Samantha leaned on her best friend Hannah as she tried to compose herself. There were a lot of things going through her mind as she thought about what she was going to do if she was pregnant. She started imagining herself carrying a fluffy baby in her arms but then her responsibilities as a CEO of Trident and other things that she wanted to do in life was causing conflict in her interests.She knew that she wanted a child one day but she did not think that she can have one that soon. How was she going to take care of a child? Although she likes kids, she did not know anything about raising one.
Samantha clutched on her stomach once again and tried to stroke it very gently. However, the more that she thought about it, the more that she didn"t feel like there was something inside. Was she just paranoid for nothing? She was both conflicted and excited but she was more worried about the truth.
"Hannah, I need to find out," she murmured, her voice was a little m.u.f.fled as she pressed her face on Hannah"s shoulder. She liked staying in her embrace because she thought that it felt very warm and comfortable but what she really wanted at that time was Daniel. "What am I going to tell Daniel?" She suddenly panicked.
"Once we go back to the city tomorrow, we can buy a pregnancy kit. As for your husband… well… it"s up to you, S. Do you want to tell him this soon? I"d say you should but it is still up to you."
Just as Hannah finished her sentence, knocks sounded from the door behind them.
*knock* *knock* *knock*
The two friends inside the powder room jumped in surprise and their heads snapped towards the door. "Samantha? Are you in there?" Daniel asked from outside, making Samantha"s heart race rapidly. She and Hannah looked at each other, their eyes communicated but neither of them spoke until Samantha braved herself, "Y-yes, I"m here."
The m.u.f.fled sound inside the powder room masked Samantha"s nervous voice so Daniel did not know what was going on. "Are you okay?" He probed, wondering if his wife was feeling sick again.
"Uh-yeah… I was a little sick," Samantha answered, pursing her lips when she felt the urge to tell him about Hannah"s suspicion.
"Do you need anything? Can you open the door?" Daniel was getting worried that he had not seen her yet, "Why isn"t she opening the door?"
Breathing out deeply to prepare herself, Samantha nodded at Hannah and formed a slight smile on her face, "I"m coming out." She said and a few moments later, she opened the door.
Daniel saw Samantha walk out of the room with Hannah and he studied her pale face.It was a little moist and her hair was slightly disheveled. "What"s wrong?" He asked as he gently pulled her towards him so that he could see her closely. "Are you feeling dizzy? Why don"t you rest?"
Hannah excused herself to give the couple some privacy and joined the rest of the group downstairs by the fireplace.
"I"m okay. I just think my stomach did not like the seafood." Samantha replied and made it seem like it was not a big deal.
Looking at her, Daniel knew that she was only putting on a brave face for him when her lips curled up but her eyes looked weak. He brushed the hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear, "I hate seeing you like this." He sighed.
Daniel used to look like a cold and domineering man when he was at work but in Samantha"s eyes, he was always gentle, manly and really caring. The man in front of her right now looked helpless and her heart ached seeing him that way. Observing his worried expression, Samantha couldn"t help but wrap her arms around him. She wanted to feel his warmth but more than that, she wanted to make him feel better.
"I will get better, Daniel. I promise you that." She stated resolutely. "I also don"t like seeing you like this."
Daniel tentatively returned her embrace and kissed the top of her head. "Let"s go downstairs and join your friends."
The night at the cabin was surprisingly entertaining and memorable as everyone enjoyed each other"s company. Daniel talked with the men while they drank their preferred liquor while the women gushed about their love life and celebrity crushes.
Samantha was so happy that she got to spend her birthday week with her family and friends. For her, even though the gathering was very simple and unpretentious, it was the best birthday gift ever and she had Daniel to thank for that.
…
The next day, they drove back to the city and went straight to the airport as Charlie"s group was supposed to leave for Country D in a couple of hours.
"Kira, I really wish that you could come back with us today. We missed you there, you know?" Kai talked to her while the group prepared to board Lucas" private airplane.
"Yeah, you should come to visit us soon." River chimed in.
Samantha smiled as she remembered their days back then when she was still in her "Kira Phase". Although it was one difficult past for her, she was still thankful that she was able to experience that kind of life, away from everything and everyone. It could have ended differently if Daniel did not look for her but she was very grateful that he did and had always reminded herself to make up for what she did.
"I promise that I will come and visit you guys this year," she responded and just as she said that, Daniel walked towards them, carrying Jacob in his arms.
"Hey, little one…" Samantha beamed but Jacob looked pretty unhappy as he pouted his lips, making her heart flutter seeing how cute he was.
"Why don"t you tell her what you told me just now?" Daniel asked, subtly smelling the baby scent on Jacob"s shoulder. He was fascinated at how kids could smell like that and his heart grew fonder as they got closer.
Samantha s.h.i.+fted her gaze to her husband while she tried to read the situation but found no clue so she looked at Jacob again, "Oh? Do you have something to tell me?"
Smiling, Daniel decided to start, "I asked him if he was going to miss us. And what did you say, buddy?"
"I said, yes. Very much." Jacob replied with his cute little voice.
"And I asked him who he will miss more, me or Kira?"
"Kira."
Daniel snorted and rolled his eyes, jealous that he was not the little boy"s choice. Samantha grinned from ear to ear as she listened to their conversation.
Raising a brow, Daniel asked, "Why?"
"Because I love her. I love Kira."
"Yeah? And what else did you say?"
Little Jacob glanced at Daniel who nodded as if he was giving him a signal before looking at Samantha and said, "That I will love you even when I become a big boy."
"Awww... you are so sweet!" She took Jacob from Daniel and hugged him tightly while she was slightly teary-eyed. "I love you too, Jakey!"
Daniel ruffled little Jacob"s hair and the corner of his mouth curled up as he watched the pair in front of him.
...
Evening at the Cliffside Villa.
Samantha had been cooped up in the bathroom for the past hour, contemplating what she should do next.
She sat on the covered toilet while she bent over to look at the three pieces of pregnancy kit on the floor. She had used all three of them thirty minutes ago and her heart pounded so loudly in her chest when the results came out.
Samantha read up the box over and over to make sure that she had done it right.
"One line, negative. Two lines, positive." She chanted repeatedly, never taking her eyes off the kits after following the instructions on how to use them.
The first one that she used showed one very clear line and one very faint line. The result confused her a lot so she used the second kit and the result only revealed one line, indicating that it was negative.
Samantha sighed as she started to get a headache because of the situation that she was in. She badly needed Hannah at that time but it was already eleven in the evening and she did not want to bother her best friend that late.
She finally decided to do the third test and she cursed herself because it only confused her more. Just like the first one that she took, it was one clear line and one faint line.
It was positive.
Daniel knocked on the door of the bathroom, making her jump up in surprise while simultaneously grabbing the kits from the floor and holding them tightly in her hands.
"Honey? You"ve been in there for an hour. What"s going on?" He asked. "Please open up."
After breathing in and out a few times, Samantha decided to open the door and saw her husband staring at her like he was waiting for an explanation.
Daniel saw her clenching her hands and swallowing before she spoke in a low voice, "Daniel... we... need to talk."
And the moment that he heard her, he knew that it was something quite serious.