Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 29279 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 146(@200wpm)___ 117(@250wpm)___ 98(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29279 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 146(@200wpm)___ 117(@250wpm)___ 98(@300wpm)
“This is your brother or sister’s room,” I tell my new cat as he sniffs a small stuffed monkey on the floor next to a rocking chair. He meows softly and promptly lays down, putting his little head on the toy’s stomach.
“You’re so sweet,” I giggle before sighing and sitting down on the chair. Tom the Cat jumps into my lap and starts to purr again. I merely enjoy the quiet time and the company of my new pet. But after a while, I get up, groaning at the extra weight sitting in my belly. I pick up the kitten and put him in a large tote bag.
“Come on, Tom,” I say to the little fur ball. “Let’s go get more ice cream for Aunt Simona.”
I pick up my phone off the kitchen table, getting ready to put it in my bag next to the kitten. All of a sudden, my doorbell rings just as my phone vibrates in my hand. Weird. It must be Simona and my mom both calling at the same time. I head to the door while pocketing my vibrating phone, but then immediately fall back at the explosion of noise and flashing lights when the door opens. What the hell?
There are at least fifteen people standing on the welcome mat in front of my apartment. They’re all talking loudly, trying to ask questions before the others around them ask the same questions. My neighbors have their doors open, ogling the spectacle in the hall.
“Miss Hale, is it true you and Tom Masters are a couple?”
“Are you secretly married to an international celebrity?”
“Miss Hale, I see you’re pregnant. Is that his baby?”
My mouth opens and shut because I’m too overwhelmed to answer any questions. I don’t know what else to do, so I shove past the reporters and scramble down the stairs. It’s dangerous given that I’m pregnant, but I can hear them giving chase behind me. Holy cow!
Pushing past the throng, I scramble out onto the sidewalk. My car is parked in a garage across the street, but I don’t have time to use the crosswalk. Quickly, I step out into the road while a car horn blares as tires screech. I scream and skid to a halt, my heart pounding.
“Hey lady, what’s wrong with you?” the driver of the car yells out the window.
Clutching my heart at the near accident, I continue across the street. People on the sidewalks are staring when finally, I dart into the cool darkness of the garage. Making it to my little red VW, I shut and lock myself in before taking a deep breath. What on Earth is going on? How did these people find me? How do they know about Tom? I fumble with my keys, starting my car as my new kitten pokes his head out of my bag.
“Sorry baby,” I say in a shaky voice, scratching him. “Mommy will get you out of here.”
I start to reverse, only to see the crowd of reporters closing in behind my car. I slam on the breaks as they turn, but then I rev the engine in warning. As soon as the last one scatters, I screech out of the parking space, and speed towards the entrance of the garage. I know the way I’m acting is probably only making things worse, but for some reason, every protective instinct is telling me to get away.
Like a madman, I tear through the exit of the garage and into traffic, causing several cars to slam on their brakes. Soon, I’m on the freeway cruising. Thank god. There are no cars following me and I make an executive decision to head to my parents’ neighborhood to hide out for a while. The paparazzi wouldn’t know where Ana and Ronald live, would they?
The drive is a speedy fifteen minutes and as I exit the highway, I’m feeling a little bit calmer. Stopping at a red light, I quickly pull out my phone and scroll through fifteen text messages from Simona and thirteen missed phone calls from my mom. God, what is going on? Is the world losing its head? The light turns green and I ease forward into the intersection but then a large blue sedan, coming from the opposite direction, blows through their red light and before I can react, T-bones my side of the car.
There isn’t much after that. It’s a mixture of fear, pain and adrenalin. There’s silence for a little bit, and the sound of a hissing engine. Then I hear yelling and someone trying to open my door, but it’s wedged inward from the impact of the other vehicle. My whole body hurts and I don’t want to open my eyes but I sense sirens heading towards us in the distance.
Oh no, oh no. My baby. I’m hunched over, trying to clutch my belly, but I can’t move. Tears start rolling down my face, fear shooting through my body. Is my cat okay at least? I just barely manage to lift my head and look into my bag. The kitten stares up at me with wide eyes, his little sides heaving with fear.