Weight of The Untold

Chapter 40

Week 4: The embryo is now the size of a poppy seed and starts to burrow into the lining of the uterus.

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Zach and I sat on the cool apartment floor, backs against the wall, staring at nothing. The silence was loud—heavy with thoughts neither of us knew how to say out loud. That was when it hit me, sharp and unforgiving.

I had missed my period.

Two weeks now.

My stomach twisted violently. How had I not noticed? How had I been so careless? I had been so caught up in everything else—school, love, pretending I was still in control—that I had ignored the signs screaming at me.

What was I supposed to do now? Quit school? Hide the pregnancy? I could probably get away with it for a while. I wasn’t showing yet. But Caleb—

Caleb was going to be devastated.

It felt like my entire world collapsed in a single breath.

“Kyla,” Zach said softly. “I’m sorry.”

I didn’t look at him.
“It’s not your fault.”

And it wasn’t. He had tried to slow things down. Tried to be careful. I was the one who insisted I was ready. I was the one who brushed off responsibility like it didn’t matter.

God, I never said I was ready for a child.
Not now.
Not like this.

“I can’t stop feeling guilty,” he continued. “You’re just a freshman in college and you’re already a mom. I don’t even know what to say. I wish this wasn’t happening to you.”

I inhaled sharply, forcing the tears back before they could spill.

“Well unfortunately, it is happening,” I said quietly. “So we just have to find a way forward. I can’t hide this baby forever, but I’m not showing yet. That gives us time to figure things out.”

He sighed deeply beside me.

“We have to tell Caleb.”

My heart almost stopped.

“Not now.”

I caught him looking at me from the corner of my eye.

“The sooner he knows, the sooner he can accept it,” Zach said. “I don’t want our child to be born into a toxic family.”

I finally turned to face him.

His eyes were full—fear, worry, pain—but beneath it all, there was love. Real, steady love. It softened something inside me, gave me a strength I didn’t know I still had.

“Zach, I’m seventeen,” I said. “If you tell Caleb now, he’ll get you arrested. He literally threatened to kill you if you ever touched me. You know how he is—he’ll spiral. And when he spirals, people get hurt.”

“You’re going to show eventually,” Zach said gently. “And you’ll have to explain who the father is.”

I reached for his hand.

“After my birthday,” I said. “I won’t be showing by then. It’s just two months away—you remember that, right?”

He nodded slowly.

“I can’t afford to lose you right now,” I whispered, touching his face. “I can handle you and Caleb fighting. I can’t handle him taking you away from me.”

Zach pulled me into his chest, holding me tightly.

“No one is taking me away from you,” he said firmly. “Or our baby. Okay?”