Our Accidental Forever
Chapter 32: Oh No!

Chapter 32: Oh No!

Ella’s POV:

I slumped onto Kate’s couch, feeling like the weight of the world had settled onto my shoulders. The fake wedding, the endless pretending, it was draining every last bit of energy I had. I had just come from another meeting with the wedding planner, finalizing details I didn’t care about for a wedding that wasn’t real.

"So, how’s the blushing bride-to-be?" Kate teased as she handed me a glass of wine. Her eyes sparkled with mischief, but I couldn’t even muster a smile.

I groaned. "It’s exhausting, Kate. Honestly, pretending to be excited about a wedding that’s not even real is more draining than I thought it would be.

The dress fittings, the guest list, the flowers, none of it means anything, and I have to act like it does." I took a sip of wine and leaned back, staring at the ceiling. "I’m pretending to be something I’m not, and it’s getting to me."

Kate sat down beside me, throwing her legs over the arm of the couch. "Well, I’m proud to be the fake chief bridesmaid to the fake bride," she quipped, a smirk playing on her lips.

"It’s like we’re living in a soap opera. Next thing you know, there’ll be a dramatic reveal at the altar, and someone will yell, ’Stop the wedding!’"

I let out a small chuckle despite myself. Leave it to Kate to make light of a situation like this. "You’re ridiculous."

"Hey, that’s what best friends are for, right? If I don’t cheer you up, who will?"

I sighed, the brief moment of humor fading as quickly as it came. "It’s just... keeping this whole thing a secret from my family is killing me. My mom is so happy, Kate. She actually thinks I’ve found the one, and I feel like a complete fraud every time I talk to her. I hate lying to her."

Kate nodded thoughtfully, the playful gleam in her eye softening. "I get it, El. It’s a lot to carry. But you knew this wasn’t going to be easy. I mean, on the bright side, at least you get a big compensation for all this. And you’re getting a break from the dating world, right?" She nudged me gently, trying to keep things light.

I smiled weakly. "Yeah, a break. But what if I get too good at pretending? What if I lose track of what’s real and what’s fake?"

Kate tilted her head, looking at me seriously for a moment. "Look, you’re not going to lose yourself in this. You’re doing this for a reason, and when it’s over, you’ll have your freedom. Just focus on that. And as for your mom... I mean, what’s the worst that could happen if she found out the truth? She might be disappointed, sure, but she loves you. She’d understand that you had your reasons."

I shook my head. "I can’t tell her, Kate. She wouldn’t understand. She’s so traditional, she’d be devastated if she knew this was all a lie. And I don’t want her to look at me differently."

Kate was silent for a moment before sighing. "Okay, I get it. It’s tough. But just remember, you’re not alone in this. You’ve got me. And hey, once the contract’s over, we can laugh about it. We’ll look back and say, ’Remember that time you faked a marriage to get your boss the CEO position?’ And then we’ll go eat ice cream or something."

I chuckled again, feeling a bit of the tension ease from my shoulders. Kate always knew how to take the edge off. "You make it sound so simple."

"It is simple. You’re just overthinking everything. And that’s why I’m here, to stop you from spiraling into wedding madness."

"I appreciate that," I said, giving her a small smile.

Kate grinned, jumping up from the couch. "Speaking of stopping spirals, I brought you something. Thought you might need it after the day you’ve had."

She disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a box of my favorite snacks, salted caramel chocolate bars, specifically. My mood instantly brightened. "You didn’t!"

"Oh, I did," Kate said with a triumphant smile. "I’m the best fake maid of honor ever. Here, have some."

But as she handed me the box, something strange happened. My stomach lurched the moment I caught a whiff of the caramel, and an unexpected wave of nausea hit me. I recoiled, making a disgusted face.

Kate’s eyes widened in shock. "Wait... what? This is your favorite! Don’t tell me the fake wedding has ruined your sense of taste too!"

I shook my head, trying to hold back the gag that was threatening to escape. "I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but the smell is just... ugh, I can’t."

Kate looked at me like I’d just grown a second head. "Are you serious? Ella, you love these. Here," she said, bringing the snack closer, "take another smell."

I flinched away, my stomach turning again. "Please don’t, Kate. I can’t."

She pulled the box back, her expression now a mix of confusion and concern. "Seriously, what’s going on with you? You’ve never turned down chocolate in your life."

I shrugged helplessly, equally baffled. "I don’t know. Maybe the stress of this whole fake wedding is getting to me more than I thought. I’ve been feeling off for a couple of days now."

Kate studied me for a moment, her teasing smile slowly fading into something more serious. "El, I hate to be that person, but... are you sure it’s just stress?"

I blinked, not catching on. "What do you mean?"

"You’ve been feeling off. Food that you normally love is making you nauseous. You don’t think..."

"Oh no," I interrupted, shaking my head. "Don’t even say it."

Kate raised her eyebrows, her voice cautious but insistent. "Have you... considered the possibility that maybe, just maybe, you might be pregnant?"

The question hit me like a ton of bricks, and I felt my heart rate spike. My mind raced back to that night with Arec, the night everything got out of hand in a drunken haze. We hadn’t used protection.

Oh no.

Kate’s eyes widened as she watched the realization dawn on my face. "El?"

I swallowed hard, suddenly feeling like the room was spinning. "Kate... what if I am?"