Pregnancy revelation gone wrong.
The sound of metal clattering rang out in the kitchen, accompanied by soft, slow steps.
Amara moved back and forth between the stove and the kitchen cabinets.
Each time she would stop and cast a glance at the stairs that lead to the second floor through the glass partition that separated the kitchen from the living room.
Her heart drummed loudly in her chest.
There was fear and also a mix of something else. Expectation.
"Ouch." Unfocused Amara grabbed the hot pot cover with her bare hand.
The hotness stung her finger, and she immediately let go.
She encircled her thumb and sucked on it. Her face scrunched in pain, her eyes tearing up.
The next moment the sound of footsteps reached her ear.
He was coming.
Amara immediately straightened up.
Everything else was thrown to the back of her mind.
She ran a hand down her apron and made sure she looked neat and tidy.
Dylan was dressed impeccably, just like every other morning.
He wore a navy blue tailed suit with a black turtleneck inner that was folded around his neck. His long legs were wrapped in a fitting navy blue suit pant.
He knew she was in the kitchen, yet Dylan ignored her completely.
"Wait." Amara's eyes widen. The side of her waist grazed the edge of the counter as she rushed forward to meet him.
"I told you I don't need you to cook me breakfast. What part of that do you not understand?" Dylan's cold words stopped her in her steps.
"No. That's not it." Amara shook her head. The reason she got up early to cook was so she didn't miss him. "I—there is something I need to tell you; it is about that night."
Dylan frowned. "It was a mistake. You knew I was drugged. It doesn't change anything between us."
But it does.
"I don't mean it like that—"
If Dylan were normally indifferent towards her. After that night he started to give her the cold shoulder.
Like she was a criminal guilty of a heinous crime.
"I—I—I am pr—"
Dylan tapped his feet on the ground impatiently. He glanced at his watch and shot her an inpatient look. "Look. I have something important to do this morning. If there is anything you want to say to me, you have my email. You can mail it to me."
With that, he strode out of the house.
Amara pursed her lips. She remained rooted in place. Her fingers dug into the medical report she was holding, lips pressed in a thin line.
The report read that she was a month pregnant.
It matched exactly with the day she slept with Dylan.
Not that the child could belong to someone else. She had never been with anyone apart from him before.
But Amara was scared.
Dylan hated her. It wasn't a secret.
Everyone was well aware of it.
It had been three years, which was more than enough for Amara to accept the truth.
She could no longer lie to herself.
Had she made a mistake?
If he couldn't love her, what was the possibility that he would love her child?
Countless negative voices whispered in her ear.
What if he asked her to abort the child?
Amara glanced at the pancake that was still on the pan.
They were golden brown and crispy.
Her favourite.
The aroma disgusted her, and Amara wanted nothing but to get it far away from her.
Her emotions were all over the place.
What does she do?
She couldn't go home.
Her parents only had her elder sister in their eyes.
They would be more than happy to see her downfall.
Amara's chest hurt terribly. It felt like there was an obstruction in her lungs and she was unable to breathe.
Pushing herself, she placed the pancake in a sealed container and put it inside the fridge.
Walking out of the kitchen, Amara couldn't resist checking her stomach.
She found herself doing that too many times lately.
Was there really a baby inside?
Amara was in total disbelief when the doctor first informed her of her pregnancy. She had to take the test two more times before she could accept it.
She rubbed her flat tummy, and her shoulders slowly relaxed.
It's okay.
Everything would work out fine.
Mummy loves you already.
Amara sat on the sofa, hugging her knees.
Her phone suddenly rang.
The screen lit up, displaying the contact. 'Agent boss.'
Amara wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, but she knew she couldn't ignore it.
"Good morning."
"Good morning, Amara. How was your night?" A silky male voice came from the other side of the phone. "Sorry I am calling you this early. I hope I am not being a bother."
"It's fine." Amara was used to how overly polite Theodore was. "Is there something you want to talk to me about?"
