Chapter 4 The First Signs

The first sign was the nausea.

Olivia noticed it on a Tuesday morning, right after she stepped off the bus and into the familiar rush of the city. The air smelled like exhaust and coffee, usually harmless, but today it made her stomach twist.

She stopped on the sidewalk, gripping the strap of her bag, breathing slowly until the feeling passed.

Probably stress, she told herself.

The overseas project had doubled her workload overnight. Late nights. Early mornings. Too much coffee. Too little sleep.

All perfectly reasonable explanations.

By the time she reached the office, she felt steady again. She dismissed the incident and buried herself in work.

The second sign came before noon.

They were in a meeting with senior management when the room suddenly felt too warm. Olivia sat perfectly still, notes in front of her, nodding at the right moments while a dull wave of dizziness rolled through her.

She pressed her feet flat against the floor and focused on breathing quietly through her nose.

Don't make a scene.

Across the table, Alexander Kane was speaking calm, confident, commanding attention without effort. Olivia kept her eyes on her tablet, but she could feel his presence the way she always did now.

Too aware. Too sharp.

"Ms. Carter?"

Her head snapped up.

"Yes," she said quickly.

Alexander looked at her, brows slightly drawn together. "Your assessment?"

She cleared her throat. "The revised timeline is achievable if we finalize the vendor contracts by Friday. Otherwise, we risk delays."

"Agreed," he said.

His gaze lingered for half a second longer than necessary.

Concern flickered there.

The meeting continued, but Olivia's focus wavered. Her stomach rolled again, stronger this time. She forced herself to remain still, willing the feeling to pass.

It didn't.

When the meeting ended, she stood too quickly and had to grab the back of her chair to steady herself.

"You okay?" Rachel asked under her breath as they walked out.

"Yes," Olivia said automatically. "Just skipped breakfast."

Rachel frowned. "That's not like you."

Olivia smiled weakly and returned to her desk.

By mid-afternoon, the nausea was constant. Not sharp enough to be alarming, but persistent, like a warning she refused to read.

She sipped ginger tea instead of coffee. Ate crackers from the vending machine. Told herself it would pass.

It didn't.

By the time five o'clock rolled around, her head throbbed and her blouse felt uncomfortably tight across her chest. She loosened the top button and exhaled slowly.

Alexander passed her desk on his way out of a call. He slowed when he saw her.

"You're still here," he said.

"Yes," she replied, eyes on her screen.

"You've been here since before eight."

"I'm almost done."

He studied her face. "You don't look well."

The comment startled her.

"I'm fine," she said quickly.

"Are you sure?"

She looked up, intending to reassure him, but the concern in his eyes made her pause.

"Yes," she said more softly. "Just tired."

He nodded, though he didn't look convinced. "Go home once you finish."

"I will."

He hesitated, then continued down the hall.

Olivia watched him go, a strange mix of comfort and unease settling in her chest.

That night, the nausea woke her just before dawn.

She barely made it to the bathroom before her stomach heaved. She knelt on the cool tile floor, one hand braced against the sink, breathing hard as the wave passed.

When it was over, she sat back on her heels, heart racing.

This is not normal.

She rinsed her mouth, splashed water on her face, and stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her skin looked pale. Her eyes were shadowed with exhaustion.

She pressed a hand lightly against her stomach.

The thought came uninvited.

No.

She shook her head immediately. It was impossible. She was careful. She always was.

One mistake didn't mean

She stopped herself.

The elevator. The tension. The night she had tried so hard not to think about.

Her chest tightened.

She checked the calendar on her phone.

The date stared back at her, unchanging.

She hadn't noticed.

She hadn't been counting.

Her breath caught.

"It's stress," she whispered aloud, as if saying it might make it true.

The rest of the day passed in a haze. Olivia went to work, smiled when necessary, completed her tasks. But her thoughts kept circling the same place, tighter and tighter.

By afternoon, she couldn't ignore it anymore.

She left the office early, claiming a headache, and stopped at a pharmacy on her way home. She stood in the aisle longer than necessary, staring at the shelves.

She told herself she was being ridiculous.

She picked one up anyway.

At home, she placed the small paper bag on her kitchen counter and walked away from it. She changed clothes. She tried to read. She paced.

An hour passed.

Then another.

Finally, she returned to the counter.

Her hands shook as she took the test out of the packaging. She followed the instructions carefully, methodically, as if treating it like a work task might keep emotion out of it.

She set the timer.

Three minutes.

The longest three minutes of her life.

Olivia stood in her bathroom, arms crossed tightly over her chest, staring at the door as if looking away might change the outcome.

The timer beeped.

Her heart slammed against her ribs.

Slowly, she turned.

She looked down.

Her breath left her in a rush.

The result stared back at her, clear and undeniable.

Positive.

The room seemed to tilt.

Olivia gripped the sink, her mind racing as disbelief crashed into reality. This wasn't possible. This couldn't be happening.

But it was.

She sank onto the edge of the tub, the test clutched in her hand like it might disappear if she let go.

Her thoughts scattered.

Her job.

Her future.

Alexander.

The memory of his touch burned fresh in her mind now, no longer something she could push aside.

Tears blurred her vision, but she didn't let them fall. Crying wouldn't fix anything.

She needed to think.

She needed a plan.

Her phone buzzed suddenly on the counter.

She flinched.

A message lit up the screen.

Alexander Kane: Are you feeling better?

Her chest tightened painfully.

She stared at the message for a long moment, the test still in her hand.

The truth pressed down on her, heavy and unavoidable.

Her life had just changed.

And Alexander Kane had no idea.