I blink a couple of times, forcing my eyes open, to take in the intense whiteness that is surrounding me.
Where is this? I don’t know where I am at all.
“Oh, Is, thank goodness, you’re awake at last. I’ve been so worried.”
Olivia.Thank God she’s with me in whatever this is. I fumble around and reach out to try and grab her. I need to hold on to her so I know I’m connected to reality at last.
“What happened?” I ask Olivia in barely a whisper.
I can’t get anything out other than that.
“You fainted, Is. So I had to bring you to the hospital to get you looked at.” I let out a groan of dismay. I have been avoiding medical treatment for a reason, because it’s too expensive. I don’t have the money to get sick at the moment. “No, don’t worry, the hospital bills are covered. My dad was there when you passed out and he has sorted things…”
Elijah? Panic careens through my body at the mention of him. I haven’t talked about him at all since we got back from the island. I have tried my best not to even think about him. I certainly haven’t had any reason to look at him, because I needed to move on.
How embarrassing for him to come across me when I passed out. Urgh, that’s dreadful. It makes me cringe and squirm inside. But discretely, because I can’t let Olivia see.
No wonder I’m so shattered.
Life has been a freaking nightmare recently.
“We found out why you passed out as well, if you want to know.”
Oh!There’s a reason? I nod along assuming she’s just going to confirm that I’m exhausted, or maybe dehydrated, something like that. “Yeah, go on, what did they say?”
“That you are pregnant, Is. Two months pregnant.”
The whole world stops spinning as she says that.
She’s joking, right? She has to be joking. There is no way that I can actually be having a baby… right?
I don’t know what to say.
“Sorry to say it so bluntly,” Olivia continues as she squeezes my hand a little bit tighter. She’s reassuring me, which is nice but I’m still stunned to the freaking core. “But I think you need to know. Obviously I’m here for you through all of this…”
“You’re being serious?” I gasp back, really trying to acknowledge and accept this fully.
“Yeah, I am being serious, Is. And judging by the dates, you must have gotten pregnant while we were at Laucala Island.”
Fuck.
A thick silence clings to the air as we both drink this in. I was just thinking about the baby, not about the father of the baby, but of course there can only be one man. Elijah Agnor is the only person that I have been with in a very long time.
Burning hot tears ball up behind my eyes. I try to fight them because I don’t think I have a right to cry, but I don’t know how long I’ll be able to hold them back.
“So, I know I was with Benji a lot on the island, but is there something you want to tell me?”
How can I tell her? I can’t, there isn’t any way. She will kill me. I know that Olivia is doing much better now, but if she finds out about my betrayal that will surely send her right back.
“It’s okay.” Olivia lets out a little giggle. “I know this isn’t going to be easy for you.”
“What do you mean?” I meet her gaze, trying desperately to see what’s going on behind her eyes. She’s talking knowingly, but I have no idea what she might know.
“I mean, I was there on the island with you. I only saw you with one person.”
Ice cold panic balls up inside of me. “I wasn’t with anyone. I don’t know what you’re talking about. It might be…maybe it’s someone I met before we went away so I don’t…”
Olivia’s head shaking stops me in my tracks. “No, Is, what I’m trying to tell you is that I already know. I’ve spent some time working things out, and I even spent time talking to my father about it. Iknow, so you don’t need to hide it from me anymore.”