Chapter 74 The Unexpected
Elena's POV
The apartment felt smaller once I was alone in it but I cautiously took my time checking it out as if I were trespassing in someone else's memories.
I exhaled at the thought that he'd lived here alone. Then my stomach gave a soft warning twist as I remembered I hadn't eaten much the night before.
“Okay,” I muttered to myself. “I just need food.”
I opened the fridge and was surprised it was full with fresh groceries. A faint smile tugged at the corner of my lips at the fact that Jack had stocked it before bringing me over.
I let out a sigh, something between frustration and reluctant gratitude. “You planned this,” I whispered under my breath.
I grabbed a yogurt and then the smell hit me first before my stomach lurched violently.
I barely had time to register it before I dropped the spoon into the sink and stumbled toward the bathroom.
My hand hit the wall to steady myself as nausea surged up my throat. When it finally eased, I stayed there on my knees with my hand braced against the cool tile floor.
“What the hell…” I whispered hoarsely.
I wasn’t sick.
I pushed myself up slowly and rinsed my mouth at the sink, staring at my reflection in the mirror. I looked tired and pale.
My eyes seemed larger somehow. “What’s happening to me?” I murmured.
Then the thought slipped in.
I immediately shook my head. “No,” I said out loud. “Absolutely not.”
It wasn’t possible but my mind started calculating before I could stop it.
I pressed my palms against the edge of the sink. “No,” I repeated but my voice wasn't convincing.
"It's just stress." I mumbled because God knows I'd been under it enough of it lately. Even though I mentally argued with myself, I realized that I was glancing at the calendar app on my phone.
My stomach twisted again, enough to make my breath hitch.
“Don’t,” I muttered to myself. “Don’t jump to conclusions.”
But I already was.
I splashed cool water on my face before I grabbed my jacket. I didn't think too hard about it.
So I went out of the house and walked downtown even though a part of me protested that I might be overreacting.
When I reached the pharmacy, the automatic doors slid open as I kept my head down and walked through the aisles. It took me less than a minute to find what I was looking for.
I stared at the small box in my hand for a while and wondered how something so small held the power to change everything.
I headed to the register and stood in line but I suddenly felt a pair of eyes on me—that sensation of being watched. My shoulders stiffened as I resisted the urge to turn around even though my pulse began to pick up.
When I finally decided to casually glance over my shoulder, I saw no one except for a woman browsing cough medicine and an elderly man near the greeting card.
No one suspicious was looking at me but still, the feeling didn’t completely disappear.
When it was my turn, I stepped forward quickly and placed the box on the counter without making eye contact.
The cashier scanned it without comment. “Cash or card?” she asked flatly.
“Card,” I replied evenly.
The transaction took seconds and when she handed me the receipt, I grabbed the small bag and turned immediately through the doors.
I walked back to the house fast and the footsteps behind me that turned out to be someone jogging past.
I fumbled slightly with the keys before I unlocked the door and slipped inside.
I shut it quickly and locked it again.
I stood there for a moment with my back pressed against the door before I walked down the short hallway to the bathroom.
“Just do it,” I whispered to myself. “Just know.”
“This is ridiculous,” I muttered, dragging a hand through my hair. “It’s probably nothing.” But my voice didn’t carry enough conviction.
When it was done, I placed the test carefully on the edge of the sink and then I waited.
My gaze remained at the small white stick like I could will it to show me what I wanted.
But my mind wouldn't stop racing.
Nerves.
I pressed my palms against the sink and leaned forward.
“You can handle this,” I murmured. “Whatever it is.”
And then, strong arms wrapped around me from behind and before my brain could catch up, a hand clamped tightly over my mouth.
I gasped, but the sound was swallowed against skin as panic exploded through me instantly.
My heart slammed violently against my ribs as I thrashed, my hands flying up to claw at the arm holding me but my nails only scraped against fabric and skin. I twisted my body trying to break free.
“Mmph—!” My protests came out muffled and desperate as the grip tightened further around me.
“Shh,” a low voice hissed near my ear.
But I kicked backward blindly, my heel connecting with something solid. The person grunted but didn’t let go.
My lungs burned and my pulse roared in my ears.
No, this can’t be happening.
Then my eyes darted frantically around the bathroom, searching for something or anything I could grab as a weapon, but then my eyes settled on the test kit on the sink.
There were two clear and unmistakable red lines on it.
I felt crippled and for a moment, everything else faded.
I’m pregnant?
I was suspended in disbelief but then it made me continue my protests to be set free.
I was pregnant with Jack’s child?
Before I could register anything else, I felt a sharp sting in my neck and my body jerked violently, a muffled cry pushing against the hand over my mouth.
Still, I tried to twist away, but warmth spread quickly from the spot where I’d been injected.
“What—” The word never made it out as strength drained from my limbs.
And the last thing I saw clearly was the faint reflection of myself in the mirror—confused and afra id before darkness pressed in from all sides.
My eyes fluttered close with the image of the lines imprinted in my soul.