Julia's POV
I splashed cold water on my face and gripped the porcelain sink until my knuckles turned white. The bathroom mirror reflected a girl I barely recognized, pale and shaken.
This couldn't be happening. Not now. Not when everything was finally falling into place.
Gavin was always so careful, so controlled. He never made mistakes, never let his guard down completely. We had been meticulous about protection every single time we were together. There was absolutely no way this could be what my mind was desperately trying to avoid thinking about.
I was still so young. This wasn't supposed to happen to girls like me, not when I had my whole future ahead of me.
A bitter laugh bubbled up from my chest as I tried to convince myself it was just stress. Just the overwhelming pressure of tonight's dinner, the arranged marriage hanging over our heads like a sword. That had to be it.
