Chapter 3 The Doctor's discovery

I stared at the message in the darkness, Alexander's breathing steady beside me. I wanted to type back. I wanted to scream into the phone that no, I wasn't okay; I hadn't been okay in so long I'd forgotten what okay felt like.

My fingers moved. "I'm fine. Just tired."

I looked at the words. Deleted them.

Typed: "All good!"

Deleted that too.

The cursor blinked. Waiting. Judging.

I set the phone down without sending anything.

Alexander would check it in the morning. He always checked. And anything I said to Sarah would be used against me, twisted into evidence of my disloyalty, proof that I was turning my friends against him.

I closed my eyes.

Tomorrow I have a doctor's appointment. My annual checkup was scheduled months ago, before everything had gotten quite this bad. One hour in a doctor's office. One hour where Alexander couldn't follow me, couldn't monitor me, couldn't-

Unless he insisted on coming.

The thought made my chest tighten. Would he insist? Would he find a reason why I needed him there, why I couldn't be trusted alone with a doctor?

I'd deal with that tomorrow.

For now, I counted breaths in the darkness. Listened to Alexander sleep the peaceful sleep of someone whose conscience was clear, whose world made sense, and who believed himself to be the hero of this story.

And I lay awake in the ruins of my life, wondering how much longer I could survive it.

The waiting room felt like a sanctuary. Pale blue walls, magazines fanned across coffee tables, the low murmur of a receptionist on the phone. Normal. Safe. Anonymous.

For the first time in weeks, no one was watching me.

I'd scheduled this appointment months ago, back when annual checkups were just routine maintenance, not elaborate escapes. Alexander was at work-a meeting with investors he couldn't miss. He'd interrogated me about the appointment this morning, of course.

What time? Which doctor? How long it would take. I'd answered each question carefully, knowing he'd verify every detail.

"Elena Rodriguez?" The nurse smiled warmly. "Right this way."

I followed her down the hallway, my heart lighter than it had been in months. One hour. I had one hour of freedom.

The exam room was small, clinical and impersonal. Perfect.

Dr. Sarah Mitchell had been my doctor for five years, since before Alexander. She knew me. The real me, not the carefully constructed version I'd become.

"How are you, Elena?" she asked, settling onto her stool. "It's been a year."

"I'm fine. Just the annual checkup."

She pulled up my chart on her tablet and scrolled through. "Any concerns? Changes in your health?"

"No. Everything's normal."

"How's your stress level?"

I hesitated. She was watching me carefully, and I remembered suddenly that at my last appointment-before things got quite this bad-I'd mentioned feeling anxious. She'd recommended therapy. I'd started going. Then Alexander had decided therapy was "unnecessary".

"Manageable," I said.

"Sleep?"

"Fine."

She didn't look convinced, but she moved on. "Let's go through the standard questions. When was your last period?"

I tried to remember. Time had become slippery lately, days blending together in an exhausted haze. "Um... maybe six weeks ago? Seven? I've been irregular."

"Have you been under unusual stress?"

I almost laughed. Unusual stress. That was one way to describe my life.

"A bit," I said.

She made a note. "Any other symptoms? Nausea? Fatigue? Breast tenderness?"

I thought about it. I had been tired lately. Bone-tired. But I'd attributed that to Alexander's sleep deprivation tactics, the late-night interrogations that stretched until dawn.

Nausea? Yes, actually. In the mornings. But I'd thought it was anxiety.

"Maybe some nausea," I admitted. "But I think it's just stress-"

"Let's do a quick pregnancy test," Dr. Mitchell said, already standing. "Just to rule it out before we run other labs."

The world tilted slightly. "I don't think I'm-"

"Standard procedure when periods are irregular. Better safe than sorry. I'll have the nurse bring you a cup."

She left before I could protest.

Pregnant. I couldn't be pregnant. We were careful. Mostly careful. Except-

I thought back. Six weeks ago. Seven weeks. That weekend when Alexander had been in a good mood, when things had felt almost normal again, when I'd let myself hope that maybe we could get back to who we used to be.

The nurse returned with a small plastic cup and directions to the bathroom down the hall.

I took the test in a daze, my hands shaking. Set the cup in the designated spot. Washed my hands three times, watching water swirl down the drain.

Back in the exam room, I waited. Stared at the anatomical posters on the walls. I tried not to think. Failed.

What if I am pregnant?

The thought was too big, too terrifying to hold in my mind all at once.

A baby. Alexander's baby.

