Page 42 of Pastel Kisses

Sarah’s smirk twists into something sharp and brittle as she snaps, “You’ll see soon enough. Once the baby is born, it’ll seal the deal.”

With that, she spins on her heel and stomps up the stairs, leaving me seething in silence. The lock clicks, the heavy thud of her footsteps fading, but before I can exhale in relief, she’s back.

I tense, bracing for whatever fresh hell she’s about to unleash, but instead, she carries in a tray of food and a few bottles of water. She doesn’t say much, just sets everything down on the desk, then pivots and heads right back out, locking the door behind her.

And just like that, I’m alone again.

I stare at the tray, my stomach twisting with both hunger and reluctance.I hate that I have to accept anything from her.That every meal, every sip of water, is a necessity—not a choice. But I can’t afford to turn it down. If I don’t eat, she’ll make sure I get my “nutrients” another way—through an IV or, worse, the needle cocktail that turns my world inside out for days.

So, I eat.

Not because I want to, but because I have to.

Because my body isn’t just mine anymore. It’s my baby’s, too.

The food is bland, dry, but I force it down, chasing each bite with water until the bottle is empty.

Tonight, for the first time in a while, it seems like Sarah is leaving me alone. No mind games, no taunting, no bullshit stories about the guys. Just quiet.

It’s as close to normal as I’m going to get.

I move back to the bed, shifting slowly, hand settling over my belly. It’s grown so much. Every day, it feels more real—this life inside me.

My body is exhausted, the weight of pregnancy dragging me down in a way that has nothing to do with the drugs Sarah pumps into me.At least this time, sleepiness is natural.I let myself settle into the mattress, eyes closing, breathing deep.

It’s always in these moments—when the silence stretches too long, when the weight of exhaustion drags me under—that my strength wavers. That the shadows creep in, wrapping around my thoughts like a noose, whispering doubts I refuse to entertain in the daylight.

What if I never get out?

What if they stop looking?

What if this becomes my forever?

The fear is suffocating, pressing down like an iron cage around my ribs, making it hard to breathe. Hard to think. Hard to believe in anything but this endless nightmare.

But then the night passes.

And when I wake, those thoughts are nothing but ghosts—remnants of a battle I refuse to lose.

Because every morning, without fail, I remind myself of one undeniable truth.

I will survive.

And more importantly…

I will make her pay.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Jaxton

Sarah has been relentless. Now that I know about the baby, she’s using it as an excuse to push her way back into my life—constant texts, surprise visits, and guilt-laced phone calls at all hours of the night. If it weren’t for the fact that I needed to confirm the paternity, I’d have blocked her number weeks ago. But for now, I have to put up with her bullshit until I have undeniable proof that the kid is or isn’t mine.

And honestly? I hope to God it’s not.

Not because I wouldn’t take responsibility—I would. I don’t run from what’s mine. But because it would mean I’d be tied to her forever, and I want nothing to do with her. The thought of co-parenting with a woman as manipulative as Sarah makes my skin crawl. It’s terrifying to realize I once thought I loved her. How the hell did I ever believe that?

Now that I know what real love feels like, now that I’ve had Avery in my life, I can see just how empty my past with Sarah really was. What I felt for her doesn’t even come close to what I feel for Avery—it never did.

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