Chapter 313
“W-what?” Aunt Ava stammers. “What did you say p>
I stand there rooted to the floor, my brain suddenly blank.
My heart is pounding so loudly it feels like it’s echoing in my ears, each violent thud drowning out every other sound in the room.
Sweat gathers under my arms as panic crawls up my spine, slow and suffocating.
Oh god. Oh god.
My eyes flicker to the shattered glass at Aunt Ava’s feet, the lemonade spreading across the floor like evidence of a crime scene, and the horrifying realization slams into me.
She heard, and she’s not the only one, because right next to her is Uncle Rowan and everyone else except the children.
Every muscle in my body goes rigid.
My mouth goes dry, my tongue sticking to the roof of my mouth as I try to form words that refuse to come out. My fingers twitch uselessly at my sides, the urge to run warring with the fact that my legs feel like they’ve been nailed to the floor.
How much did she hear? Just the last sentence? Or everything?
My gaze darts to Noah for a split second before snapping back to Aunt Ava, but that only makes things worse. The shock on her face is unmistakable, her eyes wide, her chest rising and falling like she’s forgotten how to breathe.
This can’t be happening. This was never supposed to come out like this.
Not here. Not now. Not in the middle of a damn celebratory gathering.
My stomach twists violently, the baby shifting inside me like he can feel the chaos pulsing through my body. The movement only makes the panic worse, tightening around my lungs until breathing feels like trying to inhale through a straw.
Think, Sierra… Say something… Fix this… But my mind is empty, wiped clean by the terror of what this moment could unleash.
My pulse roars in my ears as Aunt Ava’s stunned gaze locks onto mine, and the room suddenly feels far too small, the air thick and suffocating.
For a moment, no one moves. No one breathes.
Aunt Ava’s gaze shifts from me to Noah and back again, her eyes wide with shock as if she’s trying to piece together something she never imagined hearing.
“The baby…” she whispers slowly, like the words themselves frighten her. “The baby is Noah’s p>
My throat tightens. I open my mouth, but nothing comes out and beside me, Noah stiffens.
“Mom,” he starts, but she cuts him off immediately.
“Answer me!” she says sharply, her voice tinged with anger and frustration.
Her eyes return to me, searching my face like she’s hoping I’ll tell her she misunderstood.
“Tell me the truth, Sierra,” she demands, her voice trembling.
The room feels like it’s closing in around me, and for a second, the thought of lying flashes through my mind. Pretending she misunderstood. Pretending those words never left my mouth, but the truth is already out there, and there’s no taking it back.
When I don’t answer, she steps forward and grabs me, her fingers digging painfully into my arms as she shakes me.
“Tell me the fucking truth, Sierra!” she shouts, her face inches from mine.
Tears rush to my eyes, my heart racing wildly in my chest, but before I can say anything, my mother steps between us.
Her hand clamps down on Aunt Ava’s wrists, prying her fingers off me with surprising strength before pushing her back.
“Back off, Ava,” my mom growls, her voice low and dangerous. “I won’t let you upset her. She’s pregnant, for fuck’s sake p>
Aunt Ava stumbles a step back, clearly not expecting the resistance, but the shock on her face quickly morphs into anger.
“Oh don’t give me that, Ivy,” she snaps, her voice shaking with fury. “I just want to hear the fucking truth from her mouth p>
I’ve seen Aunt Ava angry before, but never like this. Never directed at me.
Standing here with her blazing eyes locked on mine makes my chest ache in a way I wasn’t prepared for.
“You better tell me the truth, or so help me God p>
Before she can finish, Mom steps forward, planting herself firmly in front of me like a shield.
“Threaten my daughter again and I’ll slap you into next week, Ava,” she growls, anger rolling off her in waves. “I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for her, but I will not stand here and let you hurt her p>
Aunt Ava is silent for a while as they have a standoff before her eyes narrow as if she just had a realization.
A cold hollow laugh slips past her lips.
“You knew,” she whispers.
“Yes,” Mom says simply.
Aunt Ava’s eyes widen.
“You knew…” Her voice cracks slightly. “You knew and you didn’t tell me p>
“It wasn’t my place p>
“That baby is my grandchild!” she snaps, her voice rising as her gaze drops to my stomach.
“Ava…” Uncle Rowan reaches for her arm, but she shakes his hand off, her eyes snapping back to me.
“You should have told me,” she says, her voice trembling with anger and hurt. “Instead, you let me walk around like an idiot trying to figure out what you and Noah were hiding p>