Chapter 3- The next morning, Lila woke up before the sun. Her room was still cloaked in shadows, the pale blue of early dawn barely touching the edges of her curtains. The air was cool, still, like the world was holding its breath. But her mind was already racing. The test sat on her nightstand like a secret she couldn’t unsee. Two pink lines. Still there. Still real. She rolled over and stared at the ceiling, her hand resting lightly on her stomach. It didn’t feel different. Not yet. But something inside her had shifted—quietly, irrevocably. She wasn’t just Lila Monroe anymore. She was… something more. Something terrifying. Something sacred. She thought about the girl in her sketchbook, curled up in a field of wildflowers. Maybe she’d give her a face today. Maybe she’d give her wings. She didn’t know how to tell her father. She didn’t know how to survive it. She got dressed slowly, choosing a hoodie two sizes too big and jeans that still fit—barely. Her reflection in the mirror looked the same, but she knew better. She brushed her hair, tied her shoes, and walked out the door like it was any other day. By the time she got to school, her nerves were frayed. Every sound felt louder, every glance sharper. Her backpack felt heavier than usual, like it carried more than just books. Ryan met her at the front steps, his backpack slung over one shoulder, a paper bag in his hand. His smile was soft, tentative. “Breakfast,” he said, holding it out. “Egg sandwich. No onions.” She smiled, touched by the gesture. “Thanks.” They sat on the back steps of the gym, away from the noise of the morning crowd. The concrete was cold beneath them, and the sky was still streaked with gray. Ryan unwrapped his own sandwich and took a bite, chewing thoughtfully. “I’ve been thinking,” he said after a moment. “We should go to the clinic. Get it confirmed. Make sure everything’s okay.” Lila nodded. “I want to. I just… I don’t have insurance. Or money.” “I’ll cover it,” he said without hesitation. “I’ve got some savings. From working with my uncle last summer.” She looked at him, her heart swelling with something too big to name. Gratitude. Love. Fear. “You don’t have to do all this.” “I know,” he said. “But I want to.” They made an appointment for that afternoon. Ryan borrowed his mom’s car and picked Lila up after school. The drive was quiet, the radio playing soft acoustic songs that neither of them really heard. The clinic was small and quiet, tucked between a laundromat and a pawn shop. Its sign was faded, the letters peeling at the edges. The waiting room smelled like antiseptic and old magazines. A fish tank bubbled in the corner, its lone goldfish circling endlessly. Lila filled out the forms with trembling hands. Ryan sat beside her, his knee bouncing nervously. When the nurse called her name, he stood too. “You can come,” Lila whispered. He nodded and followed her in. The ultrasound room was cold, the walls painted a sterile shade of blue. The technician was kind but brisk, explaining each step as she applied the gel and moved the wand across Lila’s stomach. The screen flickered to life, static and shadows. And then—there it was. A flicker on the screen. A heartbeat. Lila stared, her breath caught in her throat. Ryan reached for her hand and squeezed it, his fingers warm and steady. “That’s your baby,” the technician said softly. Lila didn’t speak. Couldn’t. She just watched the tiny blur of life on the screen and felt something crack open inside her. Not fear. No regret. Something else. Something like awe. When they left the clinic, the sky was streaked with orange and pink. The sun was setting behind the trees, casting long shadows across the parking lot. The air smelled like rain, even though the ground was dry. They sat in the car for a long time, neither of them speaking. The silence wasn’t heavy this time. It was full—of questions, of wonder, of something new. Finally, Ryan broke the silence. “We’re really doing this.” Lila nodded. “Yeah. We are.” He looked at her, his eyes full of something fierce and unshakable. “I’m with you. All the way.” And for the first time since she saw those two pink lines, Lila believed it. She wasn’t alone.
