Page 86 of The Pakhans’ Curvy Prize

"No. That's everything."

I catch Sharon's eye and tilt my head slightly toward the bedroom. She understands immediately.

"Can I talk to Marla for a minute?" Sharon asks. "Girl stuff."

Alex waves a hand dismissively. "Go ahead."

We slip into the bedroom and I close the door quietly behind us. My hands are shaking as Sharon digs through the grocery bag and pulls out a small pharmacy bag.

"Here," she whispers, handing it to me.

I stare at the bag like it might explode. Inside is a pregnancy test. Two of them, actually, because Sharon is thorough like that.

"Maybe it's just stress," I say, my voice barely audible. "I've been under a lot of stress."

Sharon gives me a look that says she's not buying it. "Marla."

"I'm serious. All the crap I've been going through is enough to mess with anyone's cycle."

Sharon nods, but she doesn't look like she believes it. Neither of us says what we're both thinking. If I'm pregnant, I have no idea which one of them is the father.

Oh God.

"I can't do this," I whisper.

"You have to. You need to know."

She's right. I hate that she's right, but she is. I take the pharmacy bag and head into the small bathroom attached to the bedroom. Sharon follows me inside and locks the door behind us.

The bathroom is barely big enough for one person, let alone two, but Sharon squeezes in beside me anyway. I pull out one of the tests and read the instructions even though I already know how they work.

"Do you want me to leave?" Sharon asks quietly.

"No. Stay."

I can't do this alone. I can't stand in this tiny bathroom and wait for results that might completely destroy my life without someone here to keep me from losing my mind.

I take the test and set it on the counter. The instructions say to wait three minutes. Sharon sets a timer on her phone.

"It's going to be negative," I say, pacing the small space. "It has to be negative. I can't be pregnant."

"If you are, we'll figure it out," Sharon says, but her voice is shaking too.

"Figure it out? How do I figure this out? I don't even know which one..." I can't finish the sentence. The reality is too overwhelming.

Sharon bites her lip. "Have you been with all three of them since that first night?"

"Yes."

"At the same time?"

"Sometimes. Other times separately. I don't know, Sharon. It's been chaos."

The timer on her phone feels like it's a ticking bomb, waiting for the right moment to destroy my life. Each second stretches into an eternity. My stomach churns with nausea so fiercely, I have to swallow several times to keep from actually throwing up.

"What if I am?" I whisper. "They're mafia bosses, Sharon! They're not exactly cut out for fatherhood."

"They're also completely obsessed with you," Sharon points out. "I've seen the way they look at you. All three of them."