***************Celeste POV***************
I was on my bed, knees up, staring at the chipped paint, hands shaking on my stomach.
"I can't do this," I whispered. "I'm 22, I don't even have a job."
My hand pressed against my stomach, still shaking. "Should I just end this? Before it's too late? Maybe that's best. Maybe no one would ever know."
That thought twisted my stomach worse than the morning sickness. One night. Just one night with a stranger—and now this.
The door burst open. "Celeste!" Maya yelled.
I groaned, face in the pillow. "Not now, Maya."
She walked in, dropping her bag. "You gotta hear this. Seriously."
"I doubt it." My voice cracked. "Unless you can undo the last two months."
"Celeste… you've been crying all day?"
"What do you want me to do, Maya? I'm pregnant! By some random dude! I don't even know his last name or where he lives. I only know his first name! How am I supposed to be okay?"
"That's why I'm here. Just listen, okay?"
"I found him," she said.
My head shot up. "What?"
"The guy. The one-night-stand. Your baby's dad. I found him."
I blinked. "You… no way. How? I only told you his first name. Lucian."
She smirked. "Yeah, and your best friend's a pretty good reporter. I did some digging. Celeste, I found him. His name is Lucian Blackwood."
I gasped. "B-Blackwood? No way…"
"Yes. That Blackwood. Maya grinned. CEO of Blackwood Enterprises. Super rich. He's kind of a big deal."
My jaw dropped. "Oh my God. No. No, no." I jumped up, pacing. "You're telling me I slept with one of the richest guys in New York and didn't even know? I didn't even get his last name!"
Maya clapped. "Celeste, listen to this: your money worries are over. You're broke, jobless, living in a dump. But Lucian Blackwood? He's loaded, and from what I hear, he steps up."
I shook my head, freaking out. "No, no. You don't get it. He probably doesn't even remember me! It was just one night, Maya. One mistake. What if he thinks I'm trying to trap him?"
Maya grabbed my shoulders. "Listen. You're pregnant. He needs to know. You're not asking him for love or marriage. Just tell him. Then, whatever he decides, you deal with it. Got it?"
Tears filled my eyes. "Got it."
"Good. You're going to meet him." She waved a piece of paper. "Here. His office address."
Maya shoved the paper in my hand. "Go tell him. Stop stressing. If he's cool, great. If not, at least you tried."
My chest tightened. I was shaking. "Okay. I'll go."
The next day, I stood outside the huge glass building, shaking. My heart pounded as I walked to the front desk.
"Excuse me," I said softly. "I need to see Mr. Lucian Blackwood."
The secretary gave me a practiced smile. "Do you have an appointment?"
"No, but I really need to see him. It's important."
"Sorry, ma'am. Mr. Blackwood doesn't do walk-ins. You need to schedule through…"
"Please," I whispered, desperation in my voice.
She didn't budge. "No appointment, no access."
I teared up, clenching my fists. "Just tell him Celeste is here. He'll…"
"Excuse me."
A voice cut through the air. I turned and stopped. A tall, classy woman in her late fifties walked in, heels clicking. She was upper-class, commanding. And next to her was a younger woman—gorgeous, fancy, and entitled.
The secretary straightened up. "Mrs. Blackwood."
Lucian's mom.
Her eyes landed on me. "Who are you?"
My throat tightened. "I… I need to see Lucian."
She raised her eyebrows. "To see my son? And you are?"
"I… I can't say here," I stuttered. "But please, it's important."
The younger woman smirked. "Everyone wants to see him. It's annoying."
Mrs. Blackwood ignored her. She looked me up and down, then noticed my hand on my stomach. Her face changed.
"Come with me," she said.
I hesitated.
Now.
She led me down the hall, away from prying eyes. The office space was larger than any I had ever seen. Mrs. Blackwood sat down on one of the black leather chairs around a mahogany table with a marble top. The other girl sat down primly beside her, like she was trying to prove that she belonged and I didn't. Honestly, I felt out of place just being there.
"Why do you want to see my son?" Her voice cut through the tension like a knife. I touched my stomach again, without thinking. I've been doing that a lot since I found out about the baby.
"I...I…" I was usually pretty bold, but around Mrs. Blackwood, under these circumstances, words just failed me.
"I didn't mean to...I promise I'm not trying to trap him or anything...I didn't even know that he worked here...I…" I felt embarrassed, tripping over my words. Just standing there made me feel like a kid being hauled into the principal's office for something I didn't do.
But I didn't need to say much for Mrs. Blackwood to get the idea.
"Listen," she started, her voice friendly but firm. "I get how you feel, trust me, I do. But you shouldn't be here, doing what you're doing."
I stared at her, stunned. My eyes started to water, another new habit since I found out I was pregnant.
"What…Lucian told me about that night, dear."
I was still confused. My feet were killing me. I wanted to sit down but I couldn't. Then, she turned to the other girl, held her hand gently, and said, "You two had just fought, and he was very upset with you. He didn't mean it, Leona. He wasn't thinking straight."
I was lost, and it seemed like Leona was too. But after a while, something clicked in her brain and her face changed.
"He…" she started, but stopped as she started sobbing.
"He wanted to tell you, but I told him not to. I am so sorry, Leona. I didn't want to upset you anymore, after everything. And now…" She looked down at her stomach, and Leona instinctively settled her hand on it. And that's when I figured it out.
Even before Mrs. Blackwood said another word, I knew. There was no place for me in his world. Not when he was already married and expecting a child.
"I'm sorry, dear, but you should know that your night with Lucian was a mistake and that's all it was. Forget it, and any reminder of it." It didn't take a genius to understand what she was saying.
She wanted me to end my pregnancy. To protect her son's image and his family, she wanted me to give up my baby. Tears streamed down my face. I was angry at her for her lack of tact, selfish and I was even angrier at myself for being so stupid.
"Lucian's working overseas right now. He got transferred last month and he'll be there for a long while. Leona will be joining him soon, and they'll raise their son together."
"You don't seem like a homewrecker, dear. I'd like to think you're not." She smiled at me, but it was cold, taunting even.
I hated her. God, I hated her so much. And I hated Lucian too, for not even bothering to find out before moving abroad. I hated Maya for talking me into this and I hated myself for not using protection when I was sleeping with a stranger. God, I'm so beyond stupid!
"He should kn…"
She cut me off sharply.
"He doesn't!" Her voice was curt and harsh, all the fake kindness gone.
"Go home, dear. You are too young to have this baby. What are you? 20? 21? You have your whole life ahead of you. You know it'd be for the best if you didn't have it in the first place."
I swallowed hard. My tears just kept falling. Leona sat there like a doll, letting her mother-in-law handle things. I guess she was just as shocked as I was.
"Right," I said, wiping my tears. "Right."
Outside, I could barely see through my tears. I got in a cab, my heart breaking.
"He doesn't even know…" I whispered, touching my stomach. And now he never will.
The cab pulled onto the highway. It started raining, blurring the city lights.
I leaned my head against the window, my chest aching. Mrs. Blackwood's words kept going around in my head.
"You'll ruin his image…"
I closed my eyes.
A car horn woke me up.
"Hold on!" the driver yelled.
I looked up just as headlights flashed, blinding me.
The cab swerved. Tires screeched.
Then… crash.
Darkness.