Her Redemption for His Sins (Under Heavy Editing)

13

Leena clasped her hands onto the toilet bowl, powerless to keep herself from hurling. Margaret's funeral had left Leena in a state of mind-numbing grief. She had thought that she was sick from grief, but her ailment was induced by an exclusively distinct dilemma. Leena looked down at the two lines on the pregnancy test with utter anguish in her heart.

"What have I done?" Leena yelled out at the test like it could hear her agony and deliver her some form of solace. Leena had been so distracted with Margaret' passing and her father's message that she had dismissed all the noticeable clues.

Now two lines on an inexpensive dollar store test, along with the ten other discarded tests Leena had taken throughout the week laid the truth out for her. This was not a case of grief at all, this was a child who would depend on her. The thought of having another person to depend on her was both dreadful and breathtaking.

Andreas had not contacted her once since that last night they had spent together. She had known he wouldn't, but it still hurt having to let go of the possibilities. The next time she had seen Andreas was when he showed up at the funeral with Sonya. Leena reminded herself that they were practically family as the younger Sonya clung to Andreas like a lost puppy.

Andreas refused to meet her gaze for the past few weeks as if she were some bug that he wanted to squash. Andreas had made it clear that the timing was wrong between them, and he couldn't have been more right.  Leena had wanted more time to think about being a mom and she wasn't sure she would have chosen him to be the father of her child. The man was infuriatingly judgmental, but he had always been honest with her about his intentions. Leena valued honestly wholeheartedly, and so Leena understood that she had to tell him the truth.

It took her some time to work up the courage to message him, but she couldn't keep her distance any longer. She pulled out her phone before shooting a generic text message to Andreas. She hadn't expected her phone to go off a few minutes later with an incoming call from Andreas, but she was keeping her expectations low.

"Hello, Andreas?", Leena asked as her gut churned with nerves about the conversation they would have shortly. Leena had not spoken to Andreas since the funeral where he could barely meet her eye. She felt the weight of her secret weigh heavily on her as she grasped the phone tightly to her ear.

"Actually, it's Sonya. Do you need something?" Sonya asked in a clipped tone. Leena wondered why Sonya was answering his phone and felt her heart race with nerves.

"I was wondering if Andreas would be available to talk." Leena asked in a soft tone like a mouse that was afraid to get eaten by the big cat. Leena didn't want to overstep boundaries by putting her nose in his business, but she had to find a way to get a message to him.

"Oh Leena, Andreas doesn't want to talk to you. Why else do you think he had me answer the phone for him." Sonya stated in a sickly-sweet tone that made Leena feel like a piece of crap. Leena couldn't understand how a person could be raised by such amazing people and still act like a pompous heiress.

"You can tell him to call me when he's ready to act like a grown up then.", Leena stated before slamming the end call button. Leena hung up feeling like she wanted to punch something with her fists. Leena didn't trust that Andreas was even there because Sonya could have been lying for all she knew. It didn't change the fact that the brat had gotten under her skin.

Leena would have to find another way to tell Andreas that he was going to be the father to her unborn child. Even if that witch was clinging to him like arm candy, she would not let another secret take hold of her.

Leena decided to ignore the rage churning in her already nauseous stomach by checking up on emails from her agent. Naomi kept Leena busy with working on the next portion of her novel and sent her daily affirmations to keep her motivated. It was irritatingly kind of Naomi, a personality trait that Leena found admirable.