2 REBECCA I ran out of my bedroom with my heart thundering in my chest and the pregnancy test stuffed deep inside my purse and wrapped in basically an entire roll of toilet paper. I couldnt risk anyone smelling it and realizing what was going on. Until I didnt know whether it was true or not, I couldnt risk giving the pack a false hope. It wouldnt have been right. Shell know what to do. Isabelle was Reiners sister and one of my dearest friends. Wed known each other our whole life and had been close since elementary school. She was the packs OBGYN and therefore, my own too. She was the only one I could trust in that moment. I took a breath as I headed towards the door, smiling and greeting my packmates and trying to act as normal as possible. Seeing Luna running out of the house flustered and in a hurry would certainly spread gossip. And if word of that got to Reiner… hed worry like crazy. My heart clenched. There was no reason to make him worry about something that was likely just a false positive. Rebecca! I stopped in my tracks. My mother-in-law, Sheila, had suddenly appeared in front of me, with a smile on her face that definitely startled me. Wed never been close mainly because shed never liked me and the fact that I was now Luna in her place. Seeing her smile at me on a random Sunday, when she struggled to do that even at Christmas, was definitely strange. H-hi, Sheila, I greeted her. Something wrong? She shook her head. Well, not with me… but you definitely look flustered. Everything alright? I nodded. I was just heading out for some errands. Well, in that case, take this, she said, putting a brown paper bag in my hand. Its a couple of sandwiches. I was just coming upstairs to bring them to you and my son, since you guys skipped breakfast… you shouldnt go around with an empty stomach. Oh, Sheila being kind to me … and offering me food? That was something new entirely. Yeah, looks like something new is the mood for this morning, I thought. Thank you. Well… see you later then. Sheila smiled. Oh, for sure. Far more than one startled face was on me as I ran into my sister-in-laws luminous waiting area. Considering that everyone was well aware of my and Reiners difficulties in conceiving, it was clear that they thought my presence there, if not suspicious, at least strange. I plastered a smile on my face, suddenly extremely grateful for the sandwiches Sheila had given me and for the fact that Id eaten just one of them. Im just here for a delivery, I smiled, slightly lifting the bag. Isabelle forgot her lunch. For all I knew, that test could have been wrong, and even if it had been right, the outcome of a pregnancy was never certain. I didnt want to give the pack false hope of an heir. Fortunately, Isabelle came out of her office just then, walking out a radiant-looking patient with a prominent baby bump. Drop by the nurse at the counter to pick up your prescription, and call me for anything, anytime, Rhoda. She recommended herself, smiling. Her expression changed from professional to surprised when she noticed me. Becky! What are you doing here? Your mom asked me to bring you your lunch. I smiled, lying through my teeth. I need to talk to you. I told her instead through the mind link. Its urgent, Izzy. Isabelle nodded quickly. In fact, those exams you asked me to look at just came in a few minutes ago. Come inside. Itll only take a minute, ladies. She then smiled at the other patients a smile so genuine and disarming that no one would have dreamed of complaining. I followed her into her office and abandoned her well, actually my lunch on her table, then pulled the positive test out of my purse. Thats… this is what happened. I said, unable to stop the anxiety from dripping into my voice. Izzy glanced at the test, and a big smile rose on her face. No way! She whispered. When was this? Not even half an hour ago, I swallowed. I… need to know if… if it can be true. If it really… Izzy nodded, squeezing my hand. Lets take a breath first. She advised, guiding me for a couple of seconds to take a deep breath. This is a good brand of test, there are rarely any false positives… so Id say we can be pretty sure theres a bun in the oven. She smiled. Anyway, well make sure of that right away. Normally Id give you blood tests, but I know what kind of relationship you have with needles, and considering the kind of news, I think both you and Reiner want results as soon as possible. So, hop on the bed, lets do an ultrasound and see whats going on in here. I nodded, doing as she told me and pulling my shirt up to expose my belly. Izzy sat down next to me, turned on the ultrasound machine and got right to work. I sighed, nodded, and took another breath. Its just… Ive never seen that before. I murmured. A positive test, I mean. I think I spent a good five minutes on the bathroom floor staring at it thinking I was hallucinating. So I set out to take pictures of it, because I thought if I saw it not in person but on the screen, Id realize whether it was just my eyes tricking me or not… And it was positive in the pictures too, I bet. She smiled. It just seems… totally unbelievable. I confessed. I… didnt think it would ever happen to me. Wed almost given up all hope. Yeah, my brother told me. Izzy nodded, her tone just slightly less cheerful. He was really down in the dumps the other day mostly because he knew how bad you felt about it. I swallowed, feeling my eyes sting with tears. I knew Reiner felt that way. He had told me the night before, too, when wed talked our fight out. He hated seeing me sad about our infertility, but most of all he hated the fact that he couldnt do anything about it. We had gone through countless tests, and it had always turned out that none of us had the slightest problem. In fact, according to those tests, we should have had a nice litter by now. For some strange reason, however, those pups were not coming. Well, maybe now things are about to change, I thought. A few moments later, Isabelle flinched, the change in her look, from focused to surprised and excited, was so sudden that my heart missed a beat. Well? I asked, excited. What do you see? Izzy swallowed, her eyes suddenly shining with emotion and tears. If anything, who do I see. She whispered. See for yourself, Mommy. And she turned the monitor toward me. The world stopped. I cant believe it. Here is baby A, Izzy smiled excitedly, pointing to a small dot to the right. And here is baby B. Becky, do you… do you know what that means? I nodded, my heart pounding in my chest as I looked at the monitor through tear-glossed eyes. Its two, I whispered. Theyre… theyre twins. Were having twins. For two, endless years, Reiner and I had prayed to the Goddess to grant us even just one child … and finally, she had answered our prayers. Two babies. Two little ones to love, cuddle and spoil… two little lives to admire. Two gifts. They were two immense, beautiful gifts. Ill call Reiner, so you can tell him! Izzy exclaimed, flying to the desk to pick up the phone. No! I stopped her, smiling like a fool. No, it has to be special, I dont… I cant tell him on the phone, Izzy! At lunch during our date. I was going to tell him at lunch. It was the perfect opportunity. Yeah, right. Its definitely not the kind of news to tell on the phone. Isabelle nodded. She was so happy and excited that she seemed to want to start jumping and dancing not that I felt any less happy! By now, I wasnt even trying to hold back the tears, and I couldnt stop looking at the monitor, at my babies. Youre so beautiful… I never thought Id see it. I whispered. An ultrasound of my belly, finally not empty. It felt like a dream. A dream from which I had not the slightest desire to wake up. I know, Isabelle murmured, hugging me and gently wrapping her arms around me. But its all true. Those two are there. You did it, Becks. I am so, so happy for you. No one deserves it more than you guys. I squeezed her hand, surrendering to her grip and thoroughly enjoying that moment. It was true. I was pregnant. Reiner and I were going to be parents at last. We had made it. I was going to be a mother. In "A Relationship Kept in The Dark" by CrushReel, the storyline unfolds as renowned photographer Jane finds herself drawn to the charismatic rookie model, Hector. Little does she know that Hector harbors a secret—he is actually the heir to a powerful business empire. As their romance blossoms, Hector grapples with concealing his true identity to capture Jane's heart. 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