Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
LIVIANNA/LILY
Now
Triple The Threat & One Extra Thump
There’s no rewind button when living happens in real time.
“Callum?” I sit up. “You don’t have to stay here with me. I’m fine now.”
He gazes at me from the other end of the couch, his expression unreadable. “You passed out on your floor an hour ago.”
“I know, but I’m better. You can go if you need to.”
“I don’t need to go anywhere.” He shifts slightly, settling deeper into the cushions. “Unless you want me to leave.”
“No, I just don’t want you to feel obligated.”
“That’s far from how I feel. I wanna be here.” The sincerity in his voice makes my chest tight.
Upstairs, three pregnancy tests sit on my bathroom counter. Three pieces of plastic that hold answers I’m terrified to read.
And here rests Callum, the man who thinks we’re taking steps to build a future together, completely unaware that everything could change in the blink of an eye.
My phone buzzes on the coffee table. I reach for it, grateful for the distraction.
Ella: How are you feeling? You sounded sick this morning.
I type back.
Me: Better. Just needed rest. Working from home today has helped.
Another text comes through before I can set the phone down. This one from Marcus Chen’s assistant.
Joanna: Mr. Chen would like to confirm the contract signing for Thursday at two o’clock. Please advise.
Me: Confirmed. Looking forward to it.
“Work?” Callum gestures to my phone.
“Yep. The Marcus Chen deal is moving forward.” I set the phone down and try to focus on anything other than those damn tests upstairs. It’s like they’re screaming at me to look at them. “Should be finalized and filed in a couple of weeks.”
“That’s huge, Lily. Congratulations.”
“Thanks.” I pull the blanket tighter around myself, suddenly cold despite the warm sunlight streaming through the windows.
The nature documentary drones on. Penguins waddling across ice. Their simplicity mocks the chaos in my head.
I need to go read those results and know for sure. But if I look now with Callum sitting right here, I won’t be able to hide my reaction.
And if they’re positive, I’ll fall apart. I’ll want to run straight to Jax’s office and tell him everything, consequences be damned.
But that’s not fair to anyone. Not to Jax, who deserves a private conversation, not a public scene. And not to Callum, who deserves better than finding out I’m pregnant with another man’s child through my panic and desperation.
So, I wait. Only a few more hours until six o’clock. Just more time pretending everything is fine while my entire world shifts beneath me.
My phone rings. Bren’s name flashes across the screen.
I answer. “Hey, Bren. How’s Spain?”
“Hey, Livianna.” He clears his throat. “Callum texted me. Said you had a panic attack?”
I close my eyes. Of course, Callum texted him. “Yes, but I’m fine. It was just stress.”
“Are you sure? You haven’t had one in a while, so…?”
“Bren, I’m okay. Callum’s here.”
There’s a pause. “He’s still there?”
“Yeah. He’s been taking care of me.”
Another pause, longer this time. “Can I talk to him?”
I glance at Callum, who’s listening in on my side of the conversation. I hold my phone out to him.
“Bren wants to talk to you.”
Callum takes it as his cheeks turn red. “Hey, mate.”
Callum’s expression shifts to understanding. He stands and meanders toward the kitchen, giving me space but staying close enough that I can hear fragments of him speaking.
“Yeah, she’s okay now… No, she refused... I know... I’m not leaving unless she asks me…” There are a few beats of silence. He growls. “Yeah, mate. I’ll leave soon.”
He hangs up and faces me. “I’m needed at the studio. There’s this meeting I should be at. I’m the only one who can sign off on this contract we’re putting together.”
“Then you should go.” My heart rate spikes because I know exactly what I’m going to do the second Callum leaves.
He tilts his head, his gaze roaming over me. “I’m worried about you. What if…?”
“Callum, you can’t stay here all night. Go do your business.” I gesture to my office down the hall. “Believe me, I have plenty to preoccupy myself with.”
“Of course you do.” He nods as if he’s trying to convince himself I’ll be safe without him here.
“Callum, your work needs to be a priority. Trust me. If I need anything, you’ll be the first person I call.” I try to breathe through the anxiety clawing at my chest.
Upstairs. The tests are upstairs. Waiting.
But I already know. My body knows. The exhaustion, the nausea, and the way everything smells wrong. I’ve been here before, and it ended in loss and heartbreak.
No, Livianna. Don’t think like that.
This time is different. I’m older, my career is stable, and I have all the resources I need to take care of a baby.
Timing. It all comes down to timing.
