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I didn’t ask to be different.

Elijah gives a strangled laugh as he lets me go, shaking his head.

“She likes you,” he grumbles.

I shake my head because their relationship is so odd. Unless torture is some kind of kink, I really don’t understand it.

Not your business, Noor!

“Found it,” Liliana says, coming back into the room with a paper cup and a pregnancy test. “Pee in the cup, and then take off the cap on the test and place it inside, making sure the tip is immersed. Then, all you need to do is wait. The bathroom is right outside of this room, and we’ll be waiting here. I just have one question that I need answered by you before you go.”

The words are said very calmly, but even I can hear the tremor of anger behind it. Maybe Elijah is right, and Liliana is a secret serial killer. She and Ignacio certainly act like it.

“Okay,” I say, taking the items from her.

“Was all of this consensual?” she asks.

“That’s the complicated part,” I sigh.

“Noted,” she grunts, watching as I leave the room.

The Devils better hope they never find themselves in a dark alley with Lili.

Finding the bathroom right where she said it would be, I step inside and lock the door. Taking as deep a breath as I can, I close my eyes against the white spots rushing past my vision. Unfortunately, it doesn’t help because this is due to a rush of anxiety and stress.

Blinking, I use the toilet with my little cup to catch the stream of urine. Fortunately, I actually have to pee. I focus on one thing after the other to ground myself, and before I know it, the test is sitting in the cup and I’m washing and drying my hands.

A little knock tells me there’s someone on the other side of the door, and I open it with wide eyes.

“Oh shit,” I whisper when I see there’s way more people outside than I expected.

“Calvin is with the girls,” Rachelle explains. “Liliana just caught us up too. She thought you might not want to wait alone.”

I can’t help myself as I burst into tears, and Rachelle catches me against her body as I throw myself into her arms. For someone who isn’t much for hugging, I sure am learning how to do it quickly.

“It’s going to be fine,” she murmurs.

“I told you that you’re stuck with us,” Elijah says. “This includes pregnancy tests and everything else that might happen, okay?”

“You’re an ass for not telling us, Eli,” Jared mutters.

“I’m kind of glad she had someone to talk to,” Theo offers. “Elijah is a terrible driver, Noor. You’re lucky he didn’t crash.”

I can’t help the tearful laughter that bubbles out. They know everything Lili and Elijah know, which keeps me from having to repeat it.

“Any idea on who the baby belongs to?” Ignacio asks, cracking his neck from side to side.

“Alastair,” I say, pulling away to swipe away my tears. “There’s no doubt about it.”

“I strangely still don’t like any of them with a statement like that,” Ignacio says.

“Honestly, I don’t either,” I say, stepping back into the bathroom to dry my face and blow my nose.

“Let’s give the test another minute,” Lili says when I move to check it. “As a family, we want to formally ask you something before we know the result. I don’t want you to think we’re asking because of what it says.”

“Jared and I made the offer when we first met her,” Rachelle grumbles.

“Ha! It was before that even,” Jared snorts.