Chapter 4

Elana Clements POV:

Franco looked up, his eyes momentarily meeting mine. My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic drum against bone. I instinctively ducked behind a potted palm, the rough leaves scratching my cheek. He hadn't recognized me, not really. Just a fleeting glance, then his attention was back on Katina. He wasn't heartless, I thought, just heartless towards me.

But the way he looked at her. That raw, unguarded concern. My stomach churned again, a mix of nausea and a deeper, more profound pain. I remembered his eyes on me at the party – distant, cold, dismissive. This was different. This was genuine. My fingers instinctively tightened around the crumpled report in my hand, the sharp edges digging into my palm.

He'd always praised Katina's artistic soul, her delicate nature, her "true depth." He'd called her his muse, his fragile artist. And me? "Elana, you're so... practical. So grounded. Sometimes, a little too much." His words had always been veiled criticisms, subtle jabs at my lack of perceived artistic flair.

I remembered the countless hours I' d spent in art classes, trying to find my own brushstrokes, my own voice. I' d dabbled in painting, taken calligraphy lessons, all because he once mentioned he admired "artistic sensitivity." I'd poured my soul into a landscape, a vibrant oil painting of the rolling hills near our childhood home, a place we' d both loved. I' d presented it to him, my heart pounding with hope. He' d barely glanced at it. "It's... nice, Elana," he'd said, a faint shrug. "But it's not quite... her."

Later, I saw Katina's abstract expressionist piece, all swirling blues and grays, hanging proudly in his private study. Not mine. Never mine. My painting, my effort, my soul poured onto canvas, ended up gathering dust in a forgotten corner of the attic, much like I felt.

My phone buzzed, snapping me back to the harsh reality of the hospital corridor. A message from Casey: Where are you? Come to the lab. Now. The urgency in his text jolted me.

I found him pacing outside the lab doors, his face pale and drawn. He looked like he'd seen a ghost. "Casey? What's wrong?" I asked, a fresh wave of dread washing over me.

He stopped, his eyes wide and unfocused. He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Elana," he began, his voice a raspy whisper. "They called me back. They did extra tests on your blood."

My heart pounded. "Is it... worse?" My illness, that was the only thing that could make him look like this.

He shook his head, a single, bitter laugh escaping his lips. "No. Not worse. Different." He held out a piece of paper, his hand trembling. "Your HCG levels, Elana. They're through the roof. The doctor said... you're pregnant."

The words hit me like a physical blow. Pregnant. It was impossible. My mind raced, flashing back to that drunken night a few weeks ago, after Franco had humiliated me again. He' d come back, full of remorse, or so I' d thought. A moment of weakness, a desperate attempt to recapture something that was already lost. A desperate, foolish night.

My fingers trembled as I took the paper. Pregnant. A baby. Franco's baby. My world, already teetering on the edge, spun wildly.

The next few hours were a blur. Another blood test. An ultrasound. The doctor's calm, professional voice explaining that the embryo was too small to see clearly, just a tiny flicker of life.

Casey's voice was hoarse when he spoke again. "What are you going to do, Elana?" His eyes were full of a tenderness I didn't deserve.

We both knew. With my diagnosis, carrying a child to term would be a death sentence for me. Or for the baby. Maybe both. But as the ultrasound wand traced circles over my abdomen, a faint, rhythmic thump echoed through the room. A heartbeat. Tiny, fragile, but undeniably there. My baby. My child. A fierce, protective instinct I never knew I possessed surged through me.

A fresh gush of blood streamed from my nose, warm and metallic. Casey was instantly there, pressing a tissue to my face, his concern a palpable weight.

"Does... Franco know?" he asked, his voice strained.

I shook my head, looking down at my hands. "No. And he never will." My voice was firm, resolute. This secret, this burden, would be mine alone.