chapter 6

As the doctor delivered the shocking news, Courtney's face paled in disbelief. Anna, her mom, and Becca, equally stunned, froze in their seats, their gazes locked on the doctor as though he were an apparition. The words echoed in Courtney's mind—pregnant? No, that was impossible.

Finally, Courtney broke the heavy silence, her voice barely above a whisper. “Doctor, I… I think you're mistaken. I can't be pregnant.”

The doctor maintained his calm demeanor, his voice steady and low. “I understand your confusion, but the tests are clear. Your womb is fertile, and you are indeed pregnant.”

Becca spoke up in alignment with the collective bewilderment. “No, Doctor, you don't understand. Courtney can't be pregnant.”

Sensing the distress in the room, the doctor attempted to provide some solace. “I know this news can be challenging to process, especially when an unexpected pregnancy arises. It's natural to feel uncertain or overwhelmed, but rest assured, you have our support.”

Anna interjected, her voice laced with urgency as she defended her daughter. “Doctor, is there any chance that your expertise could be wrong? Courtney would never…”

The doctor removed his glasses, taking a moment to survey the three anxious faces before him. He slowly exhaled, choosing his words carefully. “I am a medical doctor, not a real estate lawyer or some politician. We can run the tests again, but I assure you the results will be the same. Courtney is six weeks pregnant.”

Courtney's frustration mounted, her voice no longer calm. “I don't care about your credentials! Can you explain to me how I'm pregnant?”

The doctor, sensing the need for simplicity, carefully crafted his response. “Alright, let me put this in the simplest terms possible. When a man and a woman engage in sexual intercourse, the male's sperm…”

“I know what sexual intercourse entails, Doctor,” Courtney interrupted, her voice tinged with confusion. “If I had an affair with a man, I would know, right?”

Before the doctor could respond, Becca interjected. “Exactly! This sophisticated diva here is tight-lipped and reserved.” Her sarcasm was evident, despite the gravity of the situation. “I mean, no history of boyfriends, girlfriends, friends with benefits… Zero, zilch, nada in the relationship department. Trust me, Doctor, I'd bet my ass on that.” Becca grinned, though no one else shared her amusement.

Courtney shot Becca a pointed look. Was her relationship status really relevant to the discussion at hand?

“Well,” the doctor said, breaking the silence that had settled over the room, “facts don't lie. However, there are other ways of becoming pregnant without actual intercourse, unless, of course, we're dealing with a miraculous conception.”

The room fell quiet once more as everyone contemplated the doctor's words, still grappling with shock and disbelief.

Courtney took a seat, her mind racing as she processed the doctor's words. The missed cycle, the signs—it all pointed to one inevitable conclusion: she was indeed pregnant.

While she may not have been a biologist or a medical professional, Courtney was a woman, and she couldn't deny what her body was telling her. Yet, she still struggled to reconcile the doctor's diagnosis with her own fragmented memories.

She remembered waking up on the Marina after the party, her body feeling violated, but her memories were hazy. There was a man involved, but she couldn't be certain of anything that transpired. This was the part she hadn't told anyone.

Just as her thoughts began to spiral, Bacca's alarmed voice broke through the silence, whispering to her. “Oh, Courtney, don't tell me you followed that man to his home and spent the night? Did he drug you? Did he take advantage of you?”

“Becca!” Courtney exclaimed, exasperated by her sister's dramatic accusations. Mere minutes ago, Becca had been her staunch defender, but now she was suggesting Courtney had slept with a random guy from the party? Becca could be downright impossible sometimes.

The man in question, along with a few others from the party, flitted through Courtney's mind. But the idea of having spent the night with any of them was ludicrous. She couldn't fathom it, let alone remember anything like that happening.

That night, she recalled, she had been gazing out at the water, a glass of wine in hand from a passing waitress. Before long, her eyes grew heavy, her head spun, and she found herself waking up the next morning in a marine house. Now, just a few weeks later, she was pregnant.

As if Becca's accusatory words weren't enough, her judgmental looks only added fuel to the fire. It was as though Becca thought she was some hypocritical Catholic nun, when in reality, Courtney had been far too focused on business to fantasize about men.

Anna's voice broke through the tension, her tone heavy with concern. “What are we going to do now?” She pondered the current predicament, her one time husband—a wealthy yet distant figure—unconscious in the same hospital where her daughter had just discovered she was inexplicably pregnant.

***

Meanwhile, Hernandez was en route to his home, seated in the back of a car while his driver navigated the roads. His thoughts fluctuated between concern for his father's condition and intrigue regarding Courtney. As he connected the pieces of information he had, a realization began to dawn on him. There was still much he didn't know about Courtney's personal life, and he knew he couldn't jump to conclusions—not that he hadn't been watching her closely.

Recalling the other night, Hernandez knew his associate, AJ, had failed in his mission to abduct Courtney while she was drugged, with the intent of creating a video to use as blackmail. Of course, AJ was never meant to make actual contact with her; otherwise, Hernandez would have ensured severe consequences.

The car came to a halt in his driveway, and Hernandez paused in the backseat, his thoughts still swirling. Everything seemed to point in the same direction, the signs and evidence aligning with undeniable logic.

He stepped out of the vehicle and made his way to the living room, where he found Jessica lounging on the couch, immersed in a magazine. She rose to greet him, her embrace warm and comforting. “Hey, is everything going to be okay?” Her voice echoed her concern, a reflection of the worry etched on her face.

“A spinal fracture… It's serious,” Hernandez responded, breaking the hug.

Jessica held his face gently between her hands, her eyes locked with his. “Hey, look at me. He'll get through this. He's going to be fine.”

Her presence provided much-needed comfort, but his mind soon drifted back to Courtney. With a deep exhale, he reached for the glass of wine on the table that Jessica had poured for herself and downed it in one swift gulp.

“This probably isn't the best time,” Jessica said, taking a seat beside him, “but I was going through this stuff.” She handed him the papers she had been reading. “Your little sister is a total badass, and she seems to be quite a challenge. An A student, top of her class at Riverdale Country School, outstanding grades… She even graduated from Harvard with a master's degree at such a young age.”

Jessica nodded, impressed by Courtney's achievements. “Only three years ago, she was appointed as a subsidiary officer at WEB Business Network and was awarded Staff of the Year that same year. Then, she was promoted to Group CEO. It's like everything she touches turns to gold.”

Typically, Hernandez would jump at the opportunity to boast about his own business prowess and assert his superiority over his sister. But today was different. Today, her strategy wouldn't work.

Sensing his unusual demeanor, Jessica asked, “What's up with you?”

He turned to face her, his voice barely above a whisper. “I think Courtney is pregnant.”