A WEB OF DECEIT

chapter 25

Thelani

The evening had started like any other with Lucas—dinner at some fancy restaurant, the kind that served tiny portions on oversized plates. I wasn’t really hungry, but I played along, sipping the wine he ordered for me, nodding along to his conversation. He was charming tonight, in that way he can be when he’s not being overbearing or distant. I almost let myself believe, for a moment, that this was normal, that we were just another couple out on a date.

But then, everything changed. One moment, I was sitting across from him, trying to ignore the dull headache creeping in, and the next, everything went black. I fainted—just like that. No warning, no nothing.
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When I opened my eyes again, I wasn’t at the restaurant. I wasn’t even with Lucas. I was in a hospital bed, the sterile smell of antiseptic filling my nostrils. My head was pounding, my body weak. Panic set in as I looked around, trying to make sense of where I was and why I was alone.

Where was Lucas? The last thing I remember was being with him, his face blurred at the edges as everything went dark. But now… now I was here, and he was nowhere to be found. My heart raced as I realized I had nothing with me—no phone, no purse, nothing that connected me to the outside world.

A doctor walked in, her face calm but serious. “Miss, you’re in a private hospital. You fainted earlier, and one of the men who brought you in said you weren’t feeling well during dinner.”

My mind was spinning, trying to catch up. “Where’s Lucas?” I asked, my voice shaky. “I was with him…”

The doctor’s expression didn’t change. “I’m not sure where he is, but let’s focus on you right now. We’ve done some tests, and there’s something important you need to know.”

I felt my stomach drop. The way she said it, the seriousness in her voice, made my heart skip a beat. I wasn’t ready for this.

“You’re nine weeks pregnant,” she said gently, watching me carefully as the words sank in.

Pregnant. The word echoed in my mind, over and over, but it didn’t seem real. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Not to me. I was careful, wasn’t I? We were careful…

I shook my head, as if denying it would change the truth. “No, that’s not possible,” I whispered, more to myself than to her. “It can’t be…”

But then they did a scan, and there it was—tiny, but there, inside me. A part of me, and a part of Lucas.

Disbelief and fear washed over me in waves. What was I going to do now? This wasn’t part of the plan. I was supposed to finish school, get my accounting degree, and leave all of this behind. A baby… a baby would change everything. It would tie me to Lucas in ways I wasn’t prepared for, in ways I never wanted. Did this mean he would own me forever? Would I be stuck in this twisted relationship, with no way out?

And where was Lucas now? He wasn’t here with me, holding my hand, reassuring me. He had left me here, alone, to deal with this by myself. My chest tightened at the thought. I wanted to cry, to scream, to do something—anything—to make this all go away.

The doctor’s voice pulled me back to reality. “We’ll keep you here for the night, just to make sure you’re okay. You can go home tomorrow.”

Home. But where was that now? I had nothing with me, no way to even contact anyone. I felt so lost, so utterly alone in that moment. What was I going to do? This wasn’t how my life was supposed to go. I was supposed to be strong, independent, in control of my own destiny. But now… now everything was spiraling out of control, and I didn’t know how to stop it.

As I lay there in the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling, a thousand thoughts raced through my mind. What would this mean for me, for my future? For the first time in a long time, I was truly afraid.