Zara's POV
The words didn't make sense. I stared at Dr. Morrison, waiting for him to laugh, to say it was a mistake, to tell me he had the wrong patient's file. But he just stood there with that same shocked expression, holding the clipboard like it contained the secrets of the universe.
"That's impossible," I said.
"The test is quite accurate. Blood work confirms it. You're approximately three weeks along."
"No. You're wrong. You have to be wrong."
"Ms. Hartley, I understand this might be unexpected, but.."
"You don't understand anything!" My voice rose, sharp and hysterical. The machines beside my bed beeped faster, matching my racing heart. "I can't be pregnant. My husband and I haven't, we haven't been together in months. Almost a year. So your test is wrong."
Dr. Morrison's expression softened with sympathy. "Is there any possibility, any night where you might have.."
The memory hit me like a freight train. Rain. Red dress. Strong arms catching me. A bed that wasn't mine. Cassian's gray eyes looking down at me.
You looked like a woman begging to be ruined.
You passed out before anything interesting could happen.
But what if he'd lied? What if something had happened and I'd been too drunk, too broken to remember?
"No," I whispered. "No, no, no."
The room spun. I gripped the hospital sheets so hard my knuckles went white.
This couldn't be happening. I'd lost everything. My marriage, my home, my dignity. I couldn't lose control of my own body too, couldn't have a piece of that nightmare night growing inside me.
"I need to run more tests," I said desperately. "Your equipment could be faulty. I need a second opinion."
"We can certainly run another test if you'd like, but I assure you.."
"Then do it. Do it now."
Dr. Morrison nodded slowly. "Alright. I'll have the nurse come back for another blood draw. But Ms. Hartley, I have to ask, are you in a safe situation? If there's been any kind of assault, we have resources that can help you."
Assault. The word hung in the air like poison.
Had it been? I'd gone to Cassian's room willingly, but I hadn't known who he was. I'd been drunk and devastated and not in any state to make decisions. Did that count? Did any of this count?
"I'm fine," I lied. "Just confused. Please, just run the test again."
He left, and I was alone with the beeping machines and my own spiraling thoughts.
Three weeks. The doctor said three weeks. That night had been exactly three weeks ago. I pressed my hands to my stomach, flat and unchanged. Nothing felt different. I didn't feel pregnant. Wasn't there supposed to be morning sickness or fatigue or something?
Although, I had been tired. And nauseous. But I'd blamed that on stress, on barely eating, on my entire world falling apart. My phone buzzed on the side table. I'd almost forgotten about it. Twelve missed calls. All from Jason.As if summoned by my thoughts, the hospital room door burst open.
Jason stormed in, his face red and furious, still wearing his work suit. Tessa followed close behind, her hand possessively on his arm.
"What the hell, Zara?" Jason's voice boomed through the small room. "You faint and end up in the hospital and don't think to call me?"
"How did you even know I was here?"
"I'm still your emergency contact. The hospital called me." He moved closer to the bed, and I instinctively pressed back against the pillows. "What's wrong with you? More attention seeking? More drama?"
"Get out."
"I'm your husband. I have a right to be here."
"You lost that right when you slept with my best friend."
Tessa's laugh was sharp and grating. "Oh please. You're still playing the victim? Grow up, Zara."
"Both of you need to leave. Now."
"Not until you tell me what's going on." Jason grabbed my chart from the end of the bed before I could stop him. His eyes scanned the page, widening as he read.
"Pregnant?" He looked up at me, and something shifted in his expression. Calculation. "You're pregnant."
"Give me that back."
"This is perfect." A smile spread across his face, cold and triumphant. "See, Tessa? I told you she'd come around. She's been trying to trap me back into the marriage."
"What? No!"
"A baby, Zara. Our baby. This changes everything." He sat on the edge of the bed, reaching for my hand. I yanked it away. "We can work through our problems now. For the child. You'll move back home, we'll tell everyone we reconciled. It'll be good for my image, actually. The devoted family man."
"Are you insane? That baby isn't yours!"
The words were out before I could stop them.
Jason's face went dark. "What did you just say?"
"We haven't slept together in almost a year, Jason. You know that. So this baby, if I'm even really pregnant, it's not yours."
"Then whose is it?" His voice dropped to something dangerous. "Whose baby are you carrying, Zara?"
I couldn't answer. Couldn't form the words.
Tessa gasped dramatically. "Oh my God. It's Cassian's, isn't it? That night we found you in his room. You really did sleep with him."
"I didn't, I don't remember, I.."
"You whore." Jason stood abruptly, his hands clenched into fists. "You let my brother touch you. You let him.."
"I didn't let anyone do anything!" Tears streamed down my face. "I don't even know what happened that night!"
"Then we'll get a paternity test. Right now. And when it proves that baby is mine, you're moving back home. No arguments, no debate. I'll sue you for custody if I have to. I'll take everything from you."
"You can't do that."