"Yes." Theodore went on to explain. "About your fan meeting. Since you don't feel up for the physical meet and greet, we were thinking it might be possible for you to do it online."
"I see." Amara pressed her lips into a thin line.
She had previously agreed to it after learning that she was pregnant.
The sudden discovery made Amara feel so she called off the meet-and-greet.
"It could be like a livestream instead. It doesn't have to show your face. A faceless interaction is okay. Your fans are very excited to meet you. Since we already released a statement that we would definitely do a meet and greet before the end of the year, we can't let them down."
"I think the idea is good too. When is it?"
Theodore told her. "How about I map out a date, and you pick the one you are comfortable with?"
"Okay. Thanks, Theodore."
Amara ended the call and put the phone away.
She leant into the backrest, eyes staring at the ceiling.
Dylan said to send him mail.
Which married couple even used mail as a means of communication?
Yet she didn't dare to text him at his phone number, afraid that he might become annoyed.
Forget it. She would just tell him when he returns in the evening.
Dylan didn't like eating her food, so she could order some pasta.
Seafood was good too. The sudden thought appeared in her head.
"Ahh..." Even if the world were falling, Amara still had to update her novels.
Her readers will just be waiting.
She already missed three days in just this month and was feeling bad about it.
Amara ran up to the stairs to get her laptop.
Since she was now pregnant, she preferred not risk it and substituted her normal daily coffee for tea.
Then she settled into the living room sofa and let the words pour out from her mind and onto the keyboard.
A warm sense of peace embraced her.
Amara was the only one in the mansion.
They had no maids, and it was her decision not to keep one.
She preferred the peace and quiet.
When she checked the time again, it was noon.
Amara stood up and stretched her waist.
She was hungry and also too lazy to cook.
"Well—the pancake it is." Amara muttered under her breath. She headed to the kitchen.
Amara took out the tight lid cover she had stored in the fridge earlier.
Leaning over the counter, she forced the cold pancake down her throat and drank some water.
Amara looked outside the kitchen window.
A garden of different coloured roses stood right outside.
It was her idea.
A beautiful house becomes only more beautiful when surrounded with flowers.
Amara put her thoughts away. She walked back to the sofa and continued her writing sprint.
She was aiming to write a word count of twenty thousand words.
When she finished writing, Amara set the chapters to auto-publish and closed the laptop.
She looked out and saw that the skies were dark.
Amara checked the time on her phone.
It was just past seven.
Dylan should be back soon.
He normally comes back from work at the right time or later. Unless he was out on a business trip, Dylan never stayed out past 10pm.
Amara clenched her fist. She hoped everything would go well.
In the meantime, she felt sticky and uncomfortable.
Amara changed into the bathroom slippers and stepped into the bathroom.
Her gaze subconsciously drifted to the half-length mirror.
A pair of round, uncertain black eyes stared back at her.
Deep bags stood beneath her eyes.
Amara was thick and couldn't really be considered fat.
Her curves were a perfect hourglass shape. She could be considered averagely tall for a woman with long brunette hair that went down to her waist.
As someone who was on the slim side and extremely bony when growing up, Amara saw no problem with her appearance.
She had always wanted to put on some meat, and to her, she had never looked more beautiful.
Yet compared to her elder sister, who had a slim figure, a tiny waist and the looks of a goddess, Amara would always come second.
Amara gently touched her brown locks.
Was her hair getting thinner?
She sighed.
Amara walked to the tub, planning to run a hot bath.
She didn't notice the patch of water on the marble on the floor in her path.
Her knees buckled and she lurched backwards.
The world in front of her eyes spun, and the next moment gravity pressed down on her.
A sharp pain ran up her spine as her back hit the ground heavily.
"Ssssss..." Amara drew a loud hiss.
She placed a hand on the ground to support herself and slowly sat up.
That's when she saw it.
A single red line trailed down her thigh. Then more blood began to flow out under her.
Amara's heart skipped a beat.
"No. No." She tried standing up, but a sharp ache from her tailbone prevented her from making any excessive movement.
The red blood continued to pool around her thigh.
