006: The Test He Found

Elena's grip tightened around the phone.

"What pregnancy test?"

Across the room, Damian looked up from where he was standing.

On the other end of the call, Adrian was silent for a moment.

Then he said, "Don't play games with me."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Adrian let out a frustrated sigh.

"I found it in the bathroom cabinet."

Elena frowned.

There had never been a pregnancy test in their bathroom.

Never.

"You're mistaken."

"I know what I saw, Elena."

Before she could respond, the call ended.

Elena slowly lowered the phone.

Something felt wrong.

Very wrong.

"What's going on?" Damian asked.

She shook her head.

"I don't know."

But she did know one thing. There was a setup.

And she was going to find out who was doing that.

Meanwhile, at the Sterling Mansion, Adrian sat alone in the living room.

The house was quiet.

Too quiet.

For the first time in years, there was no sound coming from the kitchen.

No smell of Elena's cooking.

No lights left on for him.

Nothing.

Vanessa walked downstairs wearing one of his shirts.

"You've been staring at your phone all night."

Adrian ignored her.

Vanessa frowned.

"Are you seriously thinking about Elena right now?"

"No."

The answer came too quickly.

Vanessa noticed.

"She's with another man. Why do you care?"

Adrian rubbed his forehead.

He wasn't sure why he cared.

He had wanted Elena gone.

That was the whole point.

So why did the house suddenly feel empty?

His eyes drifted toward the dining room.

The anniversary dinner was still there.

Nobody had touched it.

The candles had burned out.

The food had gone bad.

Something tightened in his chest.

Vanessa followed his gaze and rolled her eyes.

"She was being dramatic."

Maybe.

But Adrian suddenly remembered how excited Elena had looked that morning.

She had asked him three times what time he would be home.

He never answered.

A strange feeling settled in his stomach.

Not guilt.

Not yet.

Just discomfort.

Back at the hospital, Elena couldn't stop thinking.

A pregnancy test.

Who put it there?

Then a memory flashed through her mind.

A few weeks ago, Vanessa had visited the mansion while Adrian was at work.

She had spent almost an hour upstairs.

Alone.

Elena sat up straight.

Could it have been Vanessa?

But why?

The answer came almost immediately.

To make Adrian think Elena was pregnant.

To create another problem in the marriage.

To push them further apart.

The realization made her sick.

Vanessa had been planning things for much longer than Elena realized.

A knock interrupted her thoughts.

The doctor entered again carrying another file.

"Mrs. Sterling, we have your blood test results."

Elena accepted the file nervously.

The doctor smiled.

"Everything looks healthy."

Elena released a breath she didn't realize she had been holding.

Then the doctor added,

"Based on the dates, you're approximately six weeks pregnant."

The room became quiet.

Six weeks?

Elena immediately started counting backwards in her head.

Her heart began to race.

Because six weeks covered two possible dates.

One date with Adrian.

And one date she desperately wanted to forget.

The night she met Damian Blackwood.

She slowly closed the file.

The mystery hadn't become clearer.

It had become worse.

Much worse.

And sitting across the room was one of the two men who could be the father.

Damian looked up from his phone.

Their eyes met.

For a brief second, Elena wondered what would happen if the baby turned out to be his.

The thought terrified her.

Because she had no idea whether that would make her life easier...

Or destroy it completely.