Chapter 16: A Child I Never Planned

Ella’s POV

The doctor’s words landed like a strike to the chest, knocking the air out of me. Pregnant. My stomach dropped, and suddenly the white hospital walls felt like they were closing in, the bed shifting beneath me as though the ground itself wasn’t steady anymore.

Pregnant.

The word repeated in my head, louder each time, until my ears rang with it. I shook my head quickly, my voice breaking as the denial poured out.

“No,” I whispered, then ...