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“It can’t be, Lulu. It simply can’t…” her voice wobbled as she slowly sank back onto her bed. “This is the worst thing that could happen,” she whispered, her eyes glossy. “If Sergio finds out…”
She took deep, measured breaths.
“If he finds out, we’re back to ground zero, Lulu. He’ll have my weakness. And you can bet he’s going to exploit it to the fullest.”
“Noelle…” Lucero reached out to touch her hand. “Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe itisjust a spell,” she added hopefully.
“Or maybe you’re right, and I haven’t only doomed myself. I also…” she trailed off, her lips trembling as she brought her hand to her stomach. “My God, Lulu. Thank you! If you hadn’t stopped me, I would have killed myself and my baby. Thank you. Thank you,” she repeated, launching herself at Lucero and hugging her tightly.
“We’ll find a way out of this,” Lucero whispered. “But we need to know for sure.”
“You’re right,” Noelle sighed as she leaned back.
Her body shook as she brought her knees to her chest, making herself smaller. There were so many things to consider. She hadn’t even fully internalized what her fate would be after she’d defied Sergio so blatantly, let alone what the fate of a baby would be.
There was also Raf, and she couldn’t stop herself from constantly thinking about him and whether he’d made it out of the hacienda safely.
So many issues, and she did not have one solution.
The only thing that she knew was the fact that Sergio would not let her be. He would torture her in order to pay back for everything she’d done to him. Every single blow to his ego would be a tenfold blow to her, to Lucero and now… to her unborn baby.
Somehow, she knew she was carrying Raf’s child, just as she knew she was in such a precarious situation. At any other time she would have rejoiced at having his baby—at giving birth to a little part of him. But given her dire circumstances, she was scared.
She wasutterlyafraid.
Before, Raf had been her weakness—the only way Sergio could control her.
If she was pregnant, Sergio could finally bring her to her knees.
“I can bribe one of the workers. Have him buy a few tests the next time he goes into the city for supplies,” Lucero suddenly suggested.
Noelle blinked, bringing herself back from her musings.
“That’s a good idea. If there’s any chance that I’m pregnant, I need to do everything in my power to escape, Lulu. I can’t allow Sergio to find out or he’ll not only kill me, but he’ll kill my baby too.”
“We’ll get through this,” Lucero whispered, hugging Noelle in an attempt to comfort her.
* * *
By the end of the week, Lucero managed to bribe one of the workers to bring some pregnancy tests from the city. She’d lied that they were for her, saying that she was worried about her employment in case she was expecting. The man had believed her.
Lucero brought the tests to Noelle, waiting for her to go to the bathroom and take them.
“I’m scared, Lulu,” Noelle whispered as she exited the bathroom. They had to wait a few minutes for the results.
“Whatever happens, we’ll deal with it.” Lucero gave her a comforting smile. “One way or another, we’ll leave this place.”
“That was supposed to be my line.” Noelle smiled sadly. All along she’d been the one who always took the initiative. Yet now she could barely find any strength within her—now when she was scared to death of the future and of what might have happened to her Raf.
Lucero complemented her perfectly. She’d sensed Noelle’s weakness and she’d taken charge, being both comforting and assertive. Noelle didn’t know what she would have done without her by her side.
“You’ve done enough,” Lucero replied. “Let me worry about things now, alright?”
“I got you into this mess, Lulu, and you’re still trying to fix things for me.”
“I was in this mess long before you came along, Noelle. But back then I didn’t have the courage to question the status quo. I didn’t dare dream of a different future. Even after Nicholas left, I never even thought of escaping for myself. Until you came along, I would have never thought of rebelling.”
Noelle’s eyes widened as she looked in awe at her friend.
