LOGIN~Isabel~I turned my attention to Clara, taking a few steps further into the room. Chloe lingered by the door, hanging back out of courtesy."Did you see the pants?" I asked, looking Clara dead in the eye. "I am looking for a flash drive, it was left inside the front pocket of those trousers."Clara crossed her arms over uniform. "I didn't see any flash drive in your clothes. You probably misplaced it somewhere else," she replied, her tone dripped with nonchalance, like I was a toddler throwing a tantrum over a lost toy.I swallowed hard as anger flared in me. "I am sure I left it in my pocket," I stated, emphasizing every word clearly. I retraced my steps from Friday, the memory played clear in my head.I remember touching the outside of my pocket as I walked out of Julian's office, and I felt it right there, there's no way I misplaced it. It didn't fall off. If it had fallen out, I would have heard it hit the floor, and besides, the trouser pocket didn't have a tear. So it must s
~Isabel~The thought of telling her made my chest ache, but amidst the terror, there was a tiny thread of relief. I didn't know exactly how she would react, but Aunt Joey wouldn't judge me. She was the one person in my life who never did.We hurried up the steps and nearly sprinted down the hallway to my bedroom. The moment I pushed my door shut and locked it, Chloe dumped her bag on my bed, She pulled out the plastic pharmacy bag and threw the five boxes of test strips on the bed. I stared at them. Chloe nudged my shoulder, jerking her chin toward the bathroom. "Go. Take them.""Shit, I hate this," I muttered bitterly, scooping the boxes into my shaking hands.I pushed into my bathroom, the cold tiles chilling me through my socks.I caught my reflection… wide-eyed, and fragile.‘I can do this… I can’ I told myself.I ripped open the first box, tossing the pack into the sink, unfolded the instruction sheet, I forced my eyes to focus on the tiny print, following the steps exactly
~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~"Have you seen William this morning?" I asked Mr. Robert, the butler, as he adjusted a vase of lilies on the sideboard. I tried to keep my voice casual, like I was just asking about the weather, but the mere mention of his name made my skin tingle.I had managed to sneak into the mansion a
~Isabel~"Who knows what you have in mind, step-brother? You've touched me in ways no man ever had."The second the words left my mouth, I wanted to reach out into the air and snatch them back. My face was burning, and it wasn't just the heater in the Bentley. I had just handed him exactly what he
~Isabel~"Distracted? He questioned looking at me curiously "let hope you focus on your assignments and write well then Isabel," he said, "I’m expecting big things from you. He stepped around me then, his shoulder brushing mine as he walked past. I stood there for a long time, staring at the doub
~Isabel~The dining room was way too big for just four people. It always felt like the walls were leaning in, trying to hear our secrets. I sat there, moving a piece of chicken around my plate with a fork. Across from me, William looked like he’d been carved out of steel. He was now wearing a fre







