Chapter 67:
Chapter 67:
\-ZOEY ASHFORD-
When we got home, I didn’t even bother taking off my shoes. I dropped my bag on the couch, slumped beside it, and just stared into space.
Everything came flooding back into my head. Wes' face as the doctor ran the test on him.. Chase's face when the doctor took his sample.
I could still smell the antiseptic scent of the hospital in my hair, and it made my stomach twist all over again.
Mariah came out of the kitchen drying her hands with a towel. The moment she saw me, she frowned a little and sat down beside me.
“You’ve been awfully quiet since we left the hospital,” she said, her tone gentle but knowing. “Are you okay?”
I gave a faint laugh that didn’t even sound like me.
“I’d be lying if I said I am.”
“I figured,” she said, setting the towel on her lap. “You look like you’re about to crawl out of your own head. what's up? What's bothering you?”
“I just” I sighed, rubbing my palms together.
“I can’t stop thinking about it, Mariah. The test, the looks on their faces, all of it. I keep replaying everything like there’s something I missed. I know it’s just a week before the results come out, but it already feels like a year.”
Mariah leaned back into the couch, watching me for a moment.
“You’ve been carrying a lot for someone who’s supposed to be resting. And now this DNA test thing… it’s bound to mess with your head.”
“Mess with my head?” I said, trying to smile. “It’s practically tearing it apart.”
She tilted her head.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” I murmured.
“If you had to choose,” she said carefully, “who do you want the baby to belong to?”
I turned to her, caught off guard. “Mariah, I..”
“I’m not asking to pry,” she cut in quickly. “I just want to know what your heart says. Not your mind, not what’s ‘fair.’ Just you.”
I went silent for a while. My throat felt tight.
“I don’t know,” I said finally. “Or maybe I do, but I don’t want to say it. Saying it out loud feels unfair—like I’d be wishing one of them away.”
Mariah smiled faintly.
“You’re afraid of being honest, Zoey. You think if you say it, it’ll make you the bad guy.”
“Wouldn’t it?” I asked softly. “I mean, either way, someone gets hurt.”
She shrugged.
“Life’s messy. People get hurt whether we mean to or not. That’s not on you. You didn’t ask for any of this.”
I stared at the coffee table.
“I just hate that I’m the reason they’re at each other’s throats. It feels like no matter what happens, someone’s going to lose something.”
Mariah sighed and rubbed my shoulder.
“Let me ask you another thing.”
I gave her a wary look.
“You’re on a roll tonight.”
She smirked.
“I’m a therapist; it’s part of my charm.”
I chuckled quietly.
“Okay, fine. What’s the next question?”
“If the test comes out and you find out who the father really is,” she said, studying me, “are you willing to give him a second chance?”
I froze for a second before I spoke.
“I don’t know, Mariah. There’s still a lot to work out. A lot that’s been broken. I can’t just act like everything’s fine because of what a piece of paper says.”
She nodded slowly.
“That’s fair. But don’t forget, knowing the truth might help you breathe again. At least you won’t be living with all these maybes.”
“I know,” I murmured. “I just wish I didn’t have to choose between peace and pain.”
Mariah smiled faintly.
“You don’t have to choose yet. You just have to hold on.”
“Easier said than done,” I said, letting out a tired laugh.
“Zoey, I’ve known you for years,” she said, turning to face me fully. “You’ve been through heartbreak, disappointment, and the worst kinds of betrayal, and yet here you are..still standing. I know you feel weak right now, but trust me, you’re not.”
I leaned back and sighed. “You sound too sure of that.”
“I am,” she said firmly. “You don’t need to figure it all out today. You just need to get through one day at a time.”
I was quiet for a bit before asking.
“What if the result says it’s not who I thought it was?”
“Then you deal with it,” she said simply. “You’ll cry, you’ll curse at the universe, maybe throw something..preferably not my mug again..but then you’ll move forward. You always do.”
I smiled weakly.
“You make it sound so simple.”
“It’s not simple. But it’s possible,” she said. “And you, my dear, are stubborn enough to survive it.”
That made me laugh, and for a second, the tension in my chest eased a little.
“You’re a terrible comforter, you know that?”
“I’m not here to sugarcoat anything,” she said, grinning. “I’m here to make sure you don’t drown in your thoughts before the results even come out.”
I leaned my head against the back of the couch.
“I just wish the week would go faster.”
“Then distract yourself,” she said. “Go out, binge-watch those ridiculous romance shows you like, eat too much ice cream. Just don’t sit around here torturing yourself.”
I nodded, half-smiling. “I’ll try.”
Mariah stood and stretched.
“You want tea?”
“Yeah,” I said quietly. “Maybe that’ll help me think less.”
As she walked to the kitchen, I looked down at my stomach and ran my hand over it gently.
“I’m sorry things had to be this way,” I whispered under my breath. “But no matter what happens, I’ll love you. Always.”
Mariah’s voice carried from the kitchen, light and teasing, “Are you talking to yourself again, Zoey?”
I smiled faintly. “No. Talking to my baby.”
“Well, tell your baby Aunt Mariah says hi.. and that she’s cooler than their mom.”
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help laughing. “You’re ridiculous.”
“I know,” she called back. “But at least I made you laugh.”
I chuckled again.