Page 55 of Flawed

Massimo pats my head. "I'll step out in the hallway."

I reply, "Thank you. And, Massimo…"

"Yeah?"

"Please don't tell anybody," I fret.

He holds his hand in the air. "I'm not telling anybody. But don't worry about that right now." He leaves.

The doctor gives me a full exam and does an ultrasound.

When he's through, he declares, "Everything's okay. You're just experiencing some Braxton Hicks contractions."

Confused, I question, "What are those?"

He smiles. "It's common and often called false labor. It's just your uterus trying to prepare for when labor does happen. But nothing's wrong with the baby. Everything is fine."

"So my baby, she's okay?" I ask to make sure.

His grin grows. "She's perfectly fine."

I add, "But I'm barely even showing. And now I'm having these Braxton Hicks."

He points to my stomach. "Some people don't show as much. You're also taller, so the baby's spread out. There's more room for her to hide. You don't need to worry."

I release an anxious breath.

"Would you like to call the father?" he asks me.

Shame fills me. I hate every time my gynecologist, Massimo, or this doctor asks me about the father. It makes me think about Luca and how I'm hiding this from him. But I need to protect my baby. Nothing has changed. Luca only proved to me the other night that that is the best decision I can make for her.

I raise my chin in the air. "No, it's just me raising the baby."

His expression is full of pity. I cross my arms, as if to shield myself from his judgment. He stays quiet then finally states, "I'm going to let you rest. The nurse will come in soon and give you instructions before discharging you."

Relieved to be off the topic of my decision of single motherhood, I say, "Thank you."

He leaves the room, and I change into my clothes.

Massimo returns. He pulls up a chair and sits back. "Well, this was a little more exciting than what I had planned for my day."

"I'm so sorry. I know your business is important. I would never—"

"Chanel, please. It's not a big deal. You know you're more important than any business thing I have going on.”

I stay quiet.

He leans closer. "You know you can't hide this forever, right?"

I glance at the ceiling, trying to stop all the emotions bubbling up inside me.

My father's going to kill me.

My life as I know it is over.

Everyone will always ask me who the father is, and no one can ever know the truth.

Massimo adds, "You need to tell your father."

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