It never happened

In the morning Nathalie woke up from someone's yelling. As she was used to Gabriel's outbursts, she didn't think much of it at first, until she noticed, that she was naked and this wasn't her desk. She carefully opened one eye to take a short glimpse then shut it again as fast as she could.

Searching for anything to cover herself with, she lifted her head to what she immediately groaned in pain. Her head was hurting as if it had been under the wheels of the Metro, she certainly should have taken last night.

The designer had now noticed, that she was awake and started to yell directly at her.

"Nathalie! How dare you doing that to me? You know, how much I love my wife. And you know I would never do anything like that. How dare you, to use a weak hour of me being drunk, to your very own advantage?"

She stared at him with tears in her eyes. She wanted to yell back, wanted to shout at him, that it was him, who had started all of this. But Nathalie knew, he wouldn't listen to her right now. So she just gathered her clothes and put them on as fast as she could, to then run out of his bedroom and into the nearest guest bathroom.

There she just collapsed onto the floor and started crying uncontrollably. After more than twenty minutes, she somehow got on her feet and refreshed her makeup and fixed her hair into her usual bun. Then she inhaled deeply before she walked towards their shared office and sat down at her desk.

Gabriel hadn't arrived there yet and she was grateful for that. But it wasn't long after she had started to do her regular work, when he entered the room.

"Good morning Nathalie", he said as usual, as if the night before had never happened.

"G-good morning, Sir!", she replied with a shaking voice.

That made him look directly at her and he noticed her red and swollen eyes. Taking a deep breath, he walked to her chair, to stand awkwardly beside her.

"I am sorry for yelling at you. I was just shocked. But I can't let things like that happen, I won't. So, let's just pretend, that it never happened, okay?", he apologized quietly.

"Of course, Sir", she agreed, her voice now trembling.

He bent down and kissed her again. Then he just held her in his arms.

"I wished, I could, Nathalie, but..."

"I know", she whispered and cupped his cheek to make him look at her, "I know. But please, don't blame me, okay? I...it was...I didn't..."

He kissed her again but then pulled back and walked to his working station.

"What's my schedule for today, Miss Sancoeur?"

Nathalie took another deep breath, then she told him what he had to do on this day in her most professional tone.

"I hope you did use protection!", said the mother of the girl in the romantic comedy, she was watching. Gabriel had given her the afternoon off, and she had taken a shower, then she had made a gigantic portion of ice cream, with chocolate sauce and whipped cream and flung herself onto her sofa to watch a movie about a relationship, like the one, she would never be able to have, and cry her eyes out.

But this had pulled her instantly back to reality. Protection! Did he...did they...? She couldn't tell and she could much less ask him. A flashback hit her and she remembered, how she pulled him up to her, how they were rubbing their intimates against the other's and how he had suddenly penetrated her.

She sighed, being almost certain, that he had never reached for a condom.

Another flashback, both crying in pleasure, while she felt his fluids being pumped into her depths.

Now she groaned.

"Don't be scared Nathalie", she told herself, "just have a look at the calendar, if there is a reason to get all worked up at all!" And so she did. Taking a quick look into her day planner on her phone, where she also made a note for her menstruation, she let herself fall, head forward, onto her sofa.

"How could you be so stupid, Nathalie? You can only hope, that you were lucky and didn't get pregnant. Because, what are you going to tell him, if you did?", she thought, while she screamed into the cushions.

The next morning she entered the mansion with dark rings underneath her eyes. Gabriel noticed, but didn't mention it. For the next couple of days, she looked similar every morning and left the mansion exactly when her hours were done. Since he had been able to repair the peacock miraculous, he didn't need her help very much and so she had decided, to just go home and cry into her sofa. She dreaded the day, when her period was due.

There was one part of her, that hoped, her period would be on time, while another part was hoping for it to stay away. This part wouldn't mind, having a tiny version of Gabriel and herself running around her apartment. But each time she allowed herself to imagine that, she quickly pushed those thoughts away. Gabriel would never accept this child.

But did he even need to know? She had piled up quite some left over vacation days, since she started working for him. And if she would be able to hide it, unto a certain point...

She shook her head.

"You're being ridiculous, Nathalie!", she exclaimed into her empty apartment, "utterly ridiculous!"

Then she started to giggle. But the laugh soon turned into crying again. Like this, she spent all her afternoons and half of her nights, until she drifted of into a restless sleep, for like three or four hours.

Forcing herself to get up in the mornings, she gulped down two big mugs of coffee, before she was able to leave for work.

When she arrived at the mansion, she barely spoke more than good morning and the announcements, she had to make. In the afternoon she left to go home and her agony started over.

As the meaningful day drew closer, she was getting more nervous and was sleeping less. She didn't even know, how she had managed to make it to her desk for the last three days, because she felt as if he could fall asleep right in the spot. Her period had been due yesterday, but she had decided, that she would wait another two or three days, as there was always the possibility of it being a little delayed.

Today was Friday, the last day of the week anyway and she was hoping to get some sleep over the weekend. And an answer to her most important question.

So at five o'clock she packed her stuff and said a calm:

"Good night, Sir. Have a nice weekend!"

Then she walked towards the door. Gabriel looked up and hesitated, then he called her name:

"Nathalie?"

"Sir?"

He had approached her and placed one hand on the small of her back, as he accompanied her towards the wooden entrance door.

"Make sure to get some rest over the weekend. You really look exhausted lately. If you need more time, feel free to take Monday off as well. I'm starting to worry about your health again, Nathalie!"

She nodded.

"Thank you, Sir, I will keep that in mind!" Then she turned around and rushed out of the mansion and towards the nearest train station. She could already feel the tears burning in her eyes, as she quickened her steps, to get home as fast as possible.

Gabriel stood there thunderstruck. He had never expected such a cold reply. In fact, he had tried to get closer to her again. Not in an unprofessional way, but they had trusted each other until lately, and he missed her.

Sighing he went back to his tablets. Then a thought hit him. He took out his phone and typed a message to her saying:

'Dear Nathalie, I really am concerned about your well being, so please, if you need anything, just tell me, I am here for you. Gabriel.'

He had almost written Love, Gabriel, but he didn't dare. As long as there was a chance to bring Emilie back and have his son reunited with his mother, he had to try. No matter how much he loved his assistant and how much he wanted to be with her.

Nathalie was sitting on her bed, reading his message for the like five hundredth time, while she held the positive pregnancy test in her other hand and tears were streaming down her cheeks.

She had been so close to sending him the picture she took of the stick with the two lines, but each time she had chickened out. Now she just laid down on her side, one hand protectively on her lower abdomen, and couldn't stop crying. But at least she could feel the sleep coming over her and she welcomed it gratefully. Tomorrow she could think about the things that were lying ahead of her.