Weight of The Untold

Chapter 56

Week 20: The baby's movements are now felt. Each week going forward they will grow one centimetres. The baby is now the size of a grapefruit.

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I woke up squinting, my head throbbing as sunlight poured into the room far too aggressively for the kind of night I’d had. The curtains were already open, sheer fabric fluttering slightly in the morning breeze. The light hit my face full-on, almost blinding, and I groaned softly.

I mentally cursed whoever had decided that today was a good day to let the sun in.

“Good morning,” Ari said gently.

I followed the sound of her voice. She was seated near the window, perched gracefully in one of the upholstered chairs, a small tray resting on the table beside her. Tea steamed faintly in a porcelain cup. The smell of toast lingered in the air—warm, domestic, painfully normal.

“Hey,” I murmured, pushing myself upright and stretching, my body heavy with exhaustion.

“How was your sleep?” she asked.

“I’ve had better nights,” I replied dismissively, my voice flat.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said quietly, taking a slow sip of her tea.

I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and stood, my feet meeting the cold floor. The silence pressed in, thick and uncomfortable.

“Not to be rude,” I said, the words sharper than I intended, “but what are you doing here, Ari? Did Caleb send you to tell me how much of a disappointment I am?”

She looked at me then—really looked at me—and shook her head.

“Quite the opposite actually. Breakfast?” she offered, nodding toward the tray.

I shook my head. “I’m not hungry.”

I moved away from the bed and exhaled. “What do you mean, the opposite? I know Caleb hates me right now.”

She sighed softly, setting her cup down.

“Can we not talk about your brother?” she asked gently. “Right now he’s busy avoiding me, shutting me out, and honestly… I would like to do the same.”

I felt something twist painfully in my chest. I dropped into the chair across from her, suddenly drained.

“I’m sorry about that,” I said quietly. “I hope you guys don’t break up again because of me.”

“Kyla,” she said firmly, “not everything is your fault. Caleb chose not to talk to me and instead shut me out. That part—that’s on him.”

She paused, then added softly, “And no. I’m not leaving him. I love him too much to walk away when he needs me the most. Again. I just wanted to make sure you are okay too.”

She reached for my hand, lacing her fingers through mine. Her touch was warm. Steady.

The dam broke.

“I just wish my brother would understand how much I love Zach,” I sobbed, my voice cracking. “And how much I trust him. I don’t want my child to come into this world when Caleb can’t even stand me. Not when he hates his best friend with everything he has.”

Ari rubbed slow circles over my knuckles, grounding me.

“I understand,” she said softly. “And I’m sorry it turned out this way. But… I think I understand more than you realise.”

I looked up at her.

“I once hid a pregnancy from your brother too,” she admitted quietly. “And now I see how deeply that hurt him. Hiding the truth always does.”