POSITIVE

Daniella’s heart suddenly sank. Her body uncontrollably swayed as if she would collapse in the next second but she quickly held on to the desk for support.

A heavy silence enveloped the room for a fraction of a second, Daniella’s heart racing.

“I_can't_ be_ pregnant,” she voiced out in a low gentle voice, sounding like a broken record.

She positioned her unsteady hands on the desk and bent her body a bit, “I can't be pregnant, woman, I can't just be pregnant.  And stop giving me that look!” she yelled out like a crazy woman this time, her eyes bulging outwards.

A feathered smile crossed the physician’s lips as it seemed she had quite expected such a reaction from Daniella.

She thought in her mind that Daniella was still a young college girl and it was too early for her to keep a pregnancy. And of course, her boyfriend might probably reject the pregnancy.

Gradually, the physician left where she was standing and came to stand in front of the fuming Daniella across the desk.

“It is normal for you not to have missed your monthly flow yet, the increased sizes of your breasts, backache, and some other pregnancy symptoms. However, you should never miss your frequent urination and maybe, weight gain,”

Something that felt like thunder struck Daniella’s chest while her eyes went incredibly wide… wide as saucers.

 *You’re really adding more weight lately, Ella. I think you should start watching your diet,*

Mandy’s words from a few days ago reeled through her head and she fell to her knees directly, panting heavily and palming her head with both hands.

Quietness filled the air— it was only her fast breathing that could be heard.

The physician let out a small sigh before turning around the table to help her stand up, saying soothing words to her in a calm voice.

“You’ll be alright, my dear. But please, don't make any rash decisions without confiding in your parents first,”

Daniella spared the woman a glance and gulped wildly.

“Is t-there a way I-I can confirm that I’m t-truly p-pregnant?” she inquired in a choked timbre, her eyes pleading.

The physician stared at her sweaty ashamed face for a moment before nodding her head slowly and then amounted her footing back to the drugs unit.

“Here. This is a pregnancy test strip,” the physician said on her return.

“Place the test strip vertically into your urine and make sure the arrows are pointing down. Do not allow the urine surface to go above the maximum level line on the strip and leave the strip in the urine for ten seconds,”

As Daniella listened to the physician’s instruction, she reluctantly reached out for the so-called strip with her heart in her throat and gazed at the thing.

“If only one colored line appears on the strip, the test is negative and you're not pregnant. But if two colored lines appear,” the physician deliberately paused and Daniella slowly raised her eyes to meet hers.

“Then the test is positive, which means you're pregnant,”

The panic in her eyes at that moment was crystal clear and she felt like there was a shaking, heavy hammer hanging on her heart which connected with a thin cotton thread as if it would fall at any time.

—————

Antonio Flores stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in his villa, the bright light in the night and faint pearly luster reflected on his face and reflected black. His contour was dark and blurry. His back was straight and wide.

His waist was thin, he did not have much flab, it connected with the compact hip, and the outline was balanced and fit.

Suddenly, a tall and strong frame appeared behind him and called out, “Mr. Flores,”

“I’ve looked into the assignment you gave me, sir. And yes, Mrs. Nelson is truly married with a child,”

Cole, his assistant, delivered and waited patiently for his boss’s remark or any reaction from him and when he didn't get any, he took it as a cue to continue talking.

“Her husband, Liam Brandon owns a popular gym place and he's also a part-time lecturer in their only child's college,”

Hearing this, Antonio gradually turned around to look at his assistant.

“Just a child?” he asked in a deep-voiced, sounding dull and sharp.

“Yes, sir. A female who looks around eighteen to twenty years of age,” Cole clarified, and Antonio’s eyes dimmed in an instant.

“Eighteen years old you say?” He asked with a gulp and Cole nodded in response immediately.

The muscles in Antonio’s face tautened as he strode and came to stand right in front of his assistant.

“Is there a way I can meet her?” he asked calmly.