"Watch me. I have the best lawyers in the state. You have nothing. How are you going to fight me, Zara? With what money? What resources?" He leaned in close, his voice a harsh whisper. "That child is mine, and I will not let you keep it from me. Do you understand?"
The door slammed open again. Cassian stood in the doorway, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. He looked at Jason, then at me, then back at Jason. His expression was utterly calm, but something murderous lurked behind his eyes.
"Get away from her." Each word was precise, controlled, deadly.
"This is a private family matter."
"Then it's good I'm family." Cassian moved into the room like a predator stalking prey. "Everyone out. Now."
"You don't get to give orders here."
"Don't I?" Cassian's smile was all teeth. "This is a hospital, Jason. There are witnesses everywhere. Security cameras. Do you really want to start something here?"
Jason's jaw worked, fury radiating off him in waves. But he backed away from my bed.
"This isn't over," he said to me. "That baby is legally mine until proven otherwise. I'll be back with lawyers."
He grabbed Tessa's arm and dragged her out. The door clicked shut behind them.
Silence fell, heavy and suffocating.
Cassian turned to me slowly. "Pregnant."
It wasn't a question.
"The test might be wrong," I said quickly. "I asked them to run it again."
"How far along?"
"Three weeks. But I can't be, we didn't, I don't remember.."
"That night." Cassian moved closer, his gray eyes locked on mine. "Three weeks ago. The night you came to my room."
"You said nothing happened. You said I passed out."
"I lied."
The admission hit me like a slap.
"What?"
"I lied, Zara. You didn't pass out. You were drunk and crying and you begged me to make you forget him. And I did." He sat in the chair beside my bed, his voice dropping lower. "You were responsive, willing. I asked you multiple times if you wanted to stop. You said no."
"I don't remember any of that."
"Convenient."
"Don't you dare." Anger flared hot in my chest. "I was in shock, I was devastated, I thought you were Jason. If I'd known who you really were.."
"You still would have done it." His eyes held mine, unflinching. "Because you wanted to feel something other than pain. And I gave you that."
"You took advantage of me."
"Did I? Or did we take advantage of each other?" He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "I needed to hurt Jason. You were the perfect weapon. And now look where we are."
Dr. Morrison knocked and entered, holding another clipboard. He looked uncomfortable seeing Cassian there.
"Ms. Hartley, we've run the second test. The results are the same. You're definitely pregnant, approximately three weeks along." He glanced at Cassian. "Based on the timeline you gave me, conception would have occurred around November 2nd or 3rd."
November 2nd. My anniversary. The night everything fell apart.
"That's not possible," I whispered one more time, but the protest was hollow now.
"Is this the father?" Dr. Morrison asked, nodding toward Cassian.
Before I could answer, Cassian spoke.
"Yes."
The word settled over the room like a death sentence. Dr. Morrison nodded. "Well, congratulations to you both. I'll give you some privacy to discuss next steps. A nurse will be in shortly with prenatal vitamins and some information packets."
He left quickly, clearly eager to escape the tension. I couldn't look at Cassian. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't process any of this.
"A baby," Cassian said softly. "My baby."
"Don't."
"Why not? It's the truth, isn't it?" He reached out and placed his hand over mine on the bed. His skin was warm, his grip firm. "You're carrying my child, Zara. My blood. My legacy."
"This is a nightmare."
"Is it?" Something shifted in his expression, something dark and possessive that made my skin prickle. "Jason wants this baby because it gives him control over you. I want this baby because it's mine. There's a difference."
"You can't want this. We don't even know each other."
"We'll learn." His thumb traced circles on the back of my hand. "You're not going back to Jason. You're not raising my child in that house, under his influence. Do you understand?"
"You don't get to tell me what to do."
"Don't I?" He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "You're carrying my child, Zara. That makes you mine. Mine to protect. Mine to provide for. Mine."
The word sent shivers down my spine.
"I'm not anyone's property."
"Tell that to Jason when he comes back with his lawyers." Cassian stood, still holding my hand. "You have two choices. Fight him alone with no money, no resources, no chance of winning. Or accept my help and let me handle him."
"Why would you help me?"
His smile was cold and calculating.
"Because that baby is the one thing Jason can never have. And watching him lose it will be the sweetest revenge."
Before I could respond, voices erupted in the hallway. Jason's voice, loud and angry.
"I don't care about visiting hours! That's my wife in there! My baby!"
The door burst open. Jason stood there, flanked by two men in expensive suits. Lawyers, clearly.
"We're not done, Zara," Jason said, his eyes blazing. "That baby is mine by marriage law. I will never allow Cassian to claim what's mine. Do you hear me? Never."
Cassian's hand tightened on mine, his body angling protectively between me and Jason. And I realized, with sinking horror, that I'd just become the center of a war between two brothers who hated each other more than they could ever care about me. The baby inside me wasn't a blessing. It was a weapon. And everyone wanted to use it.