Three weeks later.
"Elena, are you listening to me?"
Clara Bennett's voice pulled Elena back to the present.
They were sitting in a small café near Elena's apartment. Outside, the late afternoon traffic moved slowly through the busy streets, horns occasionally echoing through the air.
Elena blinked and looked up from the untouched cup of coffee in front of her.
"Sorry," she murmured. "What did you say?"
Clara sighed and leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms.
"You've been staring into space for the last ten minutes," she said. "That divorce really did a number on you."
Elena forced a small smile.
"I'm fine."
Clara raised an eyebrow.
"You signed divorce papers from the most powerful billionaire in the city three weeks ago and moved into a tiny apartment overnight," Clara said dryly. "Forgive me if I don't believe your definition of 'fine.'"
Elena looked down again.
The word divorce still felt strange.
Three years of marriage… gone just like that.
Adrian's cold voice echoed in her mind.
It's the most logical decision.
Elena pushed the thought away quickly.
"It's over," she said quietly. "I just need to move on."
Clara studied her carefully.
"You loved him."
Elena didn't respond.
That silence was answer enough.
Clara softened slightly.
"Well," she said, reaching across the table to squeeze Elena's hand. "You deserve someone who actually sees you."
Elena nodded, but before she could reply, a sudden wave of dizziness hit her.
The room spun slightly.
She grabbed the edge of the table.
"Elena?" Clara frowned. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Elena said quickly.
But the dizziness didn't go away.
Instead, it grew worse.
Her stomach twisted unpleasantly.
Without warning, she stood up abruptly.
"I— I need the restroom."
She hurried away before Clara could say anything else.
Inside the restroom, Elena leaned against the sink, gripping the edge tightly.
Her reflection in the mirror looked pale.
Too pale.
"Pull yourself together," she whispered to herself.
But the nausea returned suddenly, forcing her to bend over the sink.
A few minutes later, Clara pushed the restroom door open carefully.
"Elena?"
She rushed forward when she saw Elena's condition.
"That's it," Clara said firmly. "We're going to the hospital."
---
The doctor looked up from the test results with a small smile.
"Well," she said warmly, "congratulations."
Elena blinked.
"Congratulations?"
"Yes," the doctor replied, turning the monitor slightly toward her. "You're pregnant."
For a moment, Elena thought she had heard wrong.
Pregnant.
The word echoed in her mind.
Her heart skipped a beat.
"I…" she whispered. "Are you sure?"
The doctor nodded.
"About six weeks."
Six weeks.
Elena's fingers slowly curled around the edge of the chair.
Six weeks meant…
Her breath caught.
That was before the divorce.
Before everything ended.
The father could only be one person.
Adrian.
Clara, who had been sitting beside her, looked just as shocked.
"Oh my God," she said quietly.
Elena's heart pounded rapidly.
A baby.
Adrian's baby.
Her mind filled with conflicting emotions all at once.
Fear.
Shock.
Confusion.
But beneath all of it…
A strange warmth spread through her chest.
A tiny life growing inside her.
Their child.
Clara was the first to speak again.
"So," she said slowly, "does Adrian know?"
Elena froze.
The image of Adrian sitting calmly across the divorce table flashed through her mind.
Then another memory followed.
Victoria standing beside him.
Elena lowered her eyes.
"No," she said quietly.
Clara frowned.
"Are you going to tell him?"
Elena didn't answer immediately.
She placed a hand gently on her stomach.
A baby.
Part of her wanted to run straight to Adrian's office and tell him everything.
Maybe things would change.
Maybe he would—
No.
She stopped herself.
Adrian had already made his choice.
The divorce papers.
His cold expression.
The woman beside him.
Elena slowly shook her head.
"I don't think so."
Clara stared at her.
"Elena, this is his child too."
"I know."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"But I also know Adrian."
Clara remained silent.
"Elena…"
"He never wanted this marriage," Elena continued softly. "Why would he want a child with me?"
Clara didn't have an answer for that.
The room fell quiet again.
Elena looked down at her stomach once more.
A baby.
Her baby.
Suddenly, something inside her shifted.
For the first time since the divorce, Elena felt a new sense of purpose.
She wasn't alone anymore.
She had someone depending on her now.
Someone she needed to protect.
She lifted her head slowly.
"I'll raise the baby myself."
Clara's eyes widened.
"Are you serious?"
Elena nodded.
"Yes."
Clara hesitated.
"That won't be easy."
"I know."
"You'll be a single mother."
"I know."
Clara studied her friend carefully.
But the hesitation in Elena's eyes was gone.
In its place was determination.
"Well," Clara said finally with a small smile, "then I guess that kid is going to have the strongest mother in the world."
Elena smiled faintly.
But deep down, a small voice inside her whispered something else.
Should she tell Adrian?
Did he deserve to know?
Or would telling him only drag her back into the cold world she had finally escaped?
Elena closed her eyes briefly.
For now…
She would keep the secret.
What she didn't know was that fate had already started moving in ways she couldn't imagine.
Because very soon…
She would go to Adrian's office one last time.
And what she overheard there would change everything.