Nausea.
It’s the second day I wake up feeling it in the span of a week.
I felt it a few days ago when I was preparing the food with Helen before I went to Mum’s. Then yesterday, when Summer made me smell the new perfume her mum got her.
Today, too.
That’s when I had a look at my calendar. My period is two days late.
It shouldn’t be a big deal since I’ve always had a non-regular period.
Besides, I’ve been stressed about Papa’s campaign, Mum’s mental state, and keeping the whole thing I have with Cole a secret. I lose a few months of my life every day because of stressing out and even take tranquilisers.
That’s what I tell myself.
That’s what I keep chanting in my head during piano practice or even when I notice Adam too close to the girls’ restroom soon after I come out of it.
I tell myself I’m on the pill. I first started taking them to regulate my cycle. After I became sexually active, and with Cole not using a freaking condom, I took them religiously.
Not once have I missed a pill.
“Now, remember, the pill is ninety-nine per cent effective, and only if you don’t miss taking any.” My GP’s words have been playing in my head on a loop for days now.
Yesterday was the day I started freaking out.
Yesterday was the day I read horror stories from women who also trusted birth control pills and got pregnant.
So last night, I pretended to be asleep when Cole snuck into my room. It didn’t stop him from hugging me from behind, wrapping himself around me.
I couldn’t sleep.
All I could focus on was his hand on my stomach as he slept.
My stomach.
I’m not stupid. I know that I can’t pretend to be asleep every night. Not only will Cole see straight through me, but he’ll also confront me. He’ll pick up on my mood changes.
And then what?
What if this nausea and the need to throw up isn’t normal? What if the pill has failed me and I fail myself and my parents and everyone else?
That’s off the table.
I stay in my car across from the pharmacy, wearing my huge sunglasses and watching my surroundings as if expecting a reporter to jump me.
I can almost imagine the headlines:
‘Spotted: Sebastian Queens and Cynthia Davis’s Daughter at a Pharmacy, Buying a Pregnancy Test.’
‘Scandal: Sebastian Queens and Cynthia Davis’s Daughter is Pregnant Before Marriage. The Father is her Stepbrother.’
I nearly throw up at that thought.
No.
I drive out from in front of the pharmacy and head to school, listening to my playlist with the volume turned all the way up.
My nerves are on the verge of spilling to the ground by the time I finish my first class. Cole keeps watching me, and I know, I just know he’ll pick up on it.
I have to do something.
For the rest of the day, I bide my time practising the piano in the most distracted way possible while forming my plan.
I wait until the end of the football practice to make my first move. For the first time in ever, Elsa isn’t with Aiden. Ronan mentioned something about how she was going to meet them in Aiden’s house so they could watch the game together.
Perfect.
I’m at the car park, standing by Aiden’s Ferrari. As expected, he comes out first, his hair still damp and his messenger bag slung carelessly over his shoulder. He hasn’t even bothered with wearing the jacket.
He’s like that when it comes to Elsa. Since she’s meeting him at his house, he’s skipping unimportant steps so he can get to her faster.
He dismisses me with an impatient hand. “Get out of my way, Queens.”
“I think I’m pregnant.”
He pauses his dismissal game and narrows his eyes on me before he returns back to his poker face. “Congratulations. I’ll send gifts. I won’t offer babysitting services, though.”
“I’m not kidding.”
“And I honestly can’t give two fucks. You made this mess. Clean it up.”
“What mess?” Cole’s voice rips me out of the moment like doom.
“Make a sound when you approach, damn it.” I glare at him.
“Why?” He tilts his head to the side. God, I hate how good he looks fresh out of a shower, his wet chestnut strands falling over his forehead and his lips a bit redder. “You have a secret with King?”
I lift my chin. “Maybe I do.”
Aiden grabs me by the shoulders and pushes me into Cole’s embrace. “Here, your mess. You’re welcome.”
He gets into his car before staring the engine. I try to go after him, but a strong hand at my waist pins me in place.
Cole stands behind me, his front glued to my back and his hand wrapped around my middle. He whispers in low, frightening words against my ear, “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
I gulp, but my mouth is dry, so it doesn’t soothe the thing lodged in my throat. “We’re at school. Let me go.”
“Not until you tell me what the fuck is going on with you? First, you pretend you’re asleep. Then, you don’t have breakfast with us. And now, you’re running after Aiden?”
He picked up on all of that.
Of course he did. Cole is perceptive to a fault. That’s why I need to get the hell out of this before he figures out the rest.
