CHAPTER 140

CHAPTER 140

POV ELIZABETH

I parked my car in front of the clinic and took a deep breath, gathering courage. I needed to clear this up soon or I was going to lose my mind. After greeting a few of the girls who work here, I filled out my form, and a few minutes later, they called me in to draw blood.

"Elizabeth, do you remember the date of your last period?" one of the women asked as she finished drawing my blood.

"No, and that’s exactly what’s making me so anxious," I said nervously, pressing my hand over the spot where they’d taken the blood.

"Okay..." she wrote something on my chart. "But everything’s going to be just fine!" she said cheerfully, and I forced a smile.

"What time will the results be ready?" I asked as I got up from the chair.

"Noon! And good luck!" she answered kindly, and I took a deep breath—because luck was exactly what I needed most right now.

(…)

I drove to the office, once again asking God for a little help, hoping the test would be negative. After going through my usual morning routine—mixed in with a few waves of nausea—noon finally came. Matthew had just returned from an important meeting. I stood from my chair, took a deep breath, and walked to his office, gently knocked on the door, and stepped inside.

He was sitting there, completely focused—and incredibly handsome—working on his computer.

"Am I interrupting?" I asked. He looked up, smiled, and stretched back in his chair.

"Tired, baby?" I asked, approaching his desk.

"A bit. These meetings are a pain." He gestured for me to sit on his lap, and I moved closer and sat down.

"Let’s grab lunch? I’m starving." He said, his hands on my waist, eyes locked on mine.

"So, I didn’t get a chance to pick up what I left at the clinic... it was really crowded, so I decided to go now, during lunch." I lied, trying to hide my nervousness.

"Alright, we’ll stop by the clinic and then head home for lunch." He said seriously as I stood up.

"It’s just... I told Charlotte I’d meet her for lunch." I added quickly, waving my hands a bit too nervously.

He sighed, got up, and grabbed his suit jacket off the chair.

"Okay, then go ahead." He said, a bit disappointed. I hugged him and started kissing his neck until he smiled.

"Alright, baby... I can’t stay mad at you. Go have lunch with your friend. I’m heading home." I kissed him and left quickly.

I grabbed my purse, phone, and car keys and headed to the elevator, both anxious and scared.

Once I arrived at the clinic, I picked up the test results and sat in one of the waiting chairs in the reception area. I took a deep breath and opened the envelope... And as soon as I read the result, my heart started racing and my legs felt like they were giving out from under me. I froze—caught between fear and the weight of the moment.

POSITIVE

Oh my God. I can’t believe this. How is this even possible?

I ran a hand over my face, now cold and sweaty, wiping away a tear that had silently slipped from my eye.

How am I going to tell Matthew I’m pregnant? How, God?

"Elizabeth? What are you doing here? Wait, I know—missed us already and decided to come back?" Dr. Clarck said, sounding cheerful as he caught me off guard.

I forced a smile and stood up to face him.

"If only it were just that..." I answered tensely.

"What happened?" He looked at the envelope in my hand. "Are you sick?" he asked, concerned.

"Thank God, no." I answered seriously.

"Do you need a doctor or a friend?" he asked, watching me.

"Right now? Both." With a simple gesture, he led the way to his office—one I knew far too well.

"I’m pregnant, Doctor." I said, tears already falling, the moment the door closed behind us.

"That’s wonderful news, Elizabeth!" He hugged me. "Congratulations. May this child be healthy—it’s always a blessing!" Then he looked at me more closely. "Though, judging by your face, maybe I shouldn’t have congratulated you, huh?"

"You’re right..." I took a deep breath and sat in the chair in front of his desk.

"Matthew had a vasectomy after Elena was born," I said, downcast. His eyes widened.

"Are you sure he really did it?" he asked, still watching me, now seated across from me.

"Yes, absolutely sure. Since Elena was born, we’ve never used protection—we always had sex without anything." I exhaled. "Doctor, what are the chances of that surgery failing? And what are the odds of a woman getting pregnant while still having her period, with no symptoms or baby bump?" I asked, starting to sweat again. I needed answers, and fast.

"Well, Elizabeth..." He shifted in his seat. "According to many urologists, they claim this method is one hundred percent effective and that failures don’t happen. But others say there can be failures, even though it’s rare. There’s something called spontaneous recanalization—when the vas deferens reconnects and sperm gets through again, leading to pregnancy. But those chances are very, very small. To give you an idea, the likelihood is about one in every two thousand cases." He said seriously, taking a breath.

"Oh my God!" I wiped another tear. "But what about getting pregnant and still having a period?"

"That’s called a cryptic pregnancy. It’s not common—it’s considered rare—but we’ve been seeing it more often lately. Still, the chance of that happening is significantly higher than a vasectomy failure. Just so you know, one in every four hundred and seventy-five women doesn’t realize they’re pregnant during the first twenty weeks. So yes, the chances are greater in that scenario." He replied calmly.

"So... it’s possible that I could be five months pregnant, without any symptoms or even a bump?" I asked, nearly crying.

"Yes. In your case, anything is possible. I recommend you see a good OB-GYN and get an ultrasound to clear this up. And Matthew should see a urologist and get a sperm count done. And if this is a cryptic pregnancy... just out of curiosity—is the baby William’s?" he asked, seriously.

"Yes." I took a deep breath and lowered my head.

"I’m sorry for prying, but... did you and William ever have unprotected sex?" he asked, gently but seriously.

"Yes. Actually, the condom broke and we didn’t notice it. But I took the morning-after pill the next day." I replied, keeping my voice steady.

"Then there’s a strong possibility the baby is William’s." He said seriously, and I looked down.

"Doctor, now I’m even more confused after all your explanations. In your opinion, what’s more likely?" I asked, heart pounding.