CHAPTER 5: POSITIVE

“You can lie to everyone else, Sofia. But you cannot lie to yourself forever. Not when your own body starts telling the truth.”

Sofia stands in the bathroom staring at her reflection. Her face is paler than usual. Dark circles show under her eyes even when she covers them with makeup. She feels lightheaded in the mornings now, and certain smells make her stomach turn for no clear reason.

She tells herself it is stress. She tells herself it is poor sleep and the pressure of the situation. But deep down she knows there is another explanation. She has been late for three weeks, and she has not had a single moment of unprotected intimacy with anyone except Daniel.

She goes to the pharmacy that afternoon. She keeps her head down. She pays in cash. She does not want anyone to see her or recognize her. She walks back to the car with the small paper bag tucked deep inside her purse.

When she gets back to the penthouse, Daniel is not home yet. She goes straight to her suite and locks the door. She takes the test out of the bag and reads the instructions carefully. Her hands shake slightly as she follows each step exactly.

She sets the test on the bathroom counter and waits. The minutes pass slowly. She sits on the edge of the tub and counts the seconds one by one. She tries to prepare herself for either result. She tells herself she can handle whatever the answer is.

When the time is up, she looks at the small window on the test stick. There are two clear lines. Positive.

She stares at it for a long time without moving. She does not cry. She does not smile. She just sits there, letting the reality settle in one heavy piece at a time.

She is carrying Daniel’s child. That changes everything and nothing all at once. The contract does not mention children. There is no clause for this situation. She does not know what he will say or do. She does not know if he will be angry or shocked or something else entirely.

That evening, Daniel comes home later than usual. He walks into the dining room looking tired. He sits down across from her without saying a word. He starts eating his meal like it is just another task on a checklist.

Sofia pushes food around her plate. She has no appetite. She keeps glancing at him, trying to find the right moment to speak. She does not know how to start this conversation. There is no standard way to tell a contract husband he is about to become a father.

“You have barely touched your dinner,” Daniel says. He puts his fork down and looks at her with a steady, assessing gaze. “Are you feeling unwell? You look pale.”

“I am fine,” she says automatically. But her voice does not sound convincing even to her own ears.

“You do not look fine,” he says. “And you have looked this way for several days now. Is it something you ate? Or is it something else?”

Sofia takes a deep breath. She meets his eyes across the table. She decides to say it plainly, without drama or delay.

“I need to speak to you about something important,” she says. “It is personal. And it changes the terms of our agreement.”

Daniel leans back in his chair. His expression shifts, becoming guarded and wary. He folds his hands on the table in front of him.

“What kind of change?” he asks. “If this is about money, we can renegotiate. But I need to know exactly what we are discussing before I make any promises.”

“It is not about money,” she says. “It is about something much bigger than that. Something neither of us planned for.”

“Then just say it, Sofia,” he says. His tone becomes sharper, more impatient. “I do not have time for guessing games. If you have something to tell me, tell me now.”

“I am pregnant,” she says. The words come out clear and steady once she finally says them. “The baby is yours. There has been no one else. You know the time you got drunk and..."

Daniel sits completely still. He does not speak. He does not move. He just stares at her for what feels like a very long time. His face gives nothing away. She cannot tell if he is happy or angry or simply stunned.

“That is not possible,” he says finally. “We have been careful. We have not—there was only that one time. How can you be certain it is mine?”

“I am certain,” she says. “And even if you question that, you still need to know. This affects us both. It affects the company, the marriage, the contract. Everything. And don't you dare say words like I am a whore with lots of man!"

Daniel stands up abruptly. He walks to the window and stands with his back to her. He looks out at the city lights without actually seeming to see them. His shoulders are tense and rigid.

“This complicates things,” he says. His voice is low and tight. “This changes everything. We need to think about how this will look to the public. We need to think about the timing.”

“I am not asking you about timing or public image,” Sofia says. “I am telling you that I am going to have a baby. That is a human life, not a press problem!"

“I know what it is!” he snaps. He turns around to face her, his eyes dark and stormy. “But you cannot expect me to be happy about this. This was not part of the plan. We had an agreement. You were supposed to save the company, not create a whole new set of problems!"

“I did not plan this either!" she says. “I did not wake up one morning and decide to get pregnant to make your life difficult. It happened. And now we have to deal with it.”

"And why I am the one you are even blaming? I just help you that time because you are begging for support. You are the who dragged me on the east wing and—"

Daniel walks back to the table. He leans his weight on the edge and looks down at her. His expression is hard, cold, business-like again.

“Here is what will happen,” he says. “You will keep this to yourself for now. No one else can know. Not my family, not your father, not the staff. We will continue as normal until I decide the right time to make an announcement.”

“And until then?” she asks. “What do I do when I start showing? What do I say when people ask questions?”

“You say nothing,” he says. “You wear loose clothing. You keep your schedule as normal as possible. When the time comes, we will say the baby was planned. We will present it as a happy surprise. But until then, silence is the only option.”

Sofia stands up. She feels a flare of anger rise in her chest. She did not expect celebration, but she did not expect to be treated like a liability either.

“So I am supposed to hide my pregnancy,” she says. “I am supposed to pretend this child does not exist until you decide it is convenient for your image?!"

“I am trying to protect all of us,” he says. “If word gets out too soon, people will make assumptions. They will say the marriage was only because of the baby. They will question everything. The investors will get nervous. Your father’s company could still collapse.”

“I understand the risks,” she says. “But I also have rights. And this baby has rights. You cannot just decide for both of us how this will go.”

“I am not deciding for you,” he says. “I am asking you to be patient. Give me three months. After that, we can tell everyone properly. Will you not do that much for the deal you signed?”

Sofia hesitates. She thinks about her father. She thinks about the company. She thinks about what could happen if she refuses. She knows he has the power to make things very difficult for her if she pushes too hard too soon.

“Three months,” she says. “And then we tell everyone.”

“Three months,” he agrees. But his eyes do not look relieved. They look troubled and distant.

He walks out of the dining room without saying anything else. She hears him go to his study and close the door. She sits back down at the table. The food on her plate has gone completely cold.

Later that night, she hears his phone ring. He does not answer it in his study. He walks out into the hallway and closes the door behind him so she cannot hear. She hears his voice, low and urgent, speaking to someone on the other end of the line.

She cannot make out every word, but she hears certain phrases clearly enough. “I need more time… do not rush me… I will handle it… just give me until the end of the week.”

When he comes back inside, he looks at her differently. There is guilt in his eyes, or perhaps fear. He avoids her gaze completely. He goes straight to his suite and closes his door.

Sofia sits on her bed long after the lights go out. She thinks about the conversation she just had. She thinks about the baby growing inside her. She thinks about the phone call and the secrets and the way everything feels like it is balancing on a very thin edge.

She reaches for her phone on the bedside table. There is no message from the unknown number tonight. That silence feels heavier than any threat. She puts the phone down and rests her hand gently on her stomach.

She wants to believe Daniel will do the right thing. She wants to believe that somewhere beneath all the rules and the business deals, there is a man who will stand beside her when it matters most. But then she remembers the whispered phone calls, the locked doors, and the woman who still comes and goes in the middle of the night.

If he is already making plans and promising deadlines to someone else about this child, then whose side is he really on?