I have no idea how he’ll react, but I know whatever it is, I won’t like it.
So I need to take things into my own hands.
I force my voice into its most neutral tone. “I decided to announce my engagement with Aiden for publicity. Uncle Jonathan thinks it’s a great idea.”
He does. It’s always been one of the things he’s insisted on since the engagement started.
I wait for Cole’s reaction, brace myself for his wrath, but his calm response takes me by complete surprise. “Why?”
“What do you mean, why?”
He’s still speaking against my ear and every word out of his mouth injects a shiver straight up my spine. “You’re not doing it for the publicity alone, so why don’t you cut the bollocks and tell me the real reason behind it.”
“You.” I whirl around to face him. “It’s so I can get rid of you.”
Hot scorching emotions whirl inside me and I feel like crying, like screaming.
Cole laughs. The sound is strong and hollow, making me stiffen.
“You’re so cute to think you can get rid of me.” He grips me harshly by the chin. “You should know already that the harder you push, the meaner I turn. The louder you say you hate me, the more ruthless I become about owning that hate. It doesn’t matter which game you play. You can even invent a new game, but I’ll learn it and still bring you to your knees in front of me. So tell me, Silver, do you honestly think you can ever win against me?”
No.
The answer is loud and clear in my head, but I also know I have to win this one.
I have to push Cole away.
“This time, I will.” I jut my chin in his hold. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to catch up to my fiancé.”
His grip tightens until I wince, but I don’t push away or cut off eye contact.
For a second, we’re suspended in time, almost as if we’re the only people on the face of the earth. My skin prickles and goosebumps erupt on my arms. Something tells me it’s not because of the cold.
The moment ends abruptly when Cole releases me.
Wait. He’s letting me go?
“If you follow Aiden and play this game, you won’t like how I’ll react.”
Despite my tries not to be affected, tremors erupt on my skin at his softly-spoken words.
I know, without doubt, he’ll make good on his promise, and while my shoulder blades are pulling together with ominous feelings, I won’t give in.
I turn around and go to my car.
It doesn’t take me long to arrive at Aiden’s house.
It’s raining heavily by the time I park beside his Ferrari right after he comes out of it. I don’t bother with an umbrella as I block his way to the entrance.
The King mansion has always felt a bit gothic. It could be because of the sad angel statues pouring water in the fountain. They gave me weird sensations when I was a child.
Ronan, Xander, and Cole pass us on their way inside.
The latter doesn’t even spare me a glance. He already issued his threat. Now he’ll wait to see how I act before he reacts.
He’s so calculating, it drives me freaking insane.
Aiden tries to push me towards him again, but Cole tells him to clean up his own mess, then follows Ronan and Xander into the house.
“In case you didn’t realise, this is called stalking.” Aiden places a hand in his wet trousers’ pocket.
“As if you’d know anything about stalking.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
I curse myself for letting that slip in front of Aiden. Here’s to hoping he says nothing to Cole, because I really have no state of mind to deal with all of this nonsense right now.
Folding my arms over my chest, I pin him with a stare. “I wasn’t done talking in the car park.”
“Well, I was.” He turns to leave.
“I’ll tell Elsa the baby is yours.”
Aiden stops and whirls around, his left eye twitching.
I’ve got him.
That’s the only reaction Aiden hasn’t been able to school over the years. It means he’s pissed off and will be out to destroy lives.
A risk I’m willing to take.
“It’s not,” he says.
“She doesn’t know that.”
“The DNA test will prove it isn’t.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“You really believe someone like Elsa will wait until the DNA test comes out? She doesn’t trust you as it is and will leave you in a heartbeat the moment I plant the idea that you’re my baby’s father in her head.”
Silence.
I’ve got him again. Someone like Aiden, who’s never allowed himself a weakness, now has one.
It’s not like I’ll hurt him in any way. He has the complete ability to help me, but because he’s a psycho, he won’t do it unless I have something that benefits him. Or, in this case, doesn’t ruin him.
“What the fuck do you want?” he asks.
“Don’t break it off with me, and if any of this gets out, you’ll announce you’re the father.”
“That would be a no. I’m not taking responsibility for Nash’s bastard.”
“Hey! Say that again and I’ll kill you.”
“Sorry, Mama Bear,” he mocks. “But that negates the whole point of this deal. Remember Elsa?”
“I’m saying, just in case. I’ll find a solution.”
He tilts his head. “I can search for underground clinics and poof. Gone. No one will know the future prime minister’s daughter aborted.”
I place a protective hand over my stomach, my lips trembling.
