Behind Closed doors

Chapter 38

The Castellanos household

It had been three days since Lauren arrived in Ohio. Tomorrow, she'd be flying back to D.C., back to Kamala, back to her life. But despite all the emotions—anger, shock, frustration—it had been... good to be home.

Being around her mum, Lisa, and Lyla reminded her of who she was before everything changed. The warmth of her childhood home, the bickering at the dinner table, Lisa stealing her hoodies—those little things made her feel grounded, even if she was still trying to wrap her head around everything that had happened.

And then, of course, there was Katheryn.

Lauren was still trying to process the fact that she was going to be a mom. That Katheryn had gone through with the pregnancy without telling her. This is HUGE to digest in three days. Soon, there would be a baby girl in this world with her DNA.

It was clearly a lot.

A knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts.

"I'll get it!" Lisa called from the living room, sprinting towards the door before anyone else could react.

Lauren, sitting at the dining table, barely paid attention—until she heard Lisa's voice.

"Katheryn! You made it!"

Lauren stiffened. What the fuck?

She turned to her mother, who was calmly stirring something on the stove. "Mamá, what the hell is she doing here?"

Maria gave her a look. "I invited her to dinner."

Lauren gaped. "Are you serious?"

Maria wiped her hands on a kitchen towel, then turned to face her daughter. "Lauren, whether you like it or not, she's having your child. My blood."

Lauren groaned, rubbing her temples. "Oh my God."

Lisa, meanwhile, had dragged Katheryn inside, taking her coat and leading her towards the dining room. Katheryn looked nervous, her hands resting on her baby bump.

"Uh, hey," she said, glancing at Lauren.

Lauren crossed her arms. "Hey."

Lisa looked between them and rolled her eyes. "Oh, for fuck's sake. Can you two not be weird for one night?"

Katheryn let out a small, nervous laugh. "I'll try."

Lauren sighed and stood up, nodding towards the table. "Fine. Let's eat."
-

Dinner was... something.

Lisa, of course, took it upon herself to make it as chaotic as possible. She piled Katheryn's plate high with food, fussed over her like a mother hen, and shot Lauren smirks every time she glanced in Katheryn's direction.

Lauren was doing her best to just eat and not react to anything, but that was easier said than done with Lisa in the room.

"So, Laur," Lisa started, popping a piece of bread into her mouth. "Got any juicy gossip from D.C.?"

Lauren chewed slowly, raising an eyebrow. "Gossip?"

Lisa grinned. "Oh, you know, any new flings, hookups, torrid love affairs—"

Lauren sighed. "Lisa."

Maria perked up. "And about the girl you're seeing, is she pretty?"

Katheryn, who had been sipping her water, nearly choked. "Wait. You have a girlfriend?"

Lauren glanced between them, debating her answer. She could already see where this was going. "Yes, I have a girlfriend and we're really happy." She said proudly.