Unraveling Secrets

Becky stared at her phone, her finger hovering over the screen. Ben Ratty. The man who had kissed her like she was the only thing that mattered, and then treated her like a mistake. The man who was her boss and now, possibly, the father of her unborn child.

Her heart raced as the phone rang, each second stretching into eternity. Her breath was shallow, her thoughts a whirlwind.

Should she pick up? Should she ignore him?

The ringing stopped.

The voicemail beeped.

"Becky, we need to talk. It's important. Call me back when you get this."

His voice was clipped, business-like, but there was an underlying urgency. Something about the tone made her blood run cold.

She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. This was it….the moment when everything would change.

Becky didn't call him back right away. Instead, she packed her apartment, the pregnancy test still in her hand, her stomach twisting with dread. The faint nausea she'd been feeling all morning was now impossible to ignore. She couldn't escape the reality of what was happening. But her mind kept racing, caught between anger and fear. What did Ben want from her now?

Was he even ready for this?

Her phone buzzed again. This time, it was a message from Julia: "Becky, please, call me. We need to figure this out together. You're not alone in this."

Becky wiped her eyes, feeling the weight of everything pressing down on her. She needed to focus, to make decisions. But one thing was certain: no matter what happened, she couldn't hide from this any longer. It was time to confront Ben.

She arrived at Ben's office later that afternoon, her heart pounding in her chest. As the elevator doors slid open, she felt a wave of anxiety wash over her. The sleek, cold interior of his penthouse office felt like a prison, and Ben, as usual, stood behind his desk like an impenetrable fortress.

His eyes locked onto hers as soon as she stepped into the room. For a moment, neither of them spoke. The silence between them was thick, charged with the history of the night before and all the unsaid words hanging in the air.

"You wanted to talk?" Becky's voice trembled, but she stood tall, not allowing him to see her vulnerability.

Ben's expression hardened, and he ran a hand through his hair. "We need to figure this out. I didn't mean for things to get out of hand, Becky. But last night..."

"Last night shouldn't have happened," she interrupted, her voice sharp.

He looked at her, his eyes dark and serious. "I'm not talking about the kiss, Becky. I'm talking about the situation we find ourselves in now."

Becky's breath hitched in her throat as he leaned forward, the weight of his words pressing down on her. She knew what he meant, but hearing him say it out loud was almost too much to bear.

"Are you... are you saying what I think you're saying?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Ben's gaze softened for the briefest of moments, but his expression quickly shifted back to something unreadable. "We need to discuss what happens next. You're pregnant, Becky."

The room seemed to close in around her. Every word he spoke felt like a punch to the gut.

"Pregnant?" she repeated, as if saying it out loud would somehow make it less real.

Ben didn't look away. "I didn't think this was what you wanted, but now we have to deal with the consequences."

The words were heavy, and Becky could feel the tension rising between them. She wanted to yell, to demand answers, but all she could do was stare at him.

"I don't know what to do with this... with us," she whispered, her voice faltering. "I don't even know what you want from me."

Ben stood and walked over to her, his presence suddenly overwhelming. He was close enough that Becky could feel the heat of his body, smell the faint scent of his cologne. He looked down at her, his face a mask of determination.

"I'm not going to abandon you, Becky," he said, his voice low and intense. "We're going to figure this out. Together."

Her heart skipped a beat. His words should have comforted her, but they only confused her further. Was he saying what she thought he was saying?

Was Ben really offering to help her? Or was this all just part of his business-like persona, an obligation he felt because of the situation?

"I don't need your charity," Becky said, her voice tight, fighting the sting of his offer. "I didn't ask for this. I don't need you to fix things."

Ben's jaw clenched. "This isn't charity, Becky. This is us trying to navigate a mess we both made."

She took a step back, her mind spinning. "I don't even know what to say to you anymore."

Ben took a breath, and for the first time, she saw a crack in his stoic exterior. "You don't have to say anything right now. Just know that I'm here."

The words hung in the air, and for a fleeting moment, it almost felt like he cared. Almost.

But Becky didn't want to get her hopes up. She had no idea what this meant for their future.

Ben's phone rang, interrupting the moment. He glanced at the screen before silencing it, then looked at Becky with a frustrated expression.

"I need to take care of something. I'll be back in a few minutes," he said, his tone clipped.

Becky nodded, her mind racing with too many thoughts. Was this it? Was this the moment they'd start figuring things out, or was she just another problem for him to solve?

As Ben turned to leave the office, Becky's phone buzzed once more.

Julia: "Becky, I found something out. You need to come to me now. It's about Ben."

Her heart skipped a beat as the words sent a jolt of panic through her.

What could Julia have found out?

What was Ben hiding?

Becky stared at the message, her heart hammering in her chest. The sudden urgency in Julia's tone had her mind racing. Whatever she had uncovered, it couldn't be good.

Just as she was about to leave, Ben returned, his face unreadable. "Becky, don't leave. We need to talk."

But her phone rang again, and the name on the screen made her freeze.

It wasn't Julia.

It was an unknown number.

Becky swallowed hard before answering.

"Hello?"

A voice on the other end sent a chill down her spine. "You don't know who I am, but I know everything about you, Becky. And I know about the baby."