Page 44 of Fierce Hearts

"And say what exactly? 'Hey, Gray, remember our one-night stand? Surprise, I'm pregnant! Oh, and by the way, I'm being forced to marry a rival cartel leader'?"

"This is beyond fucked up."

"Which part? It just happened?—"

"Not you and Grayson, God, no, everything else. Honestly, I had a feeling there was more there, but didn't realize you guys were going to act on it," she said, managing a smile for a moment before it dropped. "But… this is a real mess, Sof. I don't even know where to start."

"Exactly…" I muttered as I leaned forward, dropping my head into my hands. "I don't know what to do, Mer. If I tell Grayson, he'll try to stop the wedding. He'll put himself in danger. If I don't tell him..." My voice broke. "If I don't tell him, I'll be married to Juan Ference while carrying another man's child. A man who would not take it well if he found out. I could get rid of the child, do my duty to the family and protect everyone, but the thought of…" my voice cracked, and I swallowed as I touched my stomach. "And running isn't an option. They'll hunt me down. I don't know what to do. I've barely had time to come to terms with the fact I'm pregnant."

"I don't know either," she said softly. "But I do know one thing." She squeezed my hands as tears began welling in my eyes. "You need to tell Grayson. This baby you're growing—it's a part of you both."

The memory of that morning not all that long ago surfaced in my mind. Meredith coming over after being with Leo. I'd given her the morning-after pill, feeling guilty but knowing it was the right thing. It wasn't the right time then, and she hadn't known what to do or how to feel.

But this was different. I was already pregnant. It wasn't about backup protection anymore. I was growing a living being inside me.

"I know," I nodded, a tear escaping despite my efforts to hold it back.

For years, I'd accepted that my makeshift family—Meredith, her family, my coworkers, my friends—would be enough. I'd convinced myself I didn't need the traditional family I'd secretly longed for. Now, faced with this unexpected reality, I felt torn apart.

And then everything else on top made me want to curl up in a ball and hide from the world.

"But if I choose not to have it, it makes everything easier. To some extent, anyway," I muttered. Meredith didn't know who Juan Ference was, and I wasn't about to tell her the man I was promised to could potentially kill me. That was another can of worms that we didn't need opened in this moment.

"But Gray should know, don't you think? I mean, it's your body, and your choice… but he's my brother too, and I know he'd want to know, to at least be there…" Meredith looked so torn and uncomfortable now, and guilt chewed at me. I was asking her to potentially keep this from him, something huge. She wanted to look out for us both, and she was struggling.

"Gray could probably help, somehow, if you tell him," she said, but her tone lacked confidence. She didn't know how he could help either.

"How can he possibly help?" I shook my head, knowing it was futile.

Meredith was silent, lost for ideas and words, as one would expect. At least I wasn't alone in feeling the despair and hopelessness. It was selfish of me to find comfort in that.

"Is it bad," I whispered, "that a selfish part of me wants to keep it? To have family again?" I sighed, knowing it was silly, but I couldn't shake the feeling. "I want to give my child a better life, something away from the horrors I grew up with. But because I'm their mother, they'll already be a part of that world. And with Grayson as the father…" I couldn't avoid it no matter what. My child, if I kept it, would be born into this life, into a family that was full of danger.

Meredith shook her head slowly. "I don't know what to say, Sof. I don't know what the right thing to do is. Only you can make that call." She paused, squeezing my hands again. "But I truly believe Grayson should know the truth."

Tears spilled freely down my cheeks now, but I nodded. She was right. Grayson would be devastated if I made this decision without him. We'd made this growing life together, I couldn't take that away from him. Although, given the circumstances, many would believe I should.

But I couldn't. Deep down, I wanted him to know. I wanted to keep this child.

"I think I will," I said, wiping at my face. "Tell him, I mean."

"Will you call him?" Meredith asked carefully.

"I'll invite him over. But I think..." I took a deep breath. "I think I should do this alone. Have this talk with him one-on-one."

"Are you sure?" Concern laced her voice.

"Yes. He might feel weird having his sister present, considering..." I gestured vaguely between us.

Meredith rolled her eyes but pulled me into a tight hug. "I'm glad you called. It's a tough situation, and definitely not one you should handle alone."

"I'm not alone." I managed a small smile. "I have you."

"Always. No matter what happens."

I closed my eyes, letting myself be held. For just a moment, I allowed myself to imagine a different life—one where I wasn't trapped between duty and desire, between my past and my future. A life where I could tell Grayson about our baby without fear. A life where we might even have a chance.

But that wasn't the life I had. And wishing wouldn't change reality.

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