Three months later...

Carli looked at the pink dot with a terrified expression.

"Oh my God, this can't be true!" he muttered, clutching the sink.
Pregnant.
From Xavier.
He opened his eyes to look at the test again, but there it was, the little pink dot.
She managed to get to her bedroom as best she could, shivering and freezing cold.
It must have been a mistake.
It had to be a mistake.
They'd only been together once, at the Sydney hotel where he'd given the lecture. And she was sure it was a safe time of the month... although, if she was honest, she hadn't even thought about it at the time.
Furious, she punched the pillow with her fist, biting her lip. She had left the room, swearing to herself that she would never return.

seeing him... without imagining that it could happen. Without imagining that a crazy moment of passion could turn his life upside down.
I wouldn't tell him.
But what if he found out? Xavier was one of Sydney's most famous lawyers, and she was sure he'd sue her if necessary.

Very well, I would have to tell him. It was my duty to tell him.
Yes, as if he would gladly accept the news...
"Oh my God," he murmured. "I can't do this, I can't do this."
Suddenly, nausea forced her out of bed... and she barely had time to make it to the bathroom.
When she looked in the mirror, she was horrified to see her paleness and the scared expression in her caramel-colored eyes.
It took Carli another twenty-seven days to work up the courage to do what she had to do. As she walked up to Xavier's office, she placed a hand on her stomach, as if to give herself courage. She hadn't called to tell him she was seeing him because she knew he would have broken the news over the phone. But no, she had to do it face to face.

"Mr. Knightly is in court and won't be back until four," his secretary told him.
Three hours. He couldn't wait there for three hours. But if he left, he might not find the courage to return.
—Your name, please?
"Carli Gresham," she replied.
"Carli de Carla?" the secretary asked, raising an eyebrow.
—No, Carli... don't worry, he knows who I am.
Xavier was the only person who called her Carli, and by changing just one letter he had managed to rob her of the layer of sophistication she had tried so hard to maintain.
"Would you like something to drink? Mr. Knightly usually returns earlier than expected when things are going well for him at the courthouse. You might not have to wait that long, Miss Gresham."
Things always went well for Xavier Knightly.
—No, thank you. And it's ma'am, not miss.
—Oh, yes, of course, sorry.
Before Carli could ask what "yes, of course" meant, the secretary started typing furiously on the computer.

He then wondered how many secretaries Xavier had had in the last five years...
This one was older and seemed more sensible than the others. And he wondered why the change had occurred.
Sighing, she picked up a magazine. Every now and then she glanced at the clock, but time seemed to stand still. The couch was so comfortable... and since she was pregnant, she'd fall asleep anywhere... Carli promised herself she'd close her eyes for just five minutes...

"How long have you been here?" Xavier asked quietly. Elaine Johnson glanced at the clock on the wall before answering. "Two and a half hours ago."
—I could have come back an hour ago, but I stayed for a drink with a friend...
"The poor thing is dead tired," Elaine said. "She was very pale when she arrived. Do you know her?"
—Do I know her? I was married to her.
Elaine looked at him with wide eyes.
—Is she your...