Chapter Seven Unexpected Twist
Harpers POV
E van and I have kept things professional on the surface, indulging in secret entanglements when time and temptation allowed. It worked until now . We built something tangled in heat and hunger, and now?
Now, Im staring at two pink lines.
Pregnant .
The word shatters in my head like glass, sharp and unforgiving.
I sink onto the closed toilet seat, my fingers trembling as I clutch the test. My heart pounds so violently I swear it might bruise my ribs from the inside.
This cant be real.
But the second line doesnt fade.
Its still there.
Still positive.
Panic claws up my throat, thick and choking. I press a hand to my stomach like I can will the truth away. But all I feel is warmth. Life .
The moment flashes back with merciless clarityhis desk, my body draped over polished wood, his mouth at my throat, his cock driving into me so deep I forgot my name. One time. That was all it took. One unprotected, desperate moment.
And now this.
My chest aches. My legs feel boneless. Ive spent my entire career becoming more than what they expect. Outworking, outperforming, outlasting.
But how do I outlast this?
Maybe I wait. Maybe I dont say anything at all. I could swallow this truth like Ive swallowed so many others. But this? This wont stay buried.
The next day, the office feels tighter. Like the walls are watching.
Or maybe its mewatching myself unravel.
Every glance feels loaded. Every whisper feels like a knife tip. I walk straight, shoulders back, trying to remember who I am. Who I was.
Then I hear it.
" Think shes gunning for a ring ?"
A scoff. " Wouldnt be the first assistant to fuck her way into the boardroom ."
I freeze, nausea rising. My cheeks burn. Rage and humiliation war beneath my skin. I want to scream. I want to storm in and shove the truth down their smug throats.
Instead, I keep walking.
Straight to my phone.
We need to talk.
Its the only message I send.
By the time I reach Evans office, Im shaking. Not from fear. From pressure, heat, shame, and need.
Hes behind his desk, flawless and composed in a tailored navy suit. When his eyes meet mine, something flickers thereconcern, or maybe something darker.
"I need to talk to you," I say, voice tight.
He straightens. "Go on."
I look at himreally look. The man who wrecked me with a single touch. Who made me crave every forbidden inch of him. Who made me want.
" Im pregnant ."
The words leave my mouthand something in me shatters with them. Like Im giving away a secret I never meant to share. Like Ive lost control of the one thing I never wanted him to hold.
He blinks once. Twice. His jaw locks. His nostrils flare. He doesnt move.
"Youre lying."
The voice is too quiet. But the tension beneath it rips through the room.
"I wish I were," I say, barely above a whisper.
He stares at me like hes trying to see the lie in my eyes. His knuckles whiten as he grips the edge of the desk.
"Are you sure?"
"Three tests. Same result."
He paces once, a slow, measured stridelike hes keeping himself from exploding.
"Say something," I demand, my voice breaking.
He opens his mouth
The intercom buzzes. Sir, the board is waiting.
His eyes close. A breath leaves him like a curse.
He looks at me, and for a moment I think hes going to say itsomething real. Something that matters.
But he doesnt.
He looks at his phone.
But theres a flicker. Right before he looks away. Pain? Guilt? I dont know. And I hate that I want to.
And thensilence.
I nod, once. I walk out before the tears fall.
My breath shakes. My spine trembles. My body aches in every place he ever touched.
I just told Evan Michaels he got me pregnant.
And he said nothing.
Not "Ill take care of you." Not "Well figure this out." Not even "I want you."
Just silence.
The kind that splits you open.
The kind that says everything without a single word.
I thought falling into Evans arms would undo me.
Turns out, its watching him let me go that does it instead.