The man who'd interrogated me until four AM last night. Who'd accused me of infidelity for laughing at a colleague's joke. Who monitored my phone calls with my own mother.

Dr. Mitchell returned. Her expression was carefully neutral in that way doctors have when they're about to deliver news.

"Elena, you're pregnant. About six weeks along."

The words hit me like a physical blow. I stared at her, unable to process, unable to breathe.

"Pregnant," I repeated dumbly.

"Yes. Based on your last period and the test results, I'd estimate you're six to seven weeks." She sat down, her voice gentle. "Is this... is this good news?"

I opened my mouth. I closed it. I opened it again.

Once, this would have been joyful. Once, I'd imagined having Alexander's children. Little dark-haired babies with his blue eyes and my smile. A family built on love and partnership and mutual respect.

But that Alexander didn't exist anymore. Maybe he never had.

This Alexander would weaponise a pregnancy. Would accuse me of trying to trap him. Would question if it was even his. Would use the baby as another tool of control, another chain to keep me locked in this beautiful prison.

Or worse-what if his paranoia convinced him I'd gotten pregnant on purpose? What if he demanded a paternity test? What if he used the pregnancy as proof that I'd been unfaithful and twisted it into evidence of all his accusations?

My hand went to my stomach automatically. Flat. Empty. Except it wasn't empty anymore.

"Elena?" Dr. Mitchell's voice was careful. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know," I whispered. The truth, raw and terrible.

"You have options. You don't have to decide anything today. But you do need to start taking prenatal vitamins, and we should schedule a follow-up for six to eight weeks-"

"He can't know." The words came out urgent, desperate. "My husband. He can't know. Not yet."

Dr. Mitchell's expression shifted. I saw understanding dawn in her eyes, and something else. Concern. Maybe recognition.

"Elena, are you safe at home?"

The question hung in the air between us. Was I safe? Physically, yes. Alexander had never hit me. But safe? What did that word even mean anymore?

"I'm fine," I said automatically. "I just need time to figure out how to tell him. It's complicated."

She held my gaze for a long moment. "If you need resources. If you need help. We have social workers who can-"

"I'm fine," I repeated, firmer this time. "Really. I just need to process this."

She didn't look convinced, but she nodded. "I'm going to give you some prenatal vitamin samples. Start taking them daily. And here-" She scribbled on a prescription pad. "Information for the pregnancy hotline. And some other resources. Just in case."

I took the papers and the vitamin samples and shoved them deep in my purse where Alexander wouldn't see them.

"Follow-up in six weeks?" she asked.

"Yes. I'll call to schedule."

"Elena." She touched my hand briefly. "Whatever you need. I'm here."

I nodded, not trusting my voice.

In my car in the parking lot, I sat frozen, hands gripping the steering wheel. My phone buzzed incessantly in my purse. I ignored it.

Pregnant.

I was pregnant with Alexander Blackwood's child.

The baby who would give him complete control over me. Who would trap me in this marriage forever. Who would be used as leverage, as punishment, as proof of his ownership.

Unless.

Unless he never knew.

The thought was dangerous. Impossible. He monitored everything. He'd notice if I started gaining weight, if my body changed, if I-

My phone was still buzzing. How many texts now? Ten? Fifteen?

I pulled it out with shaking hands.

Seventeen messages. All from Alexander.

"Where are you?"

"Why aren't you answering?"

"The appointment was only supposed to be an hour."

"Elena, answer me."

"I'm calling you."

Five missed calls. Six now. Seven.

I called him back before he could escalate further.

"Where the hell have you been?" His voice was sharp, controlled anger.

"Sorry, the appointment ran long. I'm heading home now."

"What took so long?"

"They were backed up. Busy day at the doctor's office." The lie came easily now. I'd had so much practice.

Silence. I could hear the suspicion in it, could almost see him calculating, analyzing my voice for deception.

"I'll see you soon," I said quickly, and hung up before he could interrogate further.

My hands were shaking. I needed to get home. But first-

I pulled into a pharmacy parking lot. Bought a pregnancy test with cash, ignoring the cashier's knowing smile. Alexander checked credit card statements obsessively. Cash left no trail.

In the pharmacy bathroom-fluorescent lights, cheap tile, the smell of industrial cleaner-I took the test.

Two minutes. The longest two minutes of my life.

Two pink lines appeared. Definitive. Undeniable. Pregnant.

I stared at those lines until they blurred. In this moment, alone in a pharmacy bathroom, I made a decision.