Page 89 of Bound By Crimson
Lyric smiled faintly.
She needed time—to think, to breathe, to convince herself this wasn’t what she feared.
Chapter Twenty-Six
The Break & the Bloom
The nausea didn’t go away. Not the next morning. Not the one after that.
Lyric would sleep until nearly ten, dragging herself out of bed with bones that felt heavier, limbs that moved slower. She’d shuffle into the boutique around noon, where Kat—bright-eyed and caffeinated—already had music playing, orders organized, the front display refreshed.
“You look better today,” Kat said, flashing her a grin. “Still kinda pale, though. Want me to make you a green smoothie?”
Lyric smiled faintly. “Maybe later.”
But something wasn’t right. It was more than exhaustion. More than stress. She made the appointment.
---
The exam room was bright. Too bright.
She sat on the edge of the table, fingers twisting the hem of her sweater as the doctor smiled gently.
“Well,” he said, flipping the chart closed. “Congratulations. You’re eight weeks along.”
Lyric blinked
“Eight weeks?” She echoed, startled. She hadn’t even noticed she’d missed her period. Everything had been a blur.
The floor didn’t move. The world didn’t tilt. But something inside her cracked wide open.
She managed a tight smile. “Thank you.”
The doctor glanced at the chart again.
“First pregnancy?”
She nodded, still trying to process the words.
He spoke for a few more minutes—prenatal vitamins, hydration, follow-ups—but she didn’t hear a word.
---
She didn’t go to the shop. She didn’t call Kai. Or Thomas. Or anyone.
She walked out of the clinic, climbed into the first cab she saw, and told the driver, “Central Park. Anywhere quiet.”
The ride passed in a blur.
She paid in silence, climbed out, and wandered aimlessly until the sound of water pulled her to a pond, tucked back, half-shaded. Hidden.
She sat. And finally—she broke.
The tears came hard and fast, her chest tightening, her shoulders shaking as she folded forward with her hands pressed over her face.
“What now?” she whispered. “What the hell do I do now?”
She pulled the chain from around her neck, letting her mother’s locket fall into her palm. She clutched it so tightly the edges bit into her skin.
