Abigail Lacoste
A few weeks later
I ran into his arms once again. Since Orion was very busy with his campaign, we decided to meet only on weekends. It was pure torture, but I understood his side just as he understood mine—it was exam season, and I needed to give my best to get good grades. I was a bundle of nerves and cried over anything. He pressed our foreheads together like he always did when we met and kissed my lips, holding my body close to his. We were at his flat; I had made up a good excuse for my aunt and would spend the night by his side.
"I need to tell you something," he said as soon as he let me go. "I've been trying to tell you for weeks, but I couldn't. I don’t want you to worry." He looked at me.
"You’re making me nervous. By the look on your face, it can’t be good."
"Melissa knows about us and is blackmailing me not to tell the press." He smiled bitterly, moving away from me. "She tried to come to you several times to confront you, but I stopped her."
I held onto the arm of the sofa, feeling a little dizzy. Melissa was the last person on earth who could know about us, and she would do anything to hurt me.
"Sweetheart, are you okay?" Orion came over, holding my arm. "You look pale. What are you feeling?"
"I don’t know, just a bit dizzy." With his help, I sat down on the sofa.
"I'm going to take you to the hospital," he said nervously. A few tears fell down my face—I was afraid of what that girl might do. If everything came out, we were doomed.
"You can’t take me to the hospital. Have you forgotten that no one can know about our relationship?"
He sat beside me on the sofa and threw his head back, closing his eyes. We were tired of this situation, and I knew our romance was doomed to fail.
"She gave me one month to break up with you. After that, my daughter will spread the word that the governor of California is dating a girl young enough to be his daughter."
"So that’s it." I turned to face his blue eyes, just like mine, so beautiful. "This is the end for both of us, Orion."
"No, of course not." He held my face in his hands. "I’m not giving up on you."
"Orion, listen to me." I removed his hands from my face. "You’re in the middle of an election campaign and can’t get involved in scandals. I have a scholarship I can’t lose. The only solution to all our problems is to end this relationship."
My heart was in pieces. I didn’t want to leave him, but because I loved him so much, I needed to step away. I didn’t want him to lose everything he had built over the years, much less to drag his name through the mud.
"You’re dumping me, Abigail." He got up from the sofa angrily, looking at me coldly. "Here I am, ready to face my daughter so we can keep our love, and you, at the first problem, dump me."
"It’s not like that." I was about to get up from the sofa when nausea hit me. I put my hand over my mouth and ran through the rooms of the flat until I found the first bathroom.
I hadn’t noticed Orion was right behind me, and when I felt his hands on my back, I let a few more tears fall. He was so gentlemanly, always helpful and willing to take care of me. It was hard to let that man go.
"Enough, I’m taking you to the hospital." He held my hair while I emptied the lunch from that afternoon. I couldn’t even protest; I was so weak and debilitated with the nausea. Nothing had stayed in my stomach for days, and even with my aunt’s advice to see a doctor, I refused to waste my time on what I thought was just a simple stomach virus.
"I’m fine," I said after vomiting. He helped me get up and brush my teeth, then carried me in his arms to the bedroom, laying me on the bed and kissing my forehead.
"We’ll stay together. I’ll handle Melissa, and when the elections are over, I’ll fix everything."
"Is that what you want? Are you sure?" He caressed my hair, smiling.
"All I want is to be by your side, golden curls."
I closed my eyes, feeling safe in his arms, but I couldn’t see a future for us. Orion wasn’t going to make me his first lady; that was just a distant illusion far from our reality. We spent the whole night together, just hugging, each smelling the other, and the next day, once again, he went to his office, and I went to my aunt’s apartment. Again, I made up a lie for her.
"You’re vomiting again." I heard my aunt’s voice beside me. She hadn’t gone to work and was going to spend the day at home. "Abigail, I need to ask you something, but I hope you’ll be honest with me."
I got up a little dizzy from in front of the toilet, went to the bathroom sink, and brushed my teeth before walking to the bedroom. She was sitting on my bed with a pharmacy bag beside our building.
"Aunt, I’m not feeling well. Please, I just want to stay in bed; I don’t even want to go to college in this state."
"Dear, just answer one question." I walked to the bed and sat next to her. "Are you having unprotected sex?" She knew I wasn’t a virgin anymore, but in her mind, I was involved with some college student.
"Aunt, I…" I took a deep breath, remembering one or two times we forgot the condom, but I had taken the morning-after pill, even knowing it wasn’t recommended to take more than twice a year.
"By the look on your face, I already have my answer. I think you should take a test." She handed me the small bag. I opened it and saw the pregnancy test. It seemed like at that moment the whole world stopped, and all I could hear was my heart pounding.
"Test, no… I can’t be pregnant." I quickly got up from the bed, pacing back and forth. "I took the morning-after pill; there’s no way I’m pregnant."
"Dear, did you read the instructions? No method is 100%, and also, a few weeks ago you had to take strong antibiotics. That cancels out the pill’s effect."
"What? Damn!" I shouted, running to the bathroom. I sat on the toilet before taking the little stick out of the box, read the instructions, and followed them to the letter. As soon as I finished, I placed the stick on the sink and went back to my room. "I can’t look. If I’m really pregnant, my life is ruined."
My aunt got up from the bed, hugged me, and smiled at me. She was so calm—little did she know I might be expecting the child of the governor of California and that I was willing to break up with him to avoid the consequences of that love.
"Stay calm. No matter the result, we’ll figure it out, even if I have to go after the irresponsible boy who got my niece pregnant," she joked, going to the bathroom.
My hands were sweating, my whole body was shaking, and when she returned to the room holding the result in her hands, I had to sit down on the bed to avoid falling to the floor.
"Pregnant. I’m pregnant." Disbelieving, I put my hands on my face, letting some tears fall. If we had problems before, now we were screwed.
"Tell me the father’s name. I’ll go after him and make him take responsibility for this child."
"Oh, aunt, I’m really screwed." She sat beside me again, pulling me into her arms.
"Everything will be fine. A baby is a blessing, even if you’re so young."
The more she tried to calm me, the more nervous I got. I didn’t know how Orion would react, much less how we would face everything together. There were so many obstacles, and now a baby.