If I’d gotten my period when I was supposed to, none of this would be happening. If Jax hadn’t left for Malaysia when he did, if I hadn’t run into Callum at Coachella, if the app hadn’t malfunctioned…
But it did. And here we are.
Callum returns to the living room. “Guns says he’ll check in with you later.”
“Figures. He gets concerned just like you.”
Callum sits down again, closer this time. “Guns said you haven’t had an attack for a long time. Am I the one who’s causing all your stress?”
The tenderness in his voice breaks something in me. He has no idea what’s coming. In a few hours, I’ll most likely be sitting across from Jax, telling him he’s going to be a father.
Callum has no idea that the future he’s been fighting so hard for is about to shatter into pieces neither of us can put back together. My heart shrinks at the thought.
“Callum…” I force a smile. “I have so much to do. Let’s talk more about this when we have enough time to actually discuss what’s going on.
“Yeah. That’s a good idea.” He studies my face, searching. “Just promise me you won’t push me away. Promise me if I keep my word and show you I’ve changed, you’ll let me stay in your life.”
Jesus. His plea is a brutal gut punch. I’m going to wreck him and there’s no way around it. I’m about to burst into tears at the cruelty of it all.
Instead, I swallow and do the only thing I can. I nod.
“Thanks.” He stands, reluctance in every movement. “I’m giving you some space, but I'm keeping my phone on. You call me if you need anything. Anything at all.”
“I will.”
He leans down and kisses my forehead. “I love you, Lily.”
“I don’t deserve your love.”
“Yes, you do.” He dips his chin, sends me a warm gaze, and leaves.
I wait for his car to start, listening to the sound of the tires crunching on gravel as it goes down my driveway. Only when I’m sure he’s gone do I let myself breathe.
I stand on shaky legs and head upstairs. Each step I take is heavier than the last.
I peek inside the en suite. The three boxes are laid out on the counter, their bright packaging mocking me with promises of accuracy and early detection.
But I’m not ready yet. Not quite.
I need to shower first and wash away the sweat and panic from earlier. I need to put on clean clothes and feel human again before I face whatever truth is waiting for me.
The shower is near scalding. I stand under the spray until my skin turns red, and the water runs cold. I dress in loose jeans and a soft cotton shirt, nothing too constricting. My hands tremble as I pull my hair into a messy bun.
The tests sit exactly where I left them. Face down on the white quartz counter.
I’ve been avoiding this moment all day. Avoiding the truth that will change everything. But I’m out of time and out of excuses.
My heart pounds so hard I can feel it pumping the blood through my veins. The plastic is stiff and cold in my grasp.
I flip the first one over.
Two lines. Bold and unmistakable.
There it is. Just as I suspected, I’m pregnant.
My breath hitches. Or maybe the results are wrong. I reach for the second test.
The word stares back at me in digital clarity. Pregnant.
The third test shows a plus sign. Clear. Definitive. And undeniable.
Three tests, all are positive.
There’s no doubt I’m pregnant.
It doesn’t feel real. I stare at the results lined up on the counter, three different confirmations of the same life-changing truth. I’m carrying Jax’s child. My world just flipped upside down and I’m not freaking out like I thought I’d be.
The only thing that’s scaring me right now is the thought of the man who’s trying to win me back. Callum, who just spent the afternoon taking care of me.
My heart aches for him because he has no idea his world is about to implode. And once again, I’m the one who’s going to shatter him.
Life is sometimes just plain cruel, and our love keeps causing pain. We hurt each other even when that’s the last thing we want to do.
But I don’t have time to think about that. I need to get to Jax and tell him first. It’s three-thirty now. If I want to beat the traffic to Malibu, I need to leave soon.
I grab my keys and throw the phone that’s on the coffee table into my purse. My pulse races as I check my reflection in the mirror. I’m pale and look like I could use another full day of sleep.
I stare at myself. “Jaxon Crowne, please don’t let me down. Please take this news like the king I know you are.”
The drive to Malibu is a blur. I take Pacific Coast Highway, the ocean stretching endlessly in my peripheral sight. The sun is starting its descent toward the horizon, painting everything in shades of gold and amber.
My thoughts race as I try to find the words to say to Jax. Do I just blurt it out or what? How am I supposed to spring this on him when he made it clear…?
Don’t go there, Livianna. Being pregnant with his baby changes everything.
The radio plays in the background. There’s a rock song on that I don’t recognize. Then the opening notes of a song that makes my blood run cold.
“Forget Paris” by Mayhem. Callum’s voice, raw and aching, fills the space in my car.
A flash of hope, but signals misread, echoes of what used to be.