Can't Stay Away ✔️

40. Pregnant?

Please vote and comment guys. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the chapter.

Next chapter is going to be the most important and heart wrenching one.❤️‍🩹
I'll update soon based on the response to this chapter.

A Y E S H A

I sit at my desk, the quiet hum of the office a sharp contrast to the chaos in my mind. My focus on the interior designs in front of me is nonexistent. It's been two days since the incident at the boutique, and Arjun hasn't been home. He had to leave for an urgent meeting out of the city, and while he's been constantly checking in on me—calling, texting, FaceTiming—I can't shake off this hollow feeling inside.

I miss him.

We haven't spent a night apart in over a month, and now, with him gone, I can't even sleep. The bed feels too big, too empty without him. Every time I close my eyes, I reach out, expecting to find him there, but I'm met with cold sheets instead. I feel guilty, too, about snapping at him in the boutique. I've been in such a weird state of mind lately, and Arjun's been getting the brunt of it. I should apologize, tell him how much he means to me. But every time I try to say it, the words get stuck in my throat.

He said he'd be home in a few hours, and he's bringing me the outfit for tonight's party. It's the 30th anniversary of Yug Industries, and it's a huge deal. I'm excited to see what he's picked out for me, but there's this nagging worry that I can't shake off. I need to make things right with him.

As I stare at my phone, waiting for his next text, a health alert pops up on the screen. My heart skips a beat as I read it.

**Period 56 days late.**

My blood runs cold.

No. That can't be right.

I stare at the screen, my mind racing. Fifty-six days? How did I lose track? Could I really be pregnant? I've been so caught up in everything—work, the stalker, Arjun—that I didn't even notice. I'm on the pill, though. I've been taking it religiously... well, mostly. But we have been having unprotected sex regularly, ever since that first time when Arjun didn't have a condom, and I practically begged him to fuck me raw. We've been addicted to it ever since and didn't even bother using one.

Oh, God. What if...

I start to panic.

How am I going to tell Arjun? What if he's mad at me for not being careful enough with the pills? No, Arjun wouldn't be mad. He's always been supportive of me, of us, no matter what. But this is huge. This could change everything.

What if I'm really pregnant?

I place a hand on my stomach, my thoughts spiraling out of control.

Am I even capable of being a mother? What if I turn out to be like my own? God! Please no. No child deserves to have to be born to a mother like that.

I can't focus on anything, not the designs in front of me, not the party tonight, nothing. I need to know for sure. I need to take a test. But more than anything, I need Arjun to come home.

Because right now, all I want is to see him, hold him, and maybe—just maybe—find the courage to tell him everything.

Just as my mind is spinning out of control, there's a knock on my office door. I look up to see my assistant, Harsh, stepping inside with a file in hand. His usually cheerful expression is replaced with something more serious, which instantly puts me on edge.

"Ayesha, this just came for you," he says, placing the file on my desk. "It was sent by your father."

My heart skips a beat, and I frown in confusion. My father? It's been more than a year since I've talked to either of my parents. I used to keep in touch with my father, but after a while, my calls and texts went unanswered, and I eventually stopped trying. I didn't even tell them when I came back from Paris. So why now? Why reach out after all this time?