That…that would make me a killer.
“We’ll go with my plan.” I stand my ground.
“I’ll only agree to not breaking the engagement off. For now. Everything else is a no.”
“Aiden!”
“Silver.” He smiles.
“I’ll tell Elsa.”
“And leave yourself with no options?”
“If I’m going down, I’m taking you with me.”
“If you speak to Elsa, I’ll speak to Nash. Believe me, you can’t win against me on this. Ruin me and I’ll ruin you back.”
“Remember our deal back then?”
“What deal?”
“You said you’d fix it.” I stomp. “You promised, King.”
“I promised you fuck all.”
“But you said —”
“I said nothing. You assumed everything yourself. The game was fun while it lasted, but I’m not playing anymore.”
“You’re not playing?” I huff. “So when it’s to your benefit, you’re all in, but when it’s not, you just drop out?”
“Exactly. Smarten up, Queens. All of what you’re doing is a temporary solution.”
“That’s none of your fucking business.” I grind my teeth. “I knew you’d change your mind because of that little bitch.”
He pushes into me and I step back so I’m glued against my car. “Watch it. If you call her that one more time, I won’t let you be, Queens.”
“You can’t do fuck to me, King. You know why? Because Uncle Jonathan is on my side.”
His left eye twitches again.
Aiden will help me. I don’t care what I have to do so that he’ll cover this up for me, but he will.
I can’t ruin my parents’ careers. But the thought of killing my own flesh and blood makes me want to vomit my guts out.
“How about Nash, then?” Aiden asks in a neutral voice. “Whose side do you think he’s on? If he finds out about your little games, who do you think he’ll lash out at? Spoiler alert. It won’t be me.”
My heartbeat skyrockets at the thought that Cole will find out and make me give up the baby. “Don’t you dare, King.”
“Then fucking disappear, Queens. This is your final warning. If you threaten what’s mine, I’ll destroy you until there’s nothing left for Nash to pick up.”
Tears barge into my eyes despite my tries to keep them at bay. I’ve never felt more alone in my entire life than I do right now.
There was that day my parents announced their divorce, but I had Cole back then — or I like to think I did.
Now, not only do I not have him, but he’ll also throw me away the first chance he gets.
I’m about to threaten Aiden some more when a hand pushes him away.
Elsa.
I didn’t sense her presence when she crept up on us. She did it the other time, too, when she grabbed me by the hair.
I’m about to shoo her away when she slams her fist into my face. Hard.
A burning sensation explodes in my cheek and I raise a trembling hand to clutch it, not sure what just happened. I know Elsa hates me because she’s possessive of Aiden, but to hit me?
No one hits me. I’m Silver Queens.
Right when I’m about to hit her back, she punches me in the abdomen. Something inside me moves. Or maybe it’s my imagination, but I feel it.
I shriek, wrapping both my arms around my midsection.
My baby.
No.
My baby.
I can’t focus on anything but that thought. Did something happen to my baby?
Elsa grips me by the collar of my shirt. “I told you to stay the fuck away from what’s mine!”
And then she punches me again. I push her away, keeping a hand around my midsection. But Elsa is like a bull who’s not only out to hit me but also out to kill me.
Oh, God.
My baby.
He’s going to die.
I bend over, trying to shield my stomach while pushing blindly at Elsa.
No, no, no…
Aiden grabs Elsa by the arm and pulls her back against his chest.
She fights him off, trying to get to me again. I’ve fallen to the ground, trembling and still holding my stomach.
If something happens to my baby, it’s all because I couldn’t protect him.
Aiden squeezes Elsa’s neck and she finally stops trying to reach out for me. She blinks a few times and looks at Aiden who whispers, “Don’t go there again.”
She nods and he hugs her as she buries her head in his chest.
“Make her go,” Elsa murmurs. “Make her go away.”
He glares down at me. “Leave.”
I stand on unsteady feet, ready to bring hell on her head. My face burns and I’m sure that bitch left bruises, but all I focus on is the damage she might have done.
The fact that she may have hurt my —
My gaze strays to behind them and all the words I meant to say disappear.
Cole stands at the entrance of the King mansion, camouflaged by a creepy angel statue. Both hands are in his trousers’ pockets and a smirk tugs his lips.
If you follow Aiden and play this game, you won’t like how I’ll react.
He’ll come for me. He’ll find me. And I’ll pay.
Blindly reaching behind me, I open my car door with trembling fingers, barge inside, and speed out of the premises.
I know it’s a matter of time before he finds me, so all I can do is run.
