Chapter_6
Days blurred into one another for Olivia, each passing moment feeling heavier than the last. Half a month had slipped by in a haze, and she couldn’t shake the weight of it all. One morning, she found herself standing in the bathroom, pregnancy test in hand. This wasn’t the first time she’d taken one. She had become familiar with the process, but today, it felt different. Today, the anxiety was gnawing at her, making her hands tremble as she held the test, the manual a blur in her vision.
Each minute of waiting felt like an eternity, every second stretching longer as she stared at the result. The single line appeared—clear and unwavering. She didn’t need to look at the instructions again. The answer was right in front of her.
Tears pricked the back of her eyes, but she didn’t let them fall. Instead, she closed her eyes and stood still, as if the world could pause if she just willed it. The emptiness she felt wasn’t something she could easily explain—it was the hollow feeling of disappointment, of knowing that what she wanted most was slipping further away.
She forced herself to leave the bathroom and head downstairs. Mrs. Jones was waiting in the living room, her eyes immediately locking onto Olivia as she entered.
“How did it go, Olivia? Did you take the test?” Mrs. Jones’s voice was thick with hope, but there was a tremor of fear too, like she already knew the answer.
Olivia was silent for a long moment, the weight of the words she had to say pressing down on her. She held the test out to Mrs. Jones, the single line on the strip now a cruel confirmation of what they both feared.
Mrs. Jones’s face fell as she looked at the test. Her shoulders slumped as if something heavy had just crushed her. She stepped back involuntarily, her eyes widening with disbelief, then murmured, “What do we do now?”
Olivia didn’t have the answer. She only felt a growing sense of failure tightening in her chest.
Later, at the hospital, Olivia told Naomi the news. Naomi’s pale face seemed to lose a little more color as the disappointment settled in. She had been hoping for a different outcome, but now it was clear that hope would have to wait longer.
Olivia didn’t know what to say, but her guilt surged, and all she could manage was a quiet, “I’m sorry, Naomi.”
Naomi, ever the graceful one, mustered a weak smile. “It’s okay, Olivia. Don’t stress too much. There’s still time.”
Before Olivia could respond, Tyler appeared in the hallway, just as Mrs. Jones approached him.
“Tyler, she’s still not pregnant,” Mrs. Jones said, her voice tight with anxiety. The words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken worry.
Tyler’s brow furrowed, his face hardening with concern. He had always been the calm one, but even he couldn’t hide the somberness that took over him. Mrs. Jones, voice trembling, added, “Naomi can’t wait much longer… I don’t think you want to lose her too.”
“I know. Please calm down,” Tyler said, his voice steady but laced with a layer of exhaustion.
Olivia couldn’t help but overhear the conversation. She peeked around the doorframe and saw Tyler, his posture tense, his head lowered as he spoke to Mrs. Jones. His words were soft, but there was a distinct, cold distance in his tone that made Olivia’s heart ache.
She shuddered and quickly averted her gaze, retreating further into the room, her stomach twisting. What was her place in all of this? Did they truly see her as a means to an end? A tool to fix Naomi’s fragile health?
A few minutes later, Mrs. Jones entered the ward and called out to Olivia. “Tyler would like to talk to you.”
Olivia’s heart skipped a beat. She clenched her fists, feeling the anxiety rise in her chest. She nodded, her movements slow as she left the ward and walked toward Tyler, who was waiting by the door.
When she reached him, he suddenly extended his arm, catching her off guard. She didn’t know what he was doing, but before she could react, he quietly shut the door behind them. The quiet click of the lock felt like the closing of a chapter, and for the first time, Olivia felt the weight of their isolation.
“Did you take the test this morning?” Tyler asked, his voice gentle but firm. His gaze was downcast, his expression unreadable.
Olivia hesitated, her voice barely above a whisper. “Yes.”
“How many times did you do it?” he pressed, his eyes soft but serious.
“Twice,” Olivia answered, her eyes fixed on the floor. “I’ve been taking supplements, but I’m still not pregnant.”
Tyler’s expression softened further, his tone trying to comfort her, though Olivia wasn’t sure if it helped. “It’s okay. It has nothing to do with you, it’s my problem.”
The words didn’t immediately register. Olivia’s thoughts were still clouded, and she couldn’t quite grasp what he was implying. She looked up at him, confusion painted on her face.
“I understand that you didn’t want this,” Tyler continued, his voice a little more guarded now. “So I didn’t push you earlier because I didn’t want to frighten you.”
Olivia’s mind slowly processed his words, and then it clicked—he wasn’t just talking about the test. He was talking about something deeper. About them. About the situation they were in. She didn’t fully understand, but she had a vague feeling of unease.
“Do you mean…” Her voice faltered, barely audible. “We haven’t spent enough time together?” She sounded unsure, as if testing the waters of an uncomfortable truth. Her words barely left her mouth, fragile and small, like a whisper lost in the wind.
Tyler didn’t answer immediately. His eyes flickered with something unreadable, and for a moment, Olivia felt like she was staring into a void, unsure of whether she was ready to face whatever truth lay within it.