The Truth Unfolds

Chapter 7

Zara’s POV

The sealed envelope sat on the hospital table between me and the doctor like a ticking time bomb. My name was written across the front in neat handwriting, but inside was the answer to a question I wasn't sure I wanted answered.

"Are you certain you don't want me to discuss the results with you?" Dr. Martinez asked gently. She was a kind woman with graying hair and understanding eyes, probably used to dealing with women in crisis.

"I'm sure," I said quickly. "I just need a moment to... process."

Green squeezed my hand. "Take all the time you need."

But time wasn't going to make this easier. The envelope would contain the same results whether I opened it now or in an hour. I reached for it with trembling fingers.

"Do you want me to—" Green started.

"No. I need to do this myself."

The paper rustled as I tore it open, the sound unnaturally loud in the quiet room. I unfolded the lab results, scanning the medical jargon until I found the words that would change everything.

Test Result: POSITIVE

Estimated Gestational Age: 2 weeks

The paper slipped from my numb fingers, floating to the floor like a white flag of surrender.

"Zara?" Green's voice seemed to come from very far away. "What does it say?"

"I'm pregnant." The words tasted foreign on my tongue. "Two weeks."

Green did the math in her head, her eyes widening. "That means..."

"Josh." I stared at the wall, trying to process this new reality. "It has to be Josh. The timing matches exactly."

Three weeks ago, I'd been planning an anniversary dinner for a man who was cheating on me. Three weeks ago, I'd believed I had a family who loved me. Three weeks ago, I was a completely different person.

Now I was pregnant with a stranger's baby.

"Honey," Dr. Martinez said softly, "I know this is overwhelming, but you have options. You don't have to make any decisions today."

Options. Right. I nodded numbly, not trusting myself to speak.

The drive home passed in silence. Green kept glancing at me like she expected me to have a breakdown, but I felt strangely empty. Shock, probably. The human mind could only process so much chaos before it simply shut down.

"You need to tell Josh," Green said as we pulled into her driveway.

"No."

"Zara, he's the father. He has a right to know."

"I'll handle this myself." My voice came out flat, emotionless. "I don't need anyone else's input on what to do with my own body."

"But—"

"Green, please. I just found out I'm pregnant with my boss's baby. A man I've known for weeks. Can I have five minutes to wrap my head around this before you start making plans?"

She held up her hands in surrender. "Okay. But I'm here for you, whatever you decide. You know that, right?"

"I know." I managed a weak smile. "Thank you. For everything."

Inside the apartment, I collapsed onto the couch and stared at the ceiling. Pregnant. I was going to have a baby. Josh's baby. The man who'd saved me from rock bottom was now tied to me in the most complicated way possible.

How was I supposed to tell him? Hey, remember that night you took pity on the broken woman in a hotel room? Well, congratulations, you're going to be a father.

My phone rang, startling me out of my spiral.

"Hello Zara,how are you doing."

"Hey Josh, I'm sorry but I don't think I can come in today. I'm still feeling sick, and I don't want to affect my productivity—"

"Zara, slow down. Are you okay? You sound terrible."

"I'm fine. Just need another day to rest."

"Of course. Take all the time you need. Do you want me to send someone over with soup or medicine or anything?"

The kindness in his voice made my chest tight. "No, I'm fine. Really."

"Okay. Get some sleep, and I'll check on you tomorrow."

After I hung up, I curled into a ball on the couch and finally let myself cry. Not the angry, desperate tears of the past few days, but quiet, overwhelmed tears for the impossible situation I'd found myself in.

The knock on the door came around 7 PM. Green had gone to teach an evening art class, leaving me alone with my thoughts and a half-eaten bowl of cereal.

I opened the door expecting to see a delivery driver or maybe Green's neighbor. Instead, Josh stood on the doorstep with two large grocery bags and a concerned expression.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, pulling my robe tighter around me.

"Bringing supplies for the invalid." He held up the bags. "Soup, crackers, ginger tea, those weird electrolyte drinks that taste like melted popsicles."

"Josh, you didn't need to—"

"Can I come in? These bags are heavier than they look."

I stepped aside, and he bustled into the kitchen like he belonged there. The domestic scene felt surreal—this successful businessman unpacking groceries in Green's tiny kitchen while I stood there in pajamas, harboring his secret.

"You look better," he said, studying my face. "Still pale, but better."

"I feel better. Thank you for this, but you really didn't have to come all the way over here."

"I wanted to." He moved closer, close enough that I could smell his cologne. "I was worried about you. When you left work yesterday, you looked..."

