Lara's mind was spinning as she left Ethan's office. The words he had spoken kept echoing in her head: You're connected to the Blackwood family. More than you realize. She couldn't process it all. Her thoughts were a mess, tangled in confusion and uncertainty.
She stepped into the elevator, her legs feeling like they might give way beneath her. The soft hum of the elevator filled the silence, but it did little to calm the storm inside her mind. The building seemed to tilt slightly, and she reached for the handrail to steady herself. It was as if the world around her had shifted, and she couldn't keep up.
When the elevator doors finally opened on the ground floor, Lara stepped out but found herself stumbling. Her vision blurred, and her head swam. She felt like she might collapse any second. She grabbed hold of a nearby chair in the lobby, her breath coming in short gasps.
"Are you okay?" a voice suddenly asked.
Lara looked up to see a woman standing nearby, concern written across her face. It took a moment for Lara to focus, but when she did, she recognized the nurse from the clinic she had visited a few weeks ago.
"I'm fine," Lara lied, trying to steady herself. But the dizziness wouldn't go away. She felt faint, and her knees buckled. Before she could react, the nurse was there, supporting her.
"We need to get you checked out," the nurse said firmly. "Come with me."
Lara tried to protest, but the nurse's grip was firm as she led her toward the nearby clinic. The nurse guided her to a chair and immediately began taking her vitals. Lara felt too weak to argue. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to regain some composure.
"Your blood pressure is a bit low," the nurse said, looking concerned. "But that's not the main issue. I'm going to need to run a quick test."
Lara frowned, confused. "What test?"
The nurse smiled gently. "A pregnancy test. I know it may seem strange, but after what happened earlier, it's something we need to confirm."
Lara froze. A pregnancy test? But that couldn't be possible. She had only recently realized that something was off with her body, but she hadn't expected this.
The nurse led her to the restroom, where Lara took the test. When she returned, the nurse was waiting with the results in her hands. Lara could see the worry in her eyes as she read the test. "You're pregnant, Lara. Two and a half months along."
The words hit Lara like a ton of bricks. Pregnant? Two and a half months? How could this be? The last thing she remembered was that night—a night she had tried to forget, a night that had changed everything. But who was the father?
Lara's mind raced. She had no answers, only more questions. She couldn't even begin to process the fact that she was carrying a child, let alone who the father could be. Was it someone she knew? Someone close to her? Could it have been Ethan? No, she couldn't think that way. It didn't make sense.
The nurse watched her closely. "I know this is a lot to take in, but we need to get you proper care. You should rest, and I'll schedule an appointment for you to see a specialist. It's important we take care of you and the baby."
Lara nodded numbly, the shock of the news still fresh in her mind. She felt like she was drifting, floating in a sea of confusion. Two and a half months. That meant she had been pregnant before she met Ethan. But who else could it be?
"Thank you," Lara murmured, her voice shaky.
The nurse gave her a reassuring smile. "You're welcome. Just take care of yourself, okay?"
Lara stood up slowly, her mind still reeling. The world outside seemed too bright, too loud, and she wanted nothing more than to disappear into the shadows and think. She had so many questions. So many things she didn't understand.
As she left the clinic, her phone buzzed with a message. It was from her sister, but Lara couldn't bring herself to read it just yet. Instead, she walked aimlessly, her thoughts consumed by the discovery she had just made. She was pregnant. And she had no idea who the father was.
The weight of the news settled heavily on her shoulders. How would she explain this? What would happen next? Everything was uncertain. Everything was a mystery.
And the only thing she knew for sure was that she had to face the truth, no matter how difficult it would be.