Kayla’s POV”And what are you going to do instead?” Sarah shot back, crossing her arms as she glared at me.
“Hide in a corner until you pop? You can’t run forever.”
I stared down at the floor, my jaw clenched so hard my teeth ached.
A cold, bitter ache settled deep in my chest.
I thought about the way he walked past us without a second glance, like we were nothing more than dust on his shoes.
I thought about the absolute control he held over the world.
“I’m not running,” I whispered, my voice shaking but hard.
“I’m going to figure out how to get to him. Even if it kills me. Even if it costs me everything.”
Sarah stared at me for a long moment, her anger fading into deep shock, realizing I actually meant every single word.
WINTER..
The seasons shifted faster than my life could keep up.
By the time the next month rolled around, winter had settled over the city like a heavy, freezing blanket, and the streets were coated in a layer of crisp, white snow.
The three day suspension Brenda gave me had stretched into a full month of panic, but out of nowhere, my phone had buzzed two days ago with a text telling me to report back to work.
The next morning, I stood behind the front desk at Glow and Grace makeup studio, rubbing my freezing hands together and blowing warm air on my fingertips.
The studio was bustling with activity, packed with wealthy clients trying to get their makeup done for winter galas and holiday parties.
The air was thick with the heavy scent of expensive perfumes, hairspray, and designer colognes.
A bell rang as the front glass door slid open, and Brenda walked out of her office.
She stopped at my desk, giving me a stern, no nonsense look.
“Your suspension is over, Kayla,” Brenda said, crossing her arms.
“I’m giving you one more chance.
But let me make it crystal clear: no drama, no clumsy accidents with clients, and absolute professionalism.
If you pull another stunt like that influencer incident, you’re out permanently.
Understand?”
”Yes, ma’am.
I understand completely,” I replied, forcing a polite nod.
“Good. Get to work,” she muttered, turning on her heel.
For the first hour, things went smoothly.
But as the studio filled up, a sudden wave of dizziness washed over me.
A wealthy client wearing a suffocating smell of perfume walked right up to the desk to ask a question.
As she leaned in close, my stomach moved violently.
The sweet smell hit my nose so badly, turning my stomach up.
I clapped a hand over my mouth, cutting the client off mid sentence.
“Excuse me..one second—”
I stood up from the desk, running down the hallway toward the back staff bathroom, barely making it to the stall before I threw up everything I had eaten for breakfast.
When I finally came back out to the front desk wiping my mouth, pale and sweating, Brenda was standing right there with her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed.
She had watched me run off twice that morning.
“In my office. Now,” Brenda said, her voice dropping to a dangerous, low whisper.
I swallowed hard, following her into the small, private office behind the reception desk.
She shut the door firmly behind us and turned to face me.
“Alright, Kayla. What’s the problem,” Brenda said, leaning against her desk and staring straight into my eyes.
“You’ve been throwing up all morning, you look like a ghost, and you can’t even stand near a client without running to the bathroom.
What is going on with you?
Are you sick?”
”No, I’m fine, ma’am, just a little stomach upset.”
”Don’t lie to me,” she interrupted sharply.
“Are you pregnant?”
The word hung in the cold office air like a ticking bomb.
My entire body froze.
If she knew I was pregnant, she would fire me on the spot.
Elite studios didn’t want pregnant receptionists throwing up in front of wealthy clients.
“No! No, I swear to God I’m not pregnant!” I lied frantically, waving my hands and forcing a wide, unconvincing smile.
“I swear on my life, ma’am It’s just a bad food poisoning thing, I ate some bad fish earlier this week, I promise you!”
Brenda stared at me for a long moment, searching my face for any sign of a lie.
Finally, she let out a long, breath, rubbing her forehead.
“Fine. I believe you,” Brenda sighed, though she still looked entirely unconvinced.
If you are hiding something, you need to know the studio policy.
Anyone who gets pregnant while working here under contract has to resign immediately.
We don’t deal with liability issues.
Do we understand each other?”
”Yes.
Crystal clear,” I whispered, my chest aching as I nodded.
By the time my shift finally ended, the winter wind was blowing outside, passing straight through my thin coat.
My mind was completely drained, and a strange, heavy ache was settling in my chest.
Working all day while hiding a pregnancy and fighting off constant sickness had left me feeling exhausted.
Without really thinking it through, I found myself getting off the bus a few blocks away from my mother’s house.
Even after everything, after the way she chased me out and refused to answer my calls, a desperate, foolish part of me still wanted my mom.
I was carrying a baby now.
I was terrified, alone, and I needed someone to tell me it was going to be okay.
I walked up the front steps of her house.
To my surprise, the front door wasn’t fully locked; it was open Just an inch, letting a sliver of warm yellow light spill out on the snowy porch.
That’s weird, I thought.
I pushed the door open gently, stepping into the hallway.
“Mom?” I called out softly, shaking the snow off my boots.
There was no answer from the kitchen, but muffled voices were coming from the living room.
I walked closer, and my entire world instantly stopped spinning.
My mother was standing right by the couch, locked in a deep, intimate kiss with a man in his late forties wearing an expensive sweater.
For a second, nobody moved.
Then, the sound of my sharp gasp echoed in the quiet room.