Chapter 218

I ended the call with my mom after discussing possible dates for me to visit.

With the danger of Joseph on the loose and threatening me, I wasn’t sure if I should run to warn them of the danger or spend my time away from them.

“I’ll support you however I can,” Asher said.

“I’m torn,” I said, and explained my concerns.

“Joseph is after you, Cynthia. Not necessarily your family. Maybe getting away from campus and escaping all this for a while would do you some good.”

He meant that it would help do me some good against my fear. I could tell without him saying so.

After spending so much time together, I was becoming an Asher-expert. Most of the time, that simply meant reading between the lines to hear what he meant and not necessarily what he said.

With Asher’s encouragement, I texted my mom and we agreed to meet the next day.

Though agreeing to meet created a new set of difficulties.

“They don’t know that I’m pregnant.”

Asher paused. “Do you want them to know?”

I wasn’t sure. “They’ll find out eventually, but… they won’t approve.”

Maybe they could have forgiven me if I had mated with the father of the child, but since the father was Joseph, that just wasn’t going to happen. They weren’t likely to understand.

They expected me to live my life a certain way. I’d already deviated from the path by attending the Academy. Now I was deviating again by having a child out of wedlock, with no contact to the father.

For the sake of my tired self, perhaps it was best to keep it a secret from them for now, if only to save myself from their judgement. Once I passed the transfer exam and had a set life plan, I could explain the pregnancy to them.

“I want to keep it hidden for now,” I decided.

Asher placed a soft kiss to his cheek. “Then let’s pick what you’re going to wear.”

I would need to hide my growing baby bump, so I went to the dresser and selected the loosest fitting clothing I owned, with a large cardigan on top for good measure.

As I began to undress, I felt Asher’s eyes on every revealed inch of skin. I glanced back, catching his hooded gaze trailing over my body.

“You are so beautiful,” he said.

My face burned hot. I quickly changed the rest of the way, embarrassed by my own body’s reaction to his attention. I simultaneously wanted more, while also feeling like I might burst into flames.

When I changed into the clothes, I turned to him and spread out my arms. “Well? If you didn’t know I was pregnant, would you be able to tell?”

He tilted his head. That didn’t bode well.

“It kind of looks like you are hiding something, but if they don’t have reason to suspect, I’m sure they wouldn’t notice.”

I nodded, accepting that. “They’ll most likely think I’ve just gained weight and want to hide it.”

Asher pressed his mouth into a hard line. He crossed the room to rejoin my side, and then traced his hands up the length of my arms. “You are perfect, Cynthia. Just as you are.”

Butterflies took flight in my chest, giving me a warm feeling all over.

This time, I hid my red face into his chest. He held me close and didn’t let go for a long time.

The next day, I sat in Asher’s car as he drove me back to my childhood home. He’d insisted on driving, even knowing that he would have to wait in the car. If my parents weren’t ready for my pregnancy, they likely wouldn’t be ready for my almost-mate.

Maybe I wanted to keep Asher a secret too.

I loved my parents and wanted to please them. If they didn’t approve of Asher, I didn’t know what I would do. It would totally break my heart.

So yeah, it was best for him to wait outside. For now.

“Thank you again for being so understanding,” I said.

He gently shook his head. “Families are complicated. And you haven’t talked to them in some time. You’ll need your privacy. There will be plenty of time for me to meet them later.”

I looked at him, surprised. “You would want to?”

He glanced at me. “Cyn, you are my mate.”

He made everything sound so simple. You are my mate. Of course I want to meet your family. Like anything was ever that easy, especially with us.

If only it could be, though. Maybe someday.

Knowing Asher wanted to meet them meant the whole world to me. His desire to meet them for my sake felt more pivotal than the actual meeting itself.

Too soon, he pulled in front of the house. It looked the same as it always had, a modest two story ranch house with a gravel driveway and hedges always slightly overgrown. But something about it felt different now.

When I had left, it had been with a sense of victory. I had headed to the Academy with my head held high. Since then, nothing had gone the way I had hoped.

Though I was certainly making strides to achieve my dreams, they were still so far away. And being pregnant added its own complications.

I had no idea how I was going to explain any of this to them.

“Hey.” Asher placed his warm hand on my shoulder. “They are your parents. Everything is going to be okay.”

I nodded, unsure.

“And if it isn’t, just call for me and I will rush in and rescue you.”

I placed my hand over his and squeezed. He was so good to me, reassuring me even when it seemed so silly. This wasn’t like the time I had met Joseph’s parents. These were my own mom and dad. They would love me no matter what.

…Right?

Before I could continue to doubt myself, I pulled away from Asher and exited the car. I rushed up the steps to the porch and rang the doorbell.

Mom answered the door alone. “There you are,” she said as she took in my appearance. She frowned. “You’re late.”

“Sorry. I was –”

“It doesn’t matter. You are here now. Come in. Don’t let the heat out.”

I hurried inside and closed the door behind me. The inside of the house hadn’t changed either. The floral couch had the same stains. The shoes by the door were a mess. The artwork on the walls were yellow with smoke stains.

“Look who finally decided to show,” my mother said to my father, who was sitting on the arm of the couch. He rose at Mom’s words and turned to look at me.

“You put on weight,” he said.

I lowered my head.

Maybe coming back here so soon was a mistake after all. I’d never had the best relationship with my parents, despite my desire to please them. Being here now, I couldn’t shake this feeling of… wrong.

The house itself didn’t look different from how I remembered it, but at the same time it seemed smaller than before. More confining.

I wanted to go back to Asher’s dorm. Our home, now.

“You invited me here,” I said. “You made it sound important. I can’t imagine it was only to comment on my weight gain.”

“No, it’s not.” Mom looked at Dad, then back to me. “We’ve had a visitor recently. Someone who shared some interesting rumors about you.”

My heart lurched. “You can’t believe a word Joseph said.”

“Who’s Joseph?” Dad asked. “This man was an investigator for the kingdom.”

I sucked in a sharp breath.

“Cynthia. Tell us the truth,” Dad said. Mom narrowed her eyes at me. “Do you really have the projection ability?”

“Of course not,” I said quickly. “I… wouldn’t have that kind of power…”

They seemed all-too-willing to accept my weakness.

“So he was likely lying about everything, then,” Dad said to Mom.

But Mom said, “I’m not so sure.” She stepped closer to me. “Cynthia.”

I swallowed hard. “Yes, Mom?”

Mom looked at me with watchful eyes. She’d almost always been able to see through my lies, since she was always willing to believe the worst in me.

“Are you pregnant?”