𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬

𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝟒𝟒

Sadira wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, her stomach still twisting with nausea as she sat on the cold tile floor of the bakery's small bathroom. She had just thrown up for what felt like the tenth time today, and it didn't seem to be stopping. She had barely eaten anything all morning, just a piece of toast and some tea, but even that had come back up. Her body felt weak, shaky even, and she couldn't ignore the heavy fatigue that clung to her.

Leaning against the wall, Sadira took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this sick. The thought crossed her mind that maybe it was just something she ate, but deep down, she knew that wasn't it. She rarely got sick-maybe the occasional cold in the winter, but this was different. This was persistent.

Her phone buzzed on the counter, and she reluctantly stood up, still feeling the ache in her stomach. She splashed cold water on her face, hoping to calm herself down before checking the message. A notification from her Flo app caught her eye, and a cold shiver ran down her spine.

Late.

Her period was late. Really late.

The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. She quickly did the math in her head. Her cycle was usually regular-down to the day. How had she missed this?

Then another thought struck her. Davis. They hadn't been as careful as they should have been. Sure, he pulled out sometimes, but not every time, and she knew better than to rely on that as a foolproof method. Her stomach flipped again, but this time it wasn't from the nausea-it was from the overwhelming wave of anxiety that washed over her.

No, it can't be, she thought, pacing the small bathroom now. But the possibility gnawed at her, refusing to let go.

Pushing through her dizziness, she wiped her hands on a paper towel and exited the bathroom. The bakery was quiet, just a few regulars lingering over their coffee and pastries. She had a cake order to finish-a custom cake for a baby shower, ironically-and her work usually distracted her from anything else, but today was different. The thought of being pregnant was all-consuming. It echoed in the back of her mind with every movement she made.

She forced herself to focus, completing the cake order with shaky hands. She piped the last few details onto the cake-delicate blue flowers and baby footprints-and carefully boxed it up, her mind elsewhere the entire time. As she handed the cake to the customer, she smiled politely, but her heart wasn't in it.

"Thank you, Sadira! You're the best," the woman said, but Sadira could only nod in response, barely able to muster the energy to speak.

As the last few regulars filtered out, she made the decision to close the bakery early. She couldn't keep going like this, pretending everything was normal when her body was screaming that it wasn't. She flipped the "Open" sign to "Closed" and locked the doors, the weight of everything pressing down on her.

Her white Range Rover was parked outside, gleaming under the dull afternoon light. She slid into the driver's seat, her hands trembling as she gripped the steering wheel. She needed answers. She couldn't go on like this, not knowing for sure.

Without thinking twice, Sadira drove straight to the nearest CVS. Her mind was racing, thoughts tumbling over one another in a whirlwind of fear and uncertainty. She parked the car, took a deep breath, and stepped inside. The fluorescent lights of the store made her head spin, but she forced herself to walk to the aisle she needed-the aisle she never thought she'd find herself in.

The pregnancy tests were right next to the Plan B pills. Her eyes darted between them, her heart pounding in her chest. Her fingers hovered over the Plan B for a moment, but then she realized it was too late for that now. If she was pregnant, no pill could undo it.

As she reached for a pregnancy test, a sweet voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Children are a blessing, you know," an older woman said, smiling warmly at Sadira as she passed by.

Sadira managed a weak smile in return, nodding politely. "Yeah," she whispered, though the words felt heavy in her mouth. She wasn't ready for this. She wasn't even sure if she could handle the truth.

With the test in hand, she hurried to the counter, avoiding eye contact with the cashier as she paid. The entire drive home was a blur, her mind racing with a million thoughts-what if she really was pregnant? What would she do? How would Davis react?

By the time she got back to her apartment, she could hardly breathe. She threw her purse on the couch, her heart pounding in her chest as she rushed to the bathroom, the pregnancy test clutched tightly in her hand.

She followed the instructions carefully, her hands shaking the entire time. And then, she waited.

The seconds stretched out like hours. She stared at the small white stick, willing it to stay negative, praying that this was all just a scare.

But when the lines appeared, her heart sank.

Positive.

Sadira's knees buckled, and she sank onto the bathroom floor, the weight of the truth crashing down on her. She was pregnant. She stared at the test in disbelief, her mind reeling. How could this have happened? She thought about all the times her and Davis had been careless, and now, it all made sense.

She sat there for what felt like forever, the silence in the apartment pressing down on her. A wave of guilt washed over her. She had lied to Davis earlier, told him she was fine when he asked why the bakery was closed. She hated lying, especially to him. He had always been good to her-patient, kind, everything she could have ever asked for in a partner. And now, she had kept this from him. She had to tell him, but the thought of it terrified her.

Tomorrow, she thought. I'll tell him tomorrow. But even as she made that promise to herself, she felt the weight of her decision settling heavily on her chest.

Later that evening, Davis had come by, just like he said he would. He had noticed something was off, asked her why she closed the bakery, and she hated how easily the lie slipped from her lips.

"I just wasn't feeling well," she had said, giving him a weak smile. "It's nothing serious."

He had looked at her with concern, his eyes searching hers for the truth, but he didn't push it. Instead, he stayed with her, cooking dinner and watching movies together, just like they always did. But the guilt gnawed at her, eating her alive as they sat on the couch, his arm around her.

She wanted to tell him. She wanted to confess everything, but the words wouldn't come. She couldn't bring herself to shatter the peace they had.

But she knew she couldn't keep this secret for long. The truth was bound to come out, and when it did, she just hoped Davis would still be there for her-because she wasn't sure if she could handle it alone.