Kristy squeezes my hand. “Come on. Rip the bandage off. I’ll be right here.”
I nod, though my stomach flips. I take the bag and walk to the bathroom, hands shaking a little as I open the box.
The test is simple enough. It shouldn’t feel like it’s deciding my whole future. But when the timer goes off on my phone, I can’t look right away. I just stand there, palms flat on the counter, heart pounding.
Then I force myself to look.
Two lines.
My breath catches. I keep staring just to be sure, but it doesn’t change.
Kristy’s waiting in the living room, still perched on the edge of the couch. When she sees my face, her smile fades into something softer, steadier.
“Hey,” she says quietly. “It’s positive, isn’t it?”
I nod, and she stands, crossing the room to wrap me up before the tears even start.
“It’s okay,” she murmurs. “You’ll figure it out. One thing at a time.”
I want to believe her, but my mind’s already spinning. Every piece of my life just rearranged itself in the span of a heartbeat.
And underneath it all, a colder fear settles in. This will look too familiar. Declan once married because he had to, not because he wanted to. I know he loves me, but what if this feels like déjàvu, history repeating, me becoming the reason he feels cornered again?
Kristy stays for a while. We sit on the couch, the test face down on the coffee table like it might explode if either of us looks at it again.
She finally exhales, rubbing her palms on her jeans. “You know you have to tell him, right?”
“I know.” The words scrape out of me. “I just… I don’t even know how.”
“Start with the truth,” she says gently. “You two already did the hard part—falling for each other when you weren’t supposed to. This is just another curveball.”
I let out a breath that feels too big for my chest. “He’s finally recovered. He’s about to play in the Final. We never talked about kids. This could wreck everything.”
Kristy shakes her head, quiet for a moment. “Or it could just change everything. There’s a difference.”
Her phone lights up with a reminder. “I’ve got clients here in a few, but you call me the second you need anything, okay? Literally anything.”
I nod, trying to smile. “I know. Thanks, Kris.”
She hugs me tight, whispering, “You’ve got this, Char. It’s going to be okay,” before heading out.
When the door closes, the silence feels deafening.
I pick up my mug, trying to drink the coffee she poured earlier, but the smell hits me before I can even take a sip, bitter and heavy. My stomach turns. I set it down fast and grab a glass of water instead, taking slow sips until the nausea eases.
I grab my phone, scrolling through email just to have something to do. Anything to distract myself.
And there it is.
HR Compliance: Relationship Disclosure Review Complete.
I open it, heart pounding as I skim the lines.
The email is short and clinical: review complete, no conflicts found. It confirms what we’d already planned. If Declan ever gets hurt again, Patel or Dan will handle it, not me. And just like that, we’re officially cleared to make our relationship public.
I let out a shaky laugh.
There’s something painfully ironic about it. Declan and I are finally legitimate on paper, yet I’m holding a secret that could change everything.
