AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I’m typing up my affirmative answer when it hits me.
I’m fuckingpregnantright now. By spring break, I’ll probably be the size of a small car. There’s no way Alexander would let me out of his sight by then, and I’m not sure I’ll want to be in a bikini at that point. And how fun can a spring break trip be with Tara and Nya if I can’t drink?
I don’t want to tell them I’m pregnant through a text message, either. Which only leaves me the option of giving them a neutral, non-committal answer.
A:Can we decide when we get back to school?
By then, I’ll be able to tell them. They both agree with my suggestion quickly, and the conversation moves to other things—like Nya revealing that her older brother, Nafi, invited Vance on their family trip this year. Apparently, Nafi and Vance have been friends since they were children, and he’s totally oblivious to the history that Vance and Nya have.
A:I can’t wait to see how that plays out.
T:Do you think he’ll kill you or Vance first?
N:Ugh, fuck off. There’s nothing for Nafi to find out. I hate Vincent Durrant Van Rensselaer Du Pont and that is the end of it.
A:Oh, she went for the legal name.
T:Is that really his name? LOL
A:Looks like a tongue twister.
N:I might end up hating you both too.
I’m covering my mouth to stifle my laugh so I don’t wake Alexander up. Even though we’re literally in different spots all over the world, I still feel the warmth of my friendship with Tara and Nya like the soft glow of a fire on a cold night. I’m overcome with how much I love and appreciate them. I’m typing up a message about how I feel when my phone buzzes and text pops up.
My stomach falls.
It’s from an unlisted number, but I know exactly who it is—my father.
I’ve been putting him out of my mind as best as I can, especially now I know that I’m pregnant. For a few days, I thought escaping was what I wanted, and I was stupid enough to give my father more information than I should have.
I regret it now, but there’s little I can do.
I’ll just have to wait it out. There’s way too much security here for anything to happen to me, and if he does show up, Alexander would protect me.
It would be my father’s word against mine, and Alex would never believe him. My stomach flips a little at the thought of the two of them facing off, but I shove the feeling aside because it’s not going to come to that.
When I open the text, it’s an address.
Another text comes in a second after.Meet here at 15:00.
Against my better judgement, I plug the address into my maps app. It’s nearly two hours away, which gives me some relief. He isn’t close by, which means I’m safe. He doesn’t even know where I am. Suddenly, I’m a little happy that Griffin insisted we stay in this house and not their family’s penthouse in the city. That’s where my father probably thinks I am.
At first, I want to leave the text message unanswered. But the longer I stare at it, the more I’m overcome with the realization that being passive won’t help me here, and I don’t exactly want to be. I’m not going to be my father’s pawn.
So I text my father a firm reply, albeit with shaky fingers.
No.
Those two letters take all my strength. My heart is racing a mile per minute. I’ve never told my father no before in all my nearly nineteen years of existence. The estate was attacked before I got the chance to have my first real big girl conversation with him.
This is unchartered territory.
I stare at the screen for a long time, ignoring the messages going off in the group chat. It feels like I’m hovering over my body, watching my own anxiety unfold. I can just picture his face when he gets my message. I’ve seen other people tell my father no—and it has never ended well for them.
If we were in the same room, he would probably slap me across the face hard enough to make me lose a tooth. Or worse, use his belt to remind me of my place. Keeping my distance from my father is a protection. How did I ever think that meeting up with him would be a good idea?
Absently, I stroke my belly. There’s no way I can ever allow my father to meet my child. He would never treat them well. And I would kill him if he ever put a finger on them. The fierceness of that thought surprises me. Is he thinking of calling me to shout at me? To threaten me? I already know I won’t answer the phone.
