His name was Nathaniel

99

The moment Adaliya stepped back onto campus, the contrast between Nathaniel's world and hers became stark again. The grand halls of Donovan Enterprises, the high-end penthouse, and the chauffeured rides felt like a distant memory as she walked through the bustling university grounds, surrounded by students in hoodies, backpacks slung over their shoulders, rushing between classes.

It wasn't that she disliked being back—it was her normal life, after all—but something felt off. Maybe it was the way her stomach churned every morning, the queasiness creeping in before she even took a sip of water. Or how the smell of coffee, something she normally relied on to get through her studies, suddenly made her stomach twist in protest.

The first time it happened, she brushed it off as exhaustion from her short trip to Nathaniel's. Traveling back, readjusting, and jumping right into coursework again—it made sense. But then it happened again. And again.

By the time her shift at work rolled around later that evening, Adaliya felt drained. She had taken nothing but small bites of food all day, yet the nausea persisted.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," one of her coworkers, Dani, commented as they took a short break in the staff room.

"Thanks," Adaliya muttered sarcastically, rubbing her temples.

"I mean it," Dani pressed. "You've been looking sick all day. Do you have a stomach bug?"

"I think so," Adaliya admitted. "I feel nauseous all the time, especially in the mornings. But I'll be fine. It's probably just stress catching up to me."

Dani exchanged a look with another coworker, Maya, before narrowing her eyes at Adaliya. "Girl. When was your last period?"

Adaliya blinked. "What?"

"You heard me," Dani said, crossing her arms. "Because no offense, but morning nausea and exhaustion don't exactly scream stomach bug to me."

Maya nodded in agreement. "You should probably take a pregnancy test, just to rule it out."

Adaliya scoffed. "That's ridiculous. I literally just had my period."

"Was it normal?" Dani asked, clearly not about to drop the topic.

Adaliya opened her mouth, then hesitated. Now that she thought about it... her last period had been shorter than usual. Lighter, too. But that wasn't that strange, was it?

Still, the idea felt absurd. "It's not that. I'm not pregnant," she insisted.

"Then take a test," Dani challenged. "If you're so sure, it'll come out negative, and you can go back to thinking it's just a bug."

Maya smirked. "Yeah, what's the harm?"

Adaliya frowned at them but didn't argue further. She wasn't going to take a test—there was no way. It wasn't possible.

Besides, the last thing she needed was to fuel Nathaniel's obvious baby fever.

She had noticed it before she left. The way his gaze lingered when the topic of children came up. The thoughtful expression he wore when he overheard conversations about families. The small, almost unnoticeable way his demeanor shifted when he saw a father with his child.

Nathaniel, being Nathaniel, hadn't said a word about it. He probably didn't even realize how obvious he was being. But Adaliya saw it.

And that was exactly why she wasn't going to tell him about this.

Because it wasn't real.

Because she wasn't pregnant.

Because she couldn't be.

Right?