Page 132 of Entangled Vows

She shook her head, pushing the thoughts away, and stuffed the kits into her purse before heading out to find a restroom. She should’ve gone home.But where was home now?Without overthinking it, she found the nearest public restroom, locked herself in a stall, and sat down. This wasn’t the ideal place, but she couldn’t wait a second longer.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm the storm inside her, unwrapped the first test, read the instructions, and did everything she was supposed to do. She placed the capped stick carefully on the toilet paper dispenser. Then cleaned up, lowered the seat, and waited.

She stared at her phone screen and waited for exactly two minutes. But the longer she sat, the more her mind spiralled. Her pulse thudded in her ears, and she wanted to puke. The phone timer went off.

She swallowed hard and reached for the test, flipping it over with shaking hands.

Just look, Mahika. Face it.

She opened her eyes. And her world shook.

Two bright pink lines stared back at her.She was pregnant.

Holy fucking shit.

Her heart pounded. And that was just the beginning. Her mind spun with a thousand scenarios. What if Vikram thought she did it on purpose?

She hadn’t. She didn’t need his money, his name, or even him. She just wanted her freedom... the beach house. But logic didn’t calm the panic rushing through her.

Another thought hit her, and it almost broke her. What if he wanted a divorce? Then what? Of course, there would be a bit of money. But no job. No home. And those were the least of her worries. How was she supposed to live without him if it came to that?

The second timer went off, and she checked the next test. It was the same result.

Good god. She was going to be a mother.

And Vikram was going to be furious.

∞∞∞

Two hours later, by the time Mahika stepped out of the mall, it was late afternoon, and dark clouds loomed over the mountains. Her legs ached from wandering through stores, and her tote bag was heavier with books she hadn’t intended to buy. She’d sat in the corner of the bustling food court, drinking packaged orange juice, and had video-called Ishika, telling her everything. Ishika had been shocked, happy, and worried for her. She said all the right things and made her feel a lot better after they’d both shed some tears.

She was tired. Drained, actually. And yet, she wasn’t going to call Max.

She probably should have. He had offered to pick her up, and Vikram would have preferred it. But she needed to breathe. She needed to be alone, to put space between herself and everything that reminded her of Vikram, even if only for a few hours.

She headed towards the Uber pick-up zone, thumbing through the Uber app.

“Mahika?”

She stopped. The voice was familiar. She looked up to see Karan standing by a silver sedan, keys dangling from his fingers.

She blinked. “Karan?”

“Well, this is a surprise,” he said, stepping away from the car. “I saw you from across the lot. Thought I was seeing things.”

She smiled back at him, relieved to have her mind on something other than her problems for a change. “I had some errands to run. How have you been?”

“I’m good. But you look exhausted,” he said, studying her face a little too closely. “Rough day?”

“Just a bit. It’s nothing major. I probably just need some rest.” Mahika sighed. “How’s Priya? Is she here with you?” She looked around.

Karan’s smile faded, his jaw tightening as he rubbed his forehead. “She’s not here, Mahika.”

“Oh… all okay with you both?” she asked, noticing something odd in his expression.

“Yup. All fine.” Karan tilted his head with a faint smile. “Want to grab a coffee? I could use one myself.”

“I… I just had some juice, actually,” she informed in an apologetic tone.