LOGIN~Isabel~This was the most confusing situation I had ever been trapped in. My exams were around the corner, I needed a clear head and focus not the worry of growing a human being….And my internship... Fuck, no. The father of this baby was engaged to my supervisor at work! the scandal wouldn't just ruin my career, it would spoil everything.Chloe unlocked her car, pulling my car keys from my bag."I'm driving," she stated, brooking no argument.I just nodded, then slumped into the passenger seat, I wasn't even in any state to drive, my brain was foggy with so many thoughts."We are going to figure out everything, Izzy, okay?" she promised, throwing the car into gear and driving out of the campus parking lot.We pulled into the space of a warehouse-style drugstore. The building was in white, the glass doors plastered with drug stickers and faded ads. The moment the doors opened, the blast of air conditioning hit me, carrying the scent of alcohol and lavender.Chloe gripped my elbow
~Isabel~"No. I am not." The words rushed out of my mouth before my brain could even fully process my answer. "I can't be pregnant.""Oh my God." I clapped my hands over my mouth.The glaring signs I had spent the last week ignoring lined in my mind. The tightness of my jeans around my waist, the way my breasts felt bruised and tender every time my bra shifted on them, the way smells that usually made my mouth water, were now making my stomach roll with nausea."Oh my God," I whispered again, the sound slipped through my fingers as Chloe cocked her brow, her eyes were wide, staring at me with a mixture of horror and disbelief that mirrored my own."Girl, you shouldn't be so quick to say no. You're sexually active, Izzy, you and I both know that," she murmured, leaning across the table.I shook my head repeatedly in denial until my vision blurred.Sexually active was the understatement of the century. Thinking about the past few months with William, the secret intimacy…my chest seiz
~Isabel~ I watched Professor Alister throughout the lecture, trying to see if I could get an idea of what might be going through his head. But he just glanced over the rows of students a few times, lecturing normal like before. The class ended two hours later. He assigned an area of concentration to read for the exams, and as the students filed out of the room, Professor Alister stayed behind at the podium. Chloe and I packed our bags and stood up to leave. I could feel the nervous tension coming off her body. As we passed the door, his voice stopped us. "Miss Adams, can you meet me in my office right now? And you, Miss Mayfield," he said. He didn't wait for a response, just passed us carrying his folder. We followed him closely down the hall until he reached his office. He called Chloe inside and closed the door, leaving me to sit on the chairs outside. A minute later, my phone beeped with a text. I snatched it out of my pocket quickly, my heart leaping with t
~Isabel~The warning in his voice was crystal clear. I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. My mom went quiet, her eyes darted between us as if she suspected something was amiss.I quickly grabbed more fruit, put it on my plate, and forced myself to finish my milk in one gulp. "I will be heading to my room. I need to read for my exams. Thank you for breakfast," I said to them.I picked up my plate and walked out into the hallway. As I reached the stairs, my feet slowed down. I kept replaying Arthur's look in my head. I felt like he suspected William was using a work excuse just to take me to New York. But then I wondered why William hadn't just informed his dad and my mom like he said he would. He had gone to see Arthur this morning and spent over two hours in there before leaving. What had they been discussing if he didn't mention the weekend trip? Had he changed his mind?Lost in thought, I rounded the corner and almost bumped right into Mrs. Higgins."Sorry," I muttered
~Isabel~I stood frozen in the middle of my room, staring at the closed door.I tried to make sense of William's last words before he walked out, but the whole thing had become a knotted mess in my head.I crossed the floor and looked out through my window. The rain from a few hours ago had left the grounds soaked, and his black Bentley remained parked outside on the wet pavement. He was still talking to his father.My stomach twisted into a tight knot.I just hoped he wouldn't confront Arthur over anything I had told him this morning.Since it was the weekend, I headed into the bathroom for a shower, planning to spend the rest of my day studying for my upcoming law exams. I stood under the hot spray, letting the water run over my face, trying to wash the anxiety away. As I stepped out and wiped the steam from the mirror, I paused to look at my reflection.I had added a little weight recently. It was weird. I felt constantly stressed and stretched thin, yet my cheeks were flushed p
~Isabel~"I think I have to go warn him to stop meddling in this," he said, getting up roughly from the bed to snatch his clothes off the floor."No, William, please don't. I beg you. Please," I pleaded as real fear built up in my mind. "You will spoil everything. Think about this first.""I have nothing to lose, Isabel. I have to stop whatever plan he may be thinking about this before he takes it too far, and he can't do anything to you." He shoved his arms into his shirt."I can take care of you myself…your car, your tuition, anything you need. Even with the internship, the company is mine now!"He raked his hands through his hair to arrange his tousled hair. I dragged my nightgown over my body to stand in front of him, blocking his path to the door."You're freaking out again," I reasoned, touching his hands that remained clenched into fists. "Hey, look at me. You had your plans before you accepted his deal for you to marry Juliana. He is your dad. I know he means well for you ev
~Isabel ~The warehouse was filled with bass music that vibrated through the entire floor with a raw energy making my teeth chatter. Neon lights of hot pink and electric blue sliced through the haze of sweat soked crowd, turning the crowd of students into flickering shadows in the night.After th
~ Isabel ~My phone was still screaming in my hand, Chloe’s face flashing on the screen when we came to a halt, I stepped out of the car, feeling every bit of the twelve-hour workday in my aching joints. Chloe was already power-walking toward me, looking like a shimmering disco ball in her silver
I clocked into Sterling Global at 7:30 AM, my footsteps echoing through the hollow, marble lobby. The only other people around were the maintenance crew, and I’m pretty sure the guy buffing the floors thought I was crazy for being there voluntarily on a Saturday. If it wasn't for my scheming step
~Isabel~I sank into my chair, stretching my back. The air in the open-plan office felt thick though the air condition was mild, I was feeling exhausted and hot, and no matter how many times I told myself to focus on the folders Sophia had dumped on my desk, my mind kept drifting back to the fiftie







