Delih sat silently in her room at the family estate, the events of the weekend pressing down on her like a heavy fog. Her eyes were swollen from crying, her hands trembling as she absentmindedly traced the mark on her neck. She hadn’t spoken a word since her return, her mind repying the moments with Lyra, now blurred at the edges like a dream she couldn’t quite grasp. Everything seemed so real, and yet, the more time passed, the more absurd it felt. Maybe it was the drugs. Maybe Evie was right. But the pain in her heart, and the heat still lingering in her body, said otherwise.
Lo, Delih’s mother, stood at the doorway of her daughter’s room, concerned. She had seen Delih like this before—broken, lost—but something about her this time was different. It wasn’t just the aftereffects of a wild weekend of drinking and drugs; this was deeper.
“Delih,” Lo’s voice was soft, coaxing, as she stepped into the room. “What happened?”
She didn’t look up, her eyes fixed on the floor. The silence between them stretched, thick with unspoken pain. She didn’t know how to expin it—how to tell her mother that she had met someone, someone who had left an imprint on her soul but was now gone without a trace.
“I—” Delih’s voice was hoarse, barely audible. “I don’t know.”
Lo frowned, sitting down on the edge of the bed, close but not too close. She had learned long ago not to push Delih too hard. “I’ve spoken to the girls… they said you seemed fine when they st saw you. Did something happen after you left?”
She bit her lip, feeling the tears threatening to return. “I don’t know, Mom… I don’t know if it was real anymore.”
Lo’s frown deepened. “What do you mean?”
She finally met her mother’s gaze, her eyes filled with confusion and pain. “There was… someone. But now, it’s like… it’s like she was never there. Like I imagined it all.”
Lo hesitated, her mind racing. Delih had always had a wild streak, and there had been nights where the drugs made her hallucinate, where reality and fantasy blurred. But this—this felt different. There was something raw in her daughter’s eyes, something that went beyond a bad trip.
“I think maybe I just need to sleep it off,” Delih muttered, pulling her knees to her chest. “It’ll go away.”
Lo sighed softly, unsure how to help but not wanting to push too hard. “Okay. But if you ever want to talk… I’m here.”
Delih gave a half-hearted nod, her mind still far away. As her mother left the room, she colpsed back onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She could still feel the press of Lyra’s lips against her skin, the way her body had responded to every touch, every whisper. The mark on her neck throbbed, a reminder that some things couldn’t be expined.
But as exhaustion pulled at her, the memory of Lyra began to blur once more. Was it real? Or was it just a figment of her imagination, conjured by the drugs and alcohol coursing through her veins that night?
She closed her eyes, trying to make sense of the chaos in her mind. Yet, deep down, something told her she hadn’t been hallucinating. Lyra was real.
As sleep began to cim her, a single thought lingered in her mind: If Lyra was real, would she ever come back?
*
Days had passed, and Delih remained holed up in her room, the once-vibrant energy that radiated from her now dulled to a hollow shell. Her once-perfect hair was tangled, her eyes bloodshot and puffy from days of crying. She barely moved from her bed, lying in the same spot for hours, lost in a cycle of confusion and despair. She couldn’t shake the feeling of loss, the emptiness that consumed her since Lyra’s disappearance. Her stomach twisted with hunger, but she couldn’t bring herself to eat, couldn’t bring herself to do anything but mourn what felt like a dream slipping away.
Her mother couldn’t take it any longer. Watching her daughter deteriorate like this was too much. Delih had gone through low points before, but never like this. Something was wrong—terribly wrong.
“Delih,” Lo said softly, entering her daughter’s room. “We’re going to the doctor.”
Delih didn’t even respond, her eyes bnk as they stared at the wall. Lo’s heart ached, but she steeled herself. She wasn’t going to let her daughter fall apart like this.
Without another word, she called her husband and son to help. They practically had to carry her to the car, her body weak and frail from days of not eating or drinking properly. Tears silently ran down her cheeks as she rested her head against the window, her mind still somewhere far away. She couldn’t stop thinking about Lyra—her smile, her touch, her voice. She felt broken without her, but nothing made sense.
At the doctor’s office, the nurses immediately took one look at her and knew she needed medical attention. They hooked her up to an IV, the fluid dripping slowly into her veins as they checked her vitals. She barely reacted to any of it, her mind numb to everything except the ache in her heart.
The doctor, a middle-aged woman with a kind face, sat down next to Lo. “She’s dehydrated, undernourished, and clearly exhausted,” she said gently. “I’ll do some blood work, but it looks like she’s in a deep depressive episode. Has she been through something traumatic recently?”
Lo bit her lip, unsure how to expin what Delih had been going through. “She… she’s had a rough time tely. She went out with friends st weekend, and when she came back, she was different. She hasn’t said much about it, but whatever happened… it’s like it broke something in her.”
The doctor nodded, making notes on her chart. “Sometimes events like this can trigger a spiral, especially if there was something or someone important involved. I’ll make sure we get her physically stable first, but she’s going to need more than just IV fluids. Therapy, counseling—something to help her work through whatever’s going on.”
Lo nodded, her heart heavy with worry. “I just want her to be okay again.”
As the IV drip continued, Delih’s eyes fluttered open, taking in her surroundings. The sterile room smelled of disinfectant, the soft beeping of machines filling the air. She felt weak, like her body had no energy left. But what hurt the most wasn’t physical—it was the gaping hole in her heart, the constant ache that wouldn’t go away.
Lyra.
Her name echoed in Delih’s mind like a mantra, a lifeline she couldn’t let go of. She turned her head slightly, staring bnkly at the IV in her arm. The fluids gave her body some relief, but nothing could soothe the pain of her missing lover.
“I’m not crazy,” she whispered to herself, her voice so low it was almost inaudible. “She was real.”
The doctor turned her attention to Delih, noticing her stirring. “Delih,” she said gently, approaching the bed. “We’re just giving you some fluids to help you feel better. How are you feeling?”
She didn’t respond at first, her mind far away. But then, after a few moments, she spoke again. “I want to go home.”
The doctor frowned, but nodded. “Let’s get you stable first, okay? You’ve been very dehydrated. Once you’re feeling stronger, we’ll talk about the next steps.”
Delih closed her eyes, wishing she could escape the sterile room and the suffocating reality pressing down on her. She