Chapter 213

~ Octavia ~

I couldn’t stop thinking about my mother’s question. "When last did you get your period?"

The truth was, I had no idea. I’d been so wrapped up in work, the court case, the wedding planning, that I hadn’t even noticed time slipping by like that. But now that the question had been asked, it was all I could think about.

She did not push, I just dismissed her slightly and told her it was nothing and I had gotten my period. She looked at me skeptically but let it go.

That night, after everyone had left and I was alone in the house except Olga and others. Franklin and Fredrick had gone out. I made a decision. I drove to the pharmacy and bought a pregnancy test. Actually, I bought three of them. If I was going to do this, I was going to be thorough.

Back home, I sat in the bathroom for what felt like an eternity, staring at my hands. I was nervous. Excited. Terrified. All at the same time.

When I finally worked up the courage to take the test, I did all three. Then I set them on the counter and waited.

Two minutes felt like forever.

When the results came up, all three tests showed the same thing: positive. Positive. Positive.

I was pregnant.

Actually, truly, undeniably pregnant.

I sat down on the bathroom floor and cried. Happy tears, scared tears, overwhelming tears. I was going to have a baby. Franklin’s baby. Our baby.

The next morning, I made an appointment with an OBGYN doctor. I needed to be absolutely certain, and I needed to know if everything was okay. The appointment was at noon, and I told Franklin I had a work thing I couldn’t reschedule.

"Should I come with you?" he asked, concern crossing his face.

"No, it’s fine," I said, kissing him. "Just a meeting. I’ll be back by evening."

Dr. Susan confirmed everything. I was pregnant, approximately five weeks along. The baby was developing normally. Everything looked perfect.

"Congratulations," she said, smiling. "Please see the nurse so your next appointment will be fixed.

I thanked her and left.

That evening, I made dinner. Nothing fancy—just something comfortable and warm. Franklin came home and wrapped his arms around me from behind as I was finishing up.

"Something smells amazing," he said, kissing my neck. "What’s the occasion?"

"Can’t I just make dinner for my fiancé?" I asked, turning to face him.

He smiled, that smile that still made my heart skip. "You can. But it looks like you have something in your mind."

I took his hand and led him to the dining table. We ate, and I could feel my heart hammering in my chest the entire time. How do you tell someone something like this? How do you find the words?

"I have something to tell you," I finally said, as we finished eating.

Franklin set down his fork immediately, his full attention on me. "Okay. You’re scaring me a little bit."

"Don’t be scared," I said, reaching across the table to take his hand. "It’s good. It’s really good, actually."

He waited, watching me with those eyes that saw everything.

"I went to the doctor today," I said. "The appointment I had this morning."

His expression shifted slightly. "Are you okay? Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing’s wrong," I said quickly. "Everything’s perfect, actually. I’m pregnant, Franklin."

For a moment, he didn’t say anything. He just stared at me, his hand going slack in mine. Then his grip tightened, and his eyes filled with tears.

"What?" he whispered.

"I’m pregnant," I repeated. "We’re having a baby."

"We’re—" He couldn’t seem to finish the sentence. He stood up, pulling me with him, and wrapped me in his arms so tightly I could barely breathe. "We’re having a baby?"

"We’re having a baby," I confirmed, laughing through my own tears.

He pulled back just enough to look at me, his hands framing my face. "How is this possible? I mean, I know how it’s possible, but..." He was laughing and crying at the same time. "When? How far along?"

"Five weeks," I said. "Since around the time we... well, since after the court hearing."

He kissed me then, soft and deep and full of emotion. When he pulled away, he was smiling so wide I thought his face might break.

"This is the best day of my life," he said. "Actually, wait. Yesterday was pretty good too. But this is better. This is the best."

"We’re keeping it secret until after the wedding," I said. "I want the focus to be on us getting married, not on the pregnancy. Once we’re officially husband and wife, then we tell everyone."

"Okay," he said, but he was already looking at my stomach like he could see through it to the baby growing inside. "This is real, right?"

I showed him the paperwork, and he read through it like it was the most important document in the world. He kept reading the same lines over and over, like he couldn’t believe they were real.

"We’re going to have a baby," he kept saying, like he was trying to convince himself it was true.

That night, he held me like I was made of glass. We didn’t have sex—he was too afraid of hurting the baby. Instead, he just held me and talked about all the things he wanted to do, all the ways he wanted to be a father. He talked about teaching our child to be strong, to be kind, to be brave.

"I want them to know they’re loved," he said into my hair. "Every single day. I want them to never doubt it."

"They will," I promised.

Over the next few days, keeping the secret was the hardest thing I’d ever done. Every time I felt nauseous or tired, I had to come up with an excuse.

Mum called me to ask how I was feeling after the boutique incident. I told her it was just a stomach bug, nothing serious. She sounded skeptical, but she didn’t push.

But something had shifted inside me. I was pregnant. I was going to be a mother. And as much as I was excited and happy, there was also this new, fierce protectiveness that had bloomed in my chest.

This baby? this tiny, growing life inside me, was mine to protect. Mine and Franklin’s. And I would do anything to keep them safe.

Anything at all.