Living a lie for five years

Nova's point of view

I sat across from the doctor, barely hearing him. My fingers dug into the edge of the chair, my heartbeat loud enough to drown everything around me.

“Mrs Nova? Are you listening to me?” The doctor’s calm voice sliced through the fog that clouded my brain.

I shook my head, swallowing hard against the lump forming in my throat. I couldn’t even form the words, the idea of hope still felt foreign, almost cruel. My voice cracked when I finally whispered, “So… you’re saying… I’m not infertile?”

The doctor shook his head, a gentle smile appeared on his face. “Your results are clear. Your fallopian tubes are intact, no blockages, no problems at all. There’s a high chance you could conceive immediately.”

For a second, I just stared at him. Then everything hit at once. Five years of humiliation, endless nights of feeling broken, and it had never been me. It had never been my body failing me.

I could feel the tears starting, but I blinked them back, swallowing the grief that wanted to consume me whole. I stood too quickly, gripping the envelope in my hand. I needed air. Space. Something to hold onto that wasn’t this overwhelming truth.

The hallway blurred as I walked. Voices, footsteps, everything faded behind the noise in my head. My mind reeled with the realization that everything I had been told, everything I had been punished for, had been a lie.

The insults, the laughter, the nights I had spent alone, crying quietly, the forced treatments and humiliating advice they had forced upon me, pretending they were for my benefit.

My knees gave out before I realized it, and I sank to the floor, pressing a hand to my mouth as the tears finally came. I didn't know how long I sat there, crying like a helpless person, until I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder.

“Ma’am…” I looked up, startled. A nurse stood nearby, her expression apologetic.“I’m sorry, but you can’t sit here, you’re upsetting the children. This is the pediatric ward.”

I blinked, realizing small faces were peeking out from behind cribs and chairs, wide eyes filled with confusion and worry. One little girl even whimpered softly. I wiped my face quickly, embarrassed. “I’m sorry… I didn’t notice.” I stood, smoothing my clothes like that could fix anything, and walked out without looking back.

The world outside the hospital felt chaotic. Cars rushed past, people moved around me, but I felt detached from all of it. Like I had stepped into someone else’s life. “Watch where you’re going, idiot!” a driver yelled, his words sharp and full of anger. My chest tightened as the words cut through me.

I turned into the nearest bar without thinking. “I’ll take your strongest wine,” I said, dropping into a seat. The first sip burned. The second steadied me. By the third, the tightness in my chest had loosened just enough for me to breathe.

“You look like you’re trying to fight the glass,” a voice sounded behind me.

I paused, then glanced over my shoulder. A very handsome man was leaning casually against the counter, watching me like he’d been there for a while. “I’m fine,” I said, turning back to my drink.

“Didn’t say you weren’t.” Something about his tone made me look again. He smiled slightly. “But if you keep drinking like that, I might start to worry.” I let out a quiet breath, almost a laugh. “You don’t know me.”

“True,” he said easily. “But I’m open to fixing that.” I raised an eyebrow. “Bold,” I whispered. “I prefer the word honest.” That caught me off guard. I studied him properly this time. He couldn’t be much older than twenty. Maybe twenty-one. But there was something steady about him. Something that didn’t feel childish at all. “You always talk to strangers like this?”

“Only the interesting ones.” I huffed softly, shaking my head, but I could feel the strange way my shoulders had relaxed without me noticing. “You’re very sure of yourself.”

“Not really,” he said. “I just don’t like wasting time pretending.” I looked down at my glass, then back at him. “And what exactly are you not pretending about right now?”

His gaze held mine. “That I think you’re beautiful,” he said simply. “And that you need a good massage to take away the stress in your eyes.” My breath caught slightly. I looked away first, my fingers tightening around the glass. “You shouldn’t say things like that,” I murmured. “Why not?” “Because…” I hesitated, then shook my head. “Because you don’t know what they’ll mean to someone.”

“I do,” he said quietly. I looked back at him. “And I meant it.” There was no teasing in his voice now. Just something warm. It settled somewhere deep in my chest. I took another sip of wine, but before I could lift the glass again, his hand gently covered mine.

“Easy,” he said. “You don’t need that much.” The warmth of his touch sent a subtle shiver up my arm. I didn’t pull away. “And if I do?” I challenged softly. “Then I’ll have to make sure you get home safely ... .tucked in properly and make you have the best night of your life,” he replied, his voice dipped and rough around the edges.

Warmth spread through me, slow at first, then deeper, heavier, settling somewhere low in my stomach and making me shift slightly in my seat.

My eyes gave me away. I couldn’t stop looking at him. My gaze lingered on his lips when he spoke, then dropped, then found its way back like I had no control over it. I swallowed, but it didn’t help. Every word he said sank into me, waking something I thought had died a long time ago. Something I had buried under years of silence and disappointment.

And then, quietly, another thought slipped in. Kael. A bitter taste filled my mouth at the memory of him, of every time I had begged for his touch, his attention and his love. My grip tightened slightly against my arms. Walking out of that life, even for one night… choosing someone else, letting myself feel wanted instead of tolerated….

“Careful,” he whispered, his gaze flicking to my lips before returning to my eyes. “You keep looking at me like that, I might get the wrong idea.” My lips parted, like I wanted to say something but couldn’t even form the thought.

“Maybe you already have the wrong idea,” I replied, softer than before. The corner of his mouth lifted, not into a smile, but close. “Then you should probably correct me,” he said, his voice still carrying that same rough edge. He leaned in just enough for me to be aware of the space between us, of how easily it could disappear.

His thumb brushed lightly against my fingers again, slow, unhurried, like he was testing a line instead of crossing it. Heat crawled under my skin, impossible to ignore. I felt alive, and the worst part was… I didn’t want it to stop. He noticed my surrender, but didn’t rush me, didn’t push. He simply held the space between us, letting the warmth grow, letting the laughter linger, letting me realize I wanted him.

I whispered to myself, as much a declaration as a surrender, this night, I will give myself to this stranger. My fingers moved on their own, slowly tracing small circles across his chest, feeling the steady rise and fall beneath my touch. I noticed the way the color of eyes changed. He held my hand, drew me closer, and just like that, the space between us disappeared. His breath brushed my ear, and my body reacted before my mind could catch up.

“Do that again,” he murmured, his voice rough “and I won’t stop myself. I’ll take you right here, and I won’t care who’s watching.” For a second, I just stood there, feeling the heat of him. Then I pushed lightly against his chest. I picked up my bag and turned away, walking toward the back of the bar, my heels clicking with steady steps. I could feel his eyes on me, the tension stretching behind me like a thread waiting to snap. I heard him exhale, almost amused.

I barely made it around the corner before I felt his hand catch my wrist, yanking me into him. Hard. My bones reverberated from the collision of our bodies. “I have never wanted someone the way I want you,” he said, as he bit my bottom lip. He was slow for the first second and then he deepened the kiss, sucking my lips hungrily. Jolts of electricity passed through me the moment his lips touched mine. I was melting: I've never melted before. Never! “My place or yours?” he asked in-between kisses. “Yours,” I managed to reply.