Selena’s POVFor days, I wandered through life like a zombie, treading on eggshells, my nerves constantly on edge. Fear gripped me as I hesitated to open the last drawers of my vanity, unsure of what I might find. I remained oblivious to Jake's subtle expressions over the past few days, and though he observed, he remained silent.The inauguration event would start soon, and here I am seated in front of my mirror. My reflection seemed distant, my hands trembling. I declined Jake's suggestion of having someone else do my makeup, insisting that I could handle it myself.Hours passed, and I remained immobilized in my room, unable to lift even an eyeliner to my face. Emotions churned within me. I finally mustered the courage to open the drawer, my left hand trembling as I did. There it was, exactly where Hillary had placed it, and I stared at the pregnancy test kit.Conflicted thoughts raced through my mind. What should I do? How would Jake react? His family… I shook my head, using my leg

Selena's POVI sneaked my way to the cookie rank; there was a lot of display to choose from. I took a plastic plate and chose some. Tasting it, I nodded in approval; it was delicious. Well, I finally found something that got my full attention at the whole event, and it's worth my time.I was onto my fifth cookie when I saw Jake. How on earth did he see me? I thought I was perfectly hidden out of view. He walked towards me, and my hand with the cookie was suspended in midair. When he got closer to me, he looked from my cookie to my face and back at the rank of cookies behind me.“I see, you’ve found something that interests you,” he said.“Well…” I trailed off but finished my cookie. I took an apple drink off the same table and chased down my cookie. I was completely full. My gown protested; I won’t be taking in anything again tonight. “I was hungry,” I told him, which was not a lie.“And how do you feel now?” he asked.“Good, filled with more energy,” I said, looking around. Why was h

Selena's POV1 rested my back on my door as I closed it behind me. But then I felt as if I was back in my cell. I looked around my room, every part of the room reflected who I am. I walked further into the room and ended up at my vanity table, dropping my shoes beside the table I opened the forbidden drawer.It was time to make a decision, my purse from the floor vibrated and I picked it up and fished out my phone from it, I got a text from Hillary, asking if I was back from the event and how it went, I know the mean thing she wanted to ask is the result of the test. I placed the phone on the table and reached for my zipper.The struggle to bring the zipper down required acrobatics, jumping and twisting, but finally, it relented. I stepped out of the gown, tossed it on my bed, and approached the test. Carrying it to the bathroom, I closed the door firmly and did what needed to be done, sitting on the toilet lid as I awaited the result.In less than five minutes, my heart pounded as I

Selena's POVI drove aimlessly around town to pass the time before meeting up with Hillary. When it was time, I picked her up from her workplace before heading to the hospital.After my name was called, I went in for the test. Afterwards, we were told to come back the next day."Cheer up, Sel," Hillary said from the passenger seat. "Let's go for some hot chocolate.""Chocolate," I repeated, thinking it might help alleviate this emotional breakdown.I parked in front of a restaurant, and Hillary gave me a confusing look. "Sel, can you afford this place?""I can," I assured her. Jake had credited me; he was also keeping his end of our bargain. I thought he had forgotten, since he hadn't mentioned it, and I hadn't received any money from him. But he had actually paid for the missed months.Our planned contract marriage would not only benefit him; I would get something out of it too. I then parked in the open parking lot, and we got out. After securing my car, we made our way to the resta

Selena’s POVWhen Kelvin left us alone, Max was passed out in his car seat, so I decided to sit in the car for a while before leaving.“Your stepbrother-in-law is quite handsome,” Hillary remarked.“Don’t even think about it,” I warned her. “I've seen him with Rose,” I added.“Rose, your friend from high school?” Hillary inquired.“Yeah,” I nodded.“How is she these days? You rarely talk about her,” Hillary noted.“She’s fine,” I replied.“Ah, right. What are you going to do about the reunion? Are you attending?” Hillary asked.I had forgotten about that, or tried to forget about it. It was tomorrow evening, and by then I would have gotten my result. Would I be able to cope with whatever comes after that? “I… I don’t know,” I admitted. I really wanted to attend, to at least feel like I belong to something.“They won’t miss me if I don’t attend,” I said.“Really? But if I’m not wrong, you talked about attending any reunion from your high school because of your first love. Don’t you sti