"Like death warmed over?"

"Fragile." His hand came up to cup my cheek, thumb brushing across my skin. "I don't like seeing you hurt."

My breath caught. The gentleness in his touch, the concern in his eyes—it was everything Robert had never been. Everything I'd never thought I deserved.

"Josh..."

He leaned closer, his intentions clear. I should have stepped back, should have told him about the baby, should have been responsible. Instead, I stood frozen as his face moved closer to mine, our lips inches apart.

The front door burst open.

"I forgot my—" Green stopped dead, taking in the scene. "Oh. Well, this is cozy."

Josh and I sprang apart like guilty teenagers.

"Green," I said quickly, "Josh just brought some soup—"

"Uh-huh." Green's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Don't mind me, I'm just grabbing my easel and then I'll be out of your hair." She winked at me before heading upstairs. "Carry on, you two!"

Josh laughed, running a hand through his hair. "Well, that wasn't awkward at all."

"She has terrible timing," I said, grateful for the interruption even if I couldn't admit it.

"Or perfect timing, depending on your perspective."

We stared at each other for a moment, the charged atmosphere from before dissipated but not entirely gone.

"You should go," I said softly. "It's getting late, and you have work tomorrow."

Josh nodded, understanding the dismissal for what it was. "You're right. But Zara?"

"Yeah?"

"I meant what I said. I care about you. More than I probably should, considering we're working together now."

He moved toward me one more time, but instead of trying to kiss me, he pressed his lips gently to my forehead. The gesture was tender, protective, and it made my heart ache with longing.

"Get some rest," he murmured against my skin. "I'll see you when you're feeling better."

"Good night, Josh."

"Good night, beautiful."

After he left, I leaned against the closed door and touched my forehead where his lips had been. For five years with Robert, I'd never felt truly cherished. But Josh—Josh looked at me like I was something precious, something worth protecting.

How was I supposed to tell him that our complicated situation had just become infinitely more complicated?

And more terrifyingly, how was I supposed to ignore the growing certainty that I was falling for him?

The next day at work, I felt like I was walking around with a neon sign flashing "PREGNANT" above my head. Every time Josh smiled at me, every casual touch when he handed me files, every concerned glance—it all felt magnified now that I knew the truth.

I retreated to my office during lunch break and called Green.

"How are you holding up?" she asked immediately.

"I'm a mess, Green. Josh brought me soup last night, and he was so sweet, and I almost told him everything."

"Maybe you should have."

"Are you insane? I thought we’re over this. I just got this job. If I tell him I'm pregnant with his baby, he'll think I'm some kind of gold digger trying to trap him."

"Zara, you can't keep this secret forever—"

"Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in."

I spun around to find Katy standing in my office doorway, looking perfectly put-together in an expensive suit and that same smug smile she'd worn on Robert's couch.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I snapped, quickly ending the call.

"Working, obviously." She sauntered into my office like she owned the place. "Three-month contract position. Project coordinator. Josh hired me himself." Her smile turned vicious. "Small world, isn't it?"

My blood ran cold. "You need to leave. Now."

"Oh, I don't think so. See, I couldn't help but overhear your little phone conversation. Pregnant with Josh's baby?" She tsked. "That's quite the development, Zara."

"You were eavesdropping—"

"The door was open, and you weren't exactly whispering." Katy examined her perfectly manicured nails. "So Josh is the father of your little bastard child. How deliciously scandalous."

"Don't you dare say a word to anyone," I hissed, standing up so fast my chair rolled backward. "Not to Josh, not to anyone in this company, and especially not to Robert."

Katy threw her head back and laughed. "Oh, this is rich. You think you can order me around? After the way you humiliated me that night?"

"You humiliated yourself by screwing my fiancé."

"And now you're fucking your boss. Seems we're even."

My hands clenched into fists. "What do you want, Katy?"

"You're insane."

Katy's smile widened dangerously. "Am I? Because I'm about to march into Josh's office right now and tell him everything I just heard." She took a step toward the door, then paused. "Unless..."

"Unless what?" My voice came out as a desperate whisper.

"Unless you agree to one simple condition."

I stared at her, my heart hammering against my ribs. "What condition?"

Katy's smile turned predatory. "I'll tell you tomorrow. Think about it, Zara. Think about whether keeping this job is worth the humiliation of everyone knowing what you really are."

She turned and walked out of my office, leaving me standing there with my world crashing down around me once again.

What condition could she possibly want? And more terrifyingly, what lengths would I go to in order to protect my secret?