Eloise knew she’d been lying under this scratchy blanket for some time, but waking up was difficult. It was like having a hangover. She must have been semi-conscious once or twice before, but now, she opened her eyes and took in her surroundings.

It was a hospital. She knew by the whiteboard across from her bed with her name and the name of a nurse written across the top. She knew by the plastic railing on the side of her bed and the curtain drawn across the room, preventing her from seeing the door. How long had she been here?

“Eloise?”

She turned her head. Alani was perched in a chair beside her, looking worried.

Eloise tried to force a smile. “Hey.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Pretty wrecked. What happened?”

“I found you in the bathroom. I think you passed out or something,” Alani said. “Do you remember?”

Eloise’s mind wrestled with itself. Her memories were foggy.

“Kind of. Do they know what’s wrong with me?”

Maybe this was good. Whatever it was, if it wasn’t too terrible, it could be a blessing. Maybe she wouldn’t be able to make the trip to Al-Zhera. She wanted to see Masoud again, but not if it meant she would have to help Patrick blackmail him.

“They did a blood test,” Alani said. “They wouldn’t tell me anything.”

“How do I page someone?”

Alani handed her a device that looked like a remote control and Eloise pushed the call button. A moment later, a tall, slender man in his sixties entered the room.

“Well! Hello, Eloise. It’s good to see you awake.”

Eloise struggled to sit up. Alani reached over and arranged the pillows behind her back.

“Hi,” she said awkwardly.

“How are you feeling?” the doctor asked.

“Okay. A little tired.”

“Any dizziness?”

Eloise took a moment to assess herself. “No. Not right now.”

“Have you been experiencing that a lot lately?”

“Occasionally, I guess. I don’t know if I’ve been eating right.”

“Is there a doctor you’re seeing regularly?”

Eloise shrugged. “I guess I’ve let a few appointments slip.”

The doctor looked up from his chart, an expression of concern written across his face.

“Would you like your friend to step out into the hall so we can speak privately?”

Suddenly worried, Eloise gripped Alani’s hand. What was he going to tell her?

“No,” she said. “I want her here.”

The doctor nodded. “Eloise, are you aware that you’re pregnant?”

Alani gasped.

Eloise laughed. “I’m not pregnant. I can’t be.”

“I promise you, you are.”

“But I don’t even…I haven’t…” she trailed off. Of course she had. Once. Once in the last year.

Masoud.

Oh my God.

The doctor continued talking, his voice soothing, trying to maintain eye contact. Eloise knew she should be listening, but she couldn’t focus. How was she supposed to tell him this? What was she going to do? Would the baby be royal? Would she even have a choice in what happened next, or, if she confessed the truth to Masoud, would his family step in and make all the subsequent decisions for her?

At some point, she realized Alani was there, still squeezing her hand. She hoped her friend was taking in everything the doctor was saying, because Eloise certainly wasn’t.

This would be the perfect thing for Patrick’s agenda, Eloise suddenly realized. He could use this information to paint Masoud in a bad light. She would have to make sure he didn’t find out.

There was also the fact that Patrick had been known to let pregnant employees go. It was definitely a violation of some kind of civil right, Eloise knew, but he managed to get away with it thanks to MAFA’s great legal department. If Patrick realized that she wasn’t able to run all over town and travel cross-country with him, that she would be a mother, her job would be in peril.

She turned to Alani. “Don’t tell anybody about this.”

“I wouldn’t.”

“I mean anybody. Swear to me.”

“I swear.”

Alani bit her lip. Eloise could imagine what she was thinking: there was only so long you could keep something like this a secret. If she was going to have this baby, it would become pretty obvious what was going on in a matter of weeks or months. And after it was born…well, there would be no hiding that.

A nurse came in with a cart full of equipment and a smile on her face.

“You’re about six weeks along,” she said. “Want to see how your baby looks?”

“Does it look like anything?” Alani asked. “I mean, six weeks.”

“It’ll be small, but we’ll be able to pick it up on the screen.” The nurse rested her hand on top of a monitor. “And we’ll just make sure everything’s looking good and healthy.”

Eloise wasn’t sure she wanted to go forward with the sonogram. This was all happening so fast. A few hours ago, she’d been worried she was sick, and now, she was pregnant by a sheikh of Al-Zhera and the CEO of Khan Capital. She was starting to feel dizzy again.

The nurse got the procedure started. Eloise slowed her breathing and watched the screen. She just needed to get through this and get out of this hospital. After that, she would be able to regroup and come up with a plan.

In just a few short months, she would be a single mother. Eloise had nothing but respect for single parents, but she knew it was a tough road. And there was no way Masoud could be expected to give up his responsibilities and help raise a child, even part-time.

How would she do it? Where was she going to get the money, or time?

“This is your baby.” The nurse pointed at the screen.

Eloise couldn’t really make anything out. It was like seeing static on an old TV. She stared blankly, waiting for the image to make sense. Waiting for anything about today to make sense.

“And this is the heartbeat,” the nurse continued.

A sound like a washing machine filled the room. Eloise knew that some women fell in love at the sound of their baby’s heartbeat, but she was numb, still too overwhelmed by everything that had happened.

“Wait a minute,” the doctor interrupted, holding up a finger. “There.”

Everyone was quiet for a moment.

“What?” Alani asked. “What is it? Is everything okay?”

The doctor smiled. “We’re picking up two heartbeats.”

“What?”

He looked at Eloise. “You’re expecting twins.”