บททั้งหมดของ Nine years to find you: บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 6

Sandra's PovTHREE WEEKS LATERI stared at the pregnancy test in my trembling hands, watching the second line darken with a finality that made my knees buckle."No. No, no, no."I sank to the bathroom floor, back against cold tile, and pressed my palms against my eyes until I saw stars.We'd been careful. He'd used protection, I'd taken the pill. Two-factor authentication, he'd called it while laughing.But there it was. Undeniable and irreversible.The deadly double lines that announced that I was pregnant.And he was halfway across the world, unreachable, building the future we were supposed to share.My hands moved to my stomach instinctively as panic clawed at my chest.What was I supposed to do?I couldn't tell my father. He'd lose his mind, or worse, he'd find a way to use this against Zadok and ruin him before he even had a chance to claim the child. And I couldn't tell Zadok either. Not yet. He didn't need the distraction when he was just starting out. This news could derail

Sandra's PovThe next two months blurred into dress fittings, food tastings, and everything I was supposed to love about getting married. Except that I hated it. I moved through it like a ghost, nodding when I was supposed to, signing documents I didn't read and playing the dutiful daughter preparing for the wedding of the century.Maya was there through all of it, supportive, encouraging and telling me it would work out. I wanted to believe her but every time I tried reaching Zadok to explain, to beg for forgiveness, my messages disappeared. Calls went unanswered and my emails bounced back.It was like he erased me completely and I couldn't blame him.The night before the wedding, I was summoned to my father's study for a "final formality." Dorian was there, along with a lawyer I didn't recognize."Just a few documents," my father said casually. "Standard prenuptial agreements, asset protection, nothing unusual."I stared at the stack of papers, vision blurring again. "Sandra," Do

Sandra's PovThe rain came out of nowhere, or maybe it had been falling the whole time and I was too numb to notice.My gown dragged through the mud at the bottom of the steps, heavy and soaked, clinging to my legs like it was trying to pull me back inside. I didn't make it three feet before the flashes started.They came from everywhere at once, blinding white bursts that turned the world into a strobing nightmare. Microphones shoved so close to my face I could smell the plastic."Sandra, is it true you called off the wedding?""Miss Whitmore, are you alright?""Sandra, look this way, just one shot."I couldn't breathe. My chest heaved, my mascara ran in black rivers down my cheeks and my hands shook so hard I could barely hold the fistful of skirt I was using to keep from tripping. Behind me, the church doors slammed shut with a finality that echoed louder than it should have.Then my father stepped out.He looked composed, tragic even, flanked by two security guards and a visibly s