Page 49 of The Cruel Heir
Everything in me went still.
"Oh my goodness, pregnant?" My breath caught, horror lacing my voice.
Sterling’s jaw clenched. “She is under the impression that she had the flu. I, however, never doubted my seed, which is why we are here. So, do your job and tell me something I don’t know, hmm?” He glared at the doctor.
The word detonated between us. I could feel a change happening, but wasn’t sure what exactly it was.
Sterling turned toward me, eyes burning. “Who, Zara?” His voice was low, dangerous. “Tell the doctor who did this to you?”
My breath hitched, not wanting to say his claim out loud. As if he didn’t know. “You. This is your fault.”
His eyebrows lifted in surprise, then his expression darkened, mouth twitching with something tight and unreadable. “Mine?” he said, voice sharp with something like triumph. “Are you saying I’m going to be a father?”
Panic spiked. I wasn’t ready to let him have that. To let him win.
“No,” I whispered.
The lie fell like a stone.
Sterling’s gaze sharpened into something lethal. “Chadwick?” he echoed. “Zara, if you’re lying to me…”
His hand drifted toward his waistband.
“I-I don’t know,” I said, arms wrapped tight around myself. “I don’t know.”
Dr. Laz stepped in firmly. “Put the gun away. An ultrasound can determine the timeline without threats.”
Sterling didn’t move. “Do it now. Or I’ll find out my own way.”
Dr. Laz sighed. “Fine. Let’s get started.”
He motioned for me to lie back, and my limbs felt like lead as I settled onto the exam table. My breath hitched while he snapped on gloves, unwrapped a sterile sleeve, and coated a slender transvaginal wand with gel, the chill making me shiver.
Sterling hovered beside me, his presence suffocating, but I couldn’t bring myself to meet his gaze.
Dr. Laz eased the probe inside, angling it with practiced precision.
The machine beeped, a grainy image blooming on the monitor.
“There,” he murmured, adjusting the depth. “That’s the fetus.”
I swallowed hard, fingers whitening on the table’s edge. The speck on-screen looked unreal, yet the faint flicker pulsing in its center proved otherwise.
Sterling inhaled sharply. “That’s-” His voice fractured, something raw slipping through. “How far along?”
Dr. Laz shifted his gaze to me before answering. “Based on crown to rump length, about six weeks.”
Six weeks. That meant the first time Sterling touched me, cornered me, was the only time it could’ve happened. We hadn’t stopped since. But that first time? That one broke something. I’d never told him no. I hadn’t said yes either. And silence? Silence was compliance in this world.
Sterling’s body tensed beside me. “And that means?”
Dr. Laz looked between us, exhaling. The thin scar slicing from temple to cheek tugged as he spoke, unreadable.
“Before I say anything definitively, Zara, when was the last time you were with each of these men? Be honest. The ultrasound will confirm everything.”
Sterling’s stare burned through me. My throat tightened, panic clawing up.
“I don’t know… it was a while ago with Chadwick,” I rasped. “But with Sterling…” I swallowed, nails digging into vinyl. “The first time was a little over a month ago. I think. And since then-” Heat flooded my face. “We’ve... we’ve been together a lot.”
