Novels by Pearl

Eva stands in front of her bedroom mirror, holding the pink dress against her body. She turns left. Then right. Then left again.She's barely showing. Just the tiniest curve at her belly that could easily pass for bloating. But she knows. She knows she's carrying three tiny lives inside her. And that knowledge makes her feel powerful. Alive.She smiles at her reflection. She's thriving. She's doing just fine.The dress is beautiful. Soft pink fabric that flows down to her knees. Sleeveless. Fitted at the top, loose at the bottom. It's exactly the kind of thing she would have picked for herself.She doesn't know how Alexander knew. She doesn't know how he always seems to know.She slips the dress over her head. The fabric glides down her body like water. She smooths it over her hips. Over her still-flat stomach. Over the tiny miracles growing inside her.She does her hair in loose waves. Her makeup is light — just enough to make her eyes pop, just enough to hide the pregnancy exhaustio

Eva is three seconds away from falling asleep on her couch when her phone buzzes.She ignores it. Her eyes are already closed. Her body feels like it's been dragged through mud and then put through a washing machine. Three babies. Three tiny humans growing inside her, sucking the life out of her, leaving her exhausted and cranky and just generally over everything.The phone buzzes again. And again. And again.She groans and reaches for it without opening her eyes. Her fingers fumble across the coffee table. She knocks over a glass of water. Doesn't care.Finally, she grabs the damn thing and squints at the screen.Eva! Class reunion tonight! You HAVE to come!She stares at the message. Then she types back, her thumbs heavy and slow.I'm tired. I'm pregnant. I'm not coming.Her friend's response is immediate.Pregnant?! Wait, we'll talk about that later. But you CANNOT miss this. You need to get out of your apartment. You need to see people. You need to SHOW UP and show that bitch Evel

The office feels different today.Eva notices it the second she steps through the glass doors. The air is thicker. The silence is heavier. Every step she takes toward Alexander's office makes her chest tighten like someone's wrapped a rope around her ribs and keeps pulling.She's been avoiding him for three days.Three days since the clinic called with the results. Three days since she stared at the pregnancy test in a bathroom stall and watched those two pink lines appear like a death sentence. Three days since she realized she's carrying her boss's baby.Her boss's baby.The words echo in her skull with every heartbeat. She presses the file tighter against her chest and knocks on his door. Her knuckles are white. Her hand won't stop trembling."Come in."His voice is low. Controlled. The same voice that makes boardroom executives stammer and sweat. But today there's something underneath it. Something softer. Something that makes her stomach flip in a way she hates.She pushes the do

The phone rang at exactly 8:13AM in the morning.Eva Hart stared at the screen.Westbridge Fertility Clinic.Her heart immediately began pounding.For several seconds, she simply looked at it.Then she answered."Hello?""Good morning, Miss Hart. This is Westbridge Fertility Clinic. We wanted to inform you that everything is ready should you decide to proceed."Eva swallowed.Suddenly, the room felt small.Too quiet very quiet this was what she wanted. Why was she holding back now .The decision she had been thinking about for weeks was no longer a distant possibility.It was here,waiting for her."Miss Hart?"Eva closed her eyes."Can I call you back?""Of course."The call ended.She sat on the edge of her hotel bed for a long time. Her thoughts raced,What if this was a mistake?What if she failed?What if she regretted it?.Eva what's with the what if,she thought to herself.Then another memory surfaced.Daniel's cruel voice.Maybe because you can't give me children.Eva's eyes hardened.No.

Sleep refused to come.Eva Hart tossed and turned beneath the thin hotel blanket before finally giving up.The digital clock on the bedside table read 2:47 AM.With a frustrated sigh, she sat up and reached for her laptop.The room was dark except for the soft glow of the screen.For several moments, she simply stared at the search bar.Then she typed the words she hadn't stopped thinking about since her therapy session.Artificial insemination.Dozens of articles appeared.Successrates,Costs,Procedures.Donor profiles,Fertility clinics.Eva clicked one article after another.Hours passed without her noticing.For the first time in weeks, she wasn't thinking about Daniel.She wasn't thinking about Evelyn.She wasn't replaying the betrayal over and over in her head.Instead, she was imagining something else.A future, small apartment,tiny crib, child laughing,a child calling her Mom.The thought warmed her chest.By the time she closed her laptop, the sun was beginning to rise.And for the fir

The first thing Eva Hart did after waking up was check her bank account.The second thing she did was cry she felt totally helpless. Not because the balance was low.Not because she had spent three nights living in a hotel.But because this had become her reality.Three days ago, she had a fiancé, a home, and a future.Now she had none of those things.The hotel room felt smaller than ever.The pale cream walls seemed to close in around her as tears blurred her vision.For several minutes, she stared at the ceiling.Then she forced herself to sit up,no one was coming to save her.No one was going to fix her life.She had to do it herself.Just like she always had.An hour later, Eva found herself driving across Los Angeles, searching apartment listings.The first apartment was too expensive,the second was too small,the third looked nothing like the photos online.By noon, frustration was eating away at her patience.She sat inside her car outside another apartment building and rubbed her temp