UNTAMED

Fetus✓

EMERALD'S POV 💎

For the next few weeks, I threw myself into making things right with Sheldon. After that night with Aidan, when he had sneaked in through my window and we'd crossed lines we never should have, I knew I had to pull myself together. I couldn't keep spiraling down the path of secrets and lies.

The guilt still gnawed at me every time I saw Aidan, but I avoided him as much as possible. I stopped replying to his texts, took different routes to class, made sure to always close my window to prevent him from sneaking in, and made sure Sheldon was always by my side. If anyone noticed the awkward distance between Aidan and me, no one said anything. Sheldon was happy again, and that was all that mattered.

Our hangouts became more frequent, and I forced myself to enjoy every second of it, pretending the tension and confusion didn't exist. We went on dates after school, watched movies at his place, and studied together in the library. I smiled, laughed, and did everything I could to push the weight of my betrayal into the back of my mind.

It was working, too. Everything seemed normal. Sheldon had no idea about what had happened, and Aidan was keeping his distance, like I asked him to. For a while, it almost felt like I'd managed to bury the mess I'd made. I could breathe again, or at least I thought I could.

But then, strange things started happening. It was subtle at first. I was a bit more tired than usual, a little more irritable. I thought it was the stress catching up with me—guilt has a way of draining you. But then came the dizziness. The random waves of nausea. I started waking up feeling exhausted, like I hadn't slept at all, and it was getting harder to focus in class.

One afternoon, I sat with Sheldon at lunch, pushing my food around on my plate. The smell of the chicken nugget made my stomach churn, and I could barely eat.

"You okay, Em?" Sheldon asked, his brows knitting together in concern.

I forced a smile, nodding. "Yeah, just... not feeling lunch today, I guess."

"You've been feeling off lately," he said, his voice soft with worry. "If you're not feeling well, maybe we should take you to the doctor or something."

I laughed it off, waving my hand dismissively. "I'm fine, Shel. It's just stress. You know how things get with school and... everything else."

He gave me a skeptical look but didn't press further. We spent the rest of the day as usual, going to class together and chatting about nothing in particular. I tried to act normal, to brush off the little pangs of discomfort in my body, but it was getting harder to ignore.

A week later, things took a turn.

I was sitting in class when it hit me—a wave of dizziness so strong I had to grip the edge of my desk to steady myself. The room spun, and my vision blurred. My heart raced as panic set in. I didn't know what was happening, but something wasn't right.

I excused myself and rushed to the bathroom, splashing cold water on my face. Staring at my reflection in the mirror, I looked pale, my skin clammy. My mind raced with a million thoughts, but one kept nagging at me—the one I'd been trying not to think about, the one I've avoided at all cost.

Could I be...?

I shook my head, trying to dismiss the idea. There was no way. It couldn't be. Maybe it's just stress, or maybe it's fever, or what if it's just hormonal imbalance? I felt goosebumps cover my body within seconds.  As I stood there, breathing heavily and trying to calm my racing heart, I couldn't ignore the possibility anymore.

The symptoms. The timing. It all started to add up, and the realization hit me like a ton of bricks.

I missed my period this month..... fuck.....