Chapter 7: Morning Sickness

Rose’s POV

I barely slept after everything that happened with the magazine feature. My mind kept replaying every word of the article, every stolen strategy, and the silence that followed the anonymous flowers.

My morning sickness was getting worse. I stood in front of my bathroom mirror for ten minutes, taking slow breaths until my stomach settled enough for me to put on my clothes. I kept telling myself the same thing over and over. I just had to survive one more day.

I stayed in front of the mirror a little longer, studying my reflection under the bathroom light. My face looked paler than usual, and dark circles were under my eyes. But there was nothing else to see. I smoothed my hands down the front of my blouse. My stomach was still completely flat. Nobody could look at me and guess the truth. No one would know. Not yet.

When I walked into Washington Global, the executive floor was quiet. Most of the staff were already at their desks. I sat down at my station and opened a new folder of quarterly reports.

Clara walked past my desk carrying a fresh cup of coffee for Vivian. The smell hit me instantly. My throat tightened. I quickly looked away, gripping the edge of my desk until the urge to throw up passed.

I needed water. I pushed my chair back, stood up, and walked over to the water dispenser at the end of the hallway.

As I filled my paper cup, two junior managers walked past. They were holding copies of the new business magazine.

“Did you read the interview?” one of them asked.

“I read it twice,” the other replied. “She’s smarter than I thought.”

I stood quietly by the dispenser and took a sip of cold water. I did not look at them, and I did not say a word. I finished my water, crushed the paper cup, threw it in the bin, and walked back to my desk to return to work.

By eleven in the morning, my head began to throb. My body felt incredibly heavy. It was hard to even take a step. I stood up from my chair to take a stack of signed documents to the filing cabinet in the corner of the hallway.

As soon as I got up, I got dizzy. My legs gave out, and the papers fell from my hands, scattering across the floor. Before I could fall, someone caught me by the arms.

I blinked a few times, trying to clear my vision and see who it was. One of the papers landed beside a pair of polished black shoes.

I looked up and saw Jake holding me. He had stepped out of his office just in time. He glanced at the papers on the floor before looking back at me.

His hands tightened around my arms to help me stay steady. For a second, his face was close to mine. He did not say anything at first. He just stared at my face, his eyes moving over my pale skin and the dark circles under my eyes. It was like he was seeing how tired I had become for the first time.

“Rose,” Jake said quietly. “Are you alright?”

I stood frozen in his grip. It was the first time he had touched me since Vivian came into the company. His hands felt warm against my arms, and for a moment, the distance between us disappeared. Then there were footsteps coming from the doorway.

“Is everything okay here?” Vivian asked.

Jake let go of my arms instantly. He took a step back, putting space between us. His expression changed. He cleared his throat and adjusted his collar, returning to his usual cold demeanor.

“Rose almost fell,” Jake said.

Vivian approached, a smile on her face. Her eyes moved from Jake’s hands down to my face. She stood close beside her husband, staring at me.

“Are you sick, Rose?” Vivian asked.

I swallowed hard and adjusted my posture. I remembered my promise in the stairwell. I was not going to show weakness in front of them.

“I’m fine, just tired.”

Jake accepted the answer without question. “Make sure you finish the filing before lunch,” he said, turning around to walk back into his office.

Vivian lingered for a moment longer. She did not look convinced, but she said nothing. She simply gave a brief nod and followed Jake into his office, closing the door behind them.

I gathered the papers from the floor, taking a deep breath to steady my pulse. My heart was pounding against my ribs, but I forced myself to walk back to my desk.

I sat down and rested my head on my lap. I placed my hand on my stomach. Somehow, it calmed me.This baby was my priority. Nothing else mattered.

I looked at my phone on the desk. I kept glancing at Jake’s closed office. Then the hallway. Then toward Vivian's office. My chest tightened with worry. I knew the hospital was going to call today. I already knew I could not answer it here, surrounded by people who were watching my every move.

Then, the screen lit up and the phone began to vibrate.

I looked down. The display showed an incoming call from St. Jude Private Hospital.

My body went completely still. I sat motionless, staring at the screen, letting the phone ring until it finally stopped.

A few seconds later, the screen lit up again with a new text message notification.

St. Jude Private Hospital: Please contact your doctor regarding your recent test results.

I quickly locked the screen and slid the phone under some folders.

I needed a minute to calm down. If I stayed there any longer, someone would notice something was wrong. So I stood up and walked toward the restroom.

Behind me, Vivian stepped out of her office to drop a file at the reception desk. As she walked past my desk, she stopped.

She had seen me freeze when the phone rang. She had seen how quickly I had hidden it away before walking out of the room.

Vivian stepped closer to my desk. The stack of folders was shifted slightly to the side. The edge of my phone was visible underneath.

She did not reach for it immediately. She paused. She turned her head and looked toward the restroom to make sure I was gone. She looked back at Jake’s office to ensure his door was still closed. She checked the hallway to make sure nobody was watching her.

Then, she reached out and pulled the phone from under the papers. She simply tapped the screen to wake the display.

The phone screen lit up. Right at the top of the screen sat the missed call log and the preview notification:

Missed Call: St. Jude Private Hospital

Message: Please contact your doctor regarding your recent test results.

Vivian quietly pulled out her phone and took a picture of my phone screen.

She set my phone back down on the desk, exactly where I had left it under the folders.

Vivian slipped her phone back into her pocket. A slow smile touched her lips.

Whatever Rose was hiding, she intended to find out.