Chapter Two

Erran. 

I stood there, in the middle of the driveway, as the world around me spun and twisted. My heart was too heavy, my skin felt foreign, everything I had believed in, my love, my body, my safety was all gone and I still could not understand why.  

My family had just thrown me out, the only people I had known my whole life, the people who were supposed to protect me. 

I looked back at the house I had grew up in one last time before I picked up my bag and started walking. I had no money and no idea where I was going, but I needed get out of there, so I started walking aimlessly. 

I didn't even have a phone, Brian had thrown my phone across the room and broken it. I just walked and walked, tears flowing freely down my cheeks. Everything I had known had all been taken away from me in an instant. 

I had no idea how long I had walked, until I realized I was on a highway. Cars zoomed past, honking angrily, but I couldn’t hear them clearly. My mind was a looping reel of betrayal: Tim’s face twisted in disgust, my father’s voice screaming, Amina’s triumphant smirk.

I stumbled over something, maybe a piece of metal, maybe my own feet and that’s when I heard the blare of a horn then a loud, sharp, angry honk, followed by screams and my body went into shock mode immediately waiting for the impact, but it never came. I just saw headlights and then nothing. 

I tried to open my eyes, my eyelids heavy, I heard all the beeping sounds all around me, that's the first thing I heard when I opened my eyes.

Slow, rhythmic, Machines, and a soft beeping noise that confirmed I wasn’t dead at least not yet anyway, the second thing I felt was pain, not sharp pain, just a dull ache across my whole body like I had been wrung out and left in the cold. Then I looked around the room, the plain white walls and the realization set in, I was in a hospital.

A nurse appeared beside me, smiling gently. “Good, you are awake. You have been out for almost twelve hours.”

I swallowed, my throat felt like sandpaper. “What happened?” I asked looking around at the white walls, beeping machines around me and the strong antiseptic smell was strong. 

“You fainted in the middle of a highway,” she said, checking a monitor. “Lucky the driver saw you in time, you only broke your leg."

The door opened, and a doctor stepped in, he was tall with Grey hair and some glasses, he looked at the chart in his hand and then at me.

“You are a very lucky young lady,” he said. “Dehydrated, low blood pressure, and severe stress but nothing permanent. We ran a few tests to make sure you and the baby are okay.”

My heart stuttered at the mention of the baby, Brian was really right I was pregnant and Amina had not been bluffing either, I had a human being growing inside me, but how could that be possible really? 

I turned my head away as tears threatened my eyes, It all came rushing back to the test, my dad and Brian screaming at me and Amina’s confession.

“Your baby is doing fine,” the doctor continued gently. “We will keep you overnight for monitoring, and then ”

“Excuse me.” a deep calm but unfamiliar voice cut him short from the door, I looked up as the man entered, he clearly didn’t belong in a hospital, not with that tailored navy suit, polished shoes, and sleek black watch that probably cost more than my father’s car. He looked powerful, clean shaven, early forties maybe with piercing green eyes.

“Hi,” he said, approaching the bed. “I’m Max Black.” he said, and our eyes met.

I tried to say something, but I was too lost in his green dreamy eyes to form any words. 

He turned to the doctor. “How is my baby doing?”

The doctor nodded. “Stable, healthy heartbeat, we will keep her under observation, of course, for at least another twelve hours just in case.”

I blinked even more confused, did he just say my baby? What baby was he referring to? 

“Wait, your baby? ” I asked, finally forming the words. 

He turned to me, his expression softening. “Yes my baby, you are carrying my child Erran.”

I looked at him more lost than ever, this night just kept on getting worse. 

“I think there has been some mistake,” I whispered. “I don't know you, we have never met before, this can't be your baby”

He pulled out a chair and sat beside the bed, his demeanor still calm and composed like this was a business meeting.

“I understand how strange this must be, Erran,” he started, “But I am the donor, the sperm used during your procedure was mine and my only sperm might I add.”

I stared at him, my eyes wide open, my chest heaving, this really was happening to me. 

“What?” 

"The doctor that did this has already been dealt with, I can promise you that," he added like that made everything that was happening to me okay. 

I shook my head, tears springing back. “I don't know what's happening to me,” I whispered. “I didn’t sign up for any of this.” I continued and he immediately cut me off

"Neither did I, but we are here now." he said, his tone cold and business like. 

I looked up at him, "How did you even find me?" I managed to ask him, this man was intimidating, even when he was sitting there in silence. 

"None of that matters, what matters is that you are okay and carrying my child." he said taking my hand in his, "But Erran, no child of mine will be illegitimate, so you are going to marry me." 

"What?" I asked immediately, pulling my hand from his. "I am not marrying you, I don't even know you sir."

"You really have no option in this Erran." he said getting up with a huge smug across his face, "actually you do have two options, one you marry me and stay in the child's life, or you have the child and leave, and you will never see him or her again. Either way I am okay with whichever choice you make."