Too Close To Fake

aurent d

alcul

hadn't plan

silence around her was thick-heavy in the way silen

. But her stomach turned-tight, sharp, like the

wasn't a p

as per

mascara smudged beneath her eyes, the faint red imprint of the test still pressed into her fingers. Her eyes looked

tials embroidered near the sleeve, a gift from her father's last business trip-suddenl

hoping it had changed. That she'd misread

ice inside her

e didn

down, she a

of mistake you coul

new she would

dy knew who s

ched her face like it meant som

secret she couldn't hold back any longer. L

he h

smi

crue

ki

softly.

ose kind of p

said. Like it exp

ency he couldn't aff

pause, dignity curled in th

he didn't bel

corn

made peopl

n wiped her hands, picked up her phone, and scrolled

ct: F

ic La

er entire life turnin

why she was calling-only

meant giving

ot ca

being alo

a Laurent couldn't stoma

ed the ca

t even r

r answered, voice f

cry. She di

. Bone-dry. Stripped o

Jared didn't know.

le

he thought the

one notices," he said fina

like

s a minor i

managed, not a da

d was still steady. But her

little longer-still, quiet,

ow, like even it could

and stepped out into the dim hallway,

med. Every corner shadowed. It wasn't even midn

r used to play piano there every Sunday morning. Befor

father's fixer. Always in heels, never surprised. She didn't

ack into her room. The suitcase

oversized. It wasn't stylish. It wasn't polished. But it felt quieter. Like so

the doorway and cro

the top

scarves, was a small clutch. Mid

he pregnancy

ita

other had given her years ago. It didn't work an

in her hand

ped it in

an. It wasn't

s somethi

now, that

, her eyes drifted toward the jewelr

ace was s

ven it to her for her last birthday, after teasing her for annotating Jane Eyre li

dn't p

even to

lf it didn't m

fit the

ason sat heavie

he goodby

d the dra

the staircas

oyer stretched out

n her mother and father, back when she still thought everything could be fixed by just b

the raili

tairs slowly-like a

he air outside bit at her skin the mome

waited. Sle

hut behind her,

ow, watching the mansion shrink behind the iro

ithout thinking, to th

pt

ed her ha

ore

re ch

a story she neve