Chapter_24
Tyler’s voice was steady as he asked, “Are you sure?”
The doctor, with unshaken confidence, replied, “I’m sure.”
Olivia’s eyes flickered towards Tyler. His face remained as impassive as ever, his thoughts locked behind a mask of neutrality. She felt a strange weight in the pit of her stomach, unsure if it was relief or disappointment. Tyler, however, wasted no time in asking, “Does she need to be admitted to the hospital?”
The doctor reassured them, “No, it’s not serious. She just needs some medicine.”
Tyler nodded, calm and composed as always. “Alright.”
The doctor soon left, and Olivia was left in a daze. Her mind replayed the conversation, trying to process the unexpected outcome. She wasn’t pregnant. She had almost convinced herself that it was true. The confusion, the anxiety—it was all so much to unravel, and now it felt like everything was falling apart in a way she hadn’t anticipated.
Tyler’s voice brought her back to the present. “The doctor said it’s only gastroenteritis.”
His words, though factual, felt distant to her. She couldn’t find any comfort in them. Her shoulders slumped, the realization that she was still not pregnant sinking in with an almost unbearable weight. She felt drained, as though all her energy had been exhausted by the uncertainty.
After a long silence, Olivia finally spoke, her voice small. “I’m sorry, I thought… I misunderstood.”
The sounds of babies crying in the hospital intensified her discomfort. The stark contrast between the hospital setting and her own turbulent emotions made everything feel more overwhelming.
Tyler didn’t linger on her apology, his demeanor unchanged. “Let’s go.”
She hesitated, but despite herself, she followed him. Her legs were still shaky, the residual dizziness from the day making her movements unsteady. Without warning, she stumbled forward, but before she could fall, Tyler’s hand shot out to steady her. The sudden contact surprised her, and she looked up, her gaze locking with his.
For a moment, everything seemed to slow down. As she fell into his embrace, it felt like the pressure that had been weighing on her for days finally lifted. The uncertainty, the fear—all of it faded in that brief instant.
“What do we do now that I’m not pregnant?” she whispered, still dazed and looking up at him.
Their eyes met, hers red and teary, filled with regret she couldn’t entirely understand. Tyler frowned, his expression unreadable as he looked at her. Then, in his usual detached manner, he said, “It’s not your fault if you don’t get pregnant after we try again. Let’s go with the flow.”
Olivia let out a shaky breath, her exhaustion consuming her. She had waited for this moment, for the result, and now it was here, she felt nothing but drained. Tyler held her tighter, his hand gently patting her head as he whispered in her ear, “Don’t be afraid.”
She buried her face in his chest, the warmth of his presence grounding her. For a moment, she allowed herself to rely on him, to let go of the tension that had built up inside her. To anyone else, they would look like a couple, caught in an intimate embrace. But inside, Olivia knew the truth—they were anything but that.
Tyler eventually helped her to her feet. As she pulled her hands away from his shoulders, he reached for her wrists, his grip firm but not unkind. Olivia’s hands trembled slightly, and her body instinctively curled up, but she didn’t pull away. “I’m much better now,” she whispered, though her voice was quiet, almost defeated. “I can walk on my own.”
He didn’t respond to her words. Instead, he held onto her hand and led her down the corridor without a word. Olivia was too drained to protest, allowing him to guide her.
Once they reached the hospital’s basement parking lot, they got into the car. Olivia finally pulled her hand from his, the lingering stickiness between them almost too much to bear. Tyler didn’t seem to mind, though, and he didn’t try to reach for her again. The drive back to the school was silent, the tension thick between them.
As they pulled up in front of the school, Tyler reminded her, “Remember to take the medicine the doctor prescribed.”
She nodded, her voice soft but polite. “Sorry for wasting your time today.”
Tyler didn’t respond. His face remained as impassive as ever, but there was something about the quiet exchange between them—something unspoken—that lingered long after he had driven away.