“Who, sir? Mrs. Nelson?” Cole blinked.

“No. Her daughter,” Antonio replied immediately, his face giving away no emotion.

“…”

Cole had no idea of how to respond as he was not confident of how to arrange such a meeting with a college girl.

“Before this week runs out, Cole,” Antonio cut through his daze, patting his shoulders as he strolled past him and leaving him dumbfounded.

***

“God, please let it not be what I'm thinking, I beg you, please,” Daniella repeated like a mantra, shutting her eyes tightly while dipping the strip into her urine with a racing heart.

When she was sure that ten seconds had been completed, she repeated the same words over and over again before fluttering her eyes open and gazing at the strip.

A shiver of awareness traveled down her spine as she continued gaping at the two red-colored lines on the PT strip.

*Then the test is positive, which means you're pregnant*

“Ah!” she yelped out, dropping the strip as though it was some kind of wire shock that had passed through her body.

With her eyes widening with skepticism, she stuck her knuckles in her mouth and rushed out of the bathroom as if her ass was on fire.

*Which means you're pregnant*

These words kept reverberating in her head and she was forced to hold it, spinning around with her eyes closed as if she was fighting with herself in her head.

“I can’t be fucking pregnant!” She abruptly stopped rotating which made her lose her footing and she collapsed onto the floor, howling.  

“Why in the hell would I be pregnant for my own fucking father?! Why?” she cried out in anguish, hitting her both knuckles on the ceramic floor.

“I’m doomed… I’m doomed… I’m doomed,” she murmured to herself in a soft broken voice as she kept scratching a handful of her hair— her chest heaving up and down.

“What do I do? I can't possibly tell Dad about it, right? He’ll feel very bad and might end up in a dilemma. Who impregnated his own daughter?”  

She felt a heavy rock weigh on her chest at her last question, making it incredibly difficult for her to breathe. Her tears broke loose and she willingly allowed them to stream down her cheeks freely.

In her mind, she thought that she'd eventually implicated her father. She'd successfully coerced him into her lecherous tale when the poor young man had tried his logical best to strain from the taboo.

And now? What's she going to do?

Her train of thought ground to an abrupt halt when she unexpectedly heard the horn of a car, meaning that her father was back.

With immediate effect, she jumped on her feet and wiped off the tears from her face completely and then patted her cheeks gently to cheer herself up.

She quickly grabbed her phone on the dressing table before leaping into her bed and relaxing, trying to squeeze her lips into a smile.

On second thought, she shouldn't be on her bed because she tends to always eagerly await her father’s arrival in the living room and it had become a normal routine for her which Liam had gotten used to as well.

So now, if Liam should come in and meet her on the bed, then he would become suspicious.

At this thought, Daniella prepared to get off of her bed when the suddenly swung open, revealing the only man that never fails to make her heart skitter to a stop, stall, and most of the time run away from her chest.

A smile so bright lightened up her face, “Welcome, Dad,”

She greeted gaily and planned to stand up but Liam had crossed to meet and hold her back on the bed, his eyes running lazily over her body.

Daniella felt the effects of his eyes running through her body, her belly fluttering and she lowered her eyes.

“Are you okay?” asked Liam, squatting and meeting her eyes.

Daniella saw the concern blanketing his face and she even wore a more widespread grin, “Of course, i’m great, Dad. How are you too?”

She took a glance at the wall clock, “You came back pretty early today. Was everything okay at the gym?”

Not comfortable with the gesture of squatting, Liam pushed to standing and planted his ass on the bed beside his daughter and then took her hand into his warmly.

“Maybe you're forgetting that I'm the last person you can ever hide something from. I can tell you just finished crying, Ella, so you can't tell me nothing is wrong.

Tell me, baby, what happened to you? Why were you crying?”

Daniella gulped discreetly, her free hand balling into fist and her eyes holding his tender ones.  

Should I just tell him?