? Who?!”

I lowered my head, avoiding her eyes.

“I don’t even know his name.”

“What do you mean you don’t know his name?”

“I think it's the stranger… the stranger from that night.”

Her jaw dropped.

“You mean the masked guy you told me about? You have to explain, because this is sounding crazy.”

I sighed and looked down at my hands.

“I don't know…. But it seems like he poured inside of me. I don’t know what happened. I… I was drunk. I don’t remember much.”

She put her hand on her forehead like she was trying to process what she was hearing.

“Wait. So you’re telling me…you had sex with this random masked man… and you don’t know if a condom was used?”

I shaked my head slowly. “I don’t know, I told you what happened that day. I was drunk and didn't know what happened, I just woke up the next morning feeling… pain. Inside. And I left hurriedly when I noticed he was in the bathroom.”

There was a long silence. She kept staring at me, her lips pressed tightly together.

“Oh my God.” She leaned back on the couch, still staring at me like she couldn’t believe it.

“I don’t even know how to tell my parents. I’ve been trying to figure out what to do but… I don't know, I'm just confused. I will be getting married to my arranged husband in the next two weeks…. I'm scared.”

She leaned forward again, her eyes narrowing slightly like she was suddenly thinking of something.

“Okay… don’t panic.” Her voice dropped a little, almost like she was speaking to herself. “I think… I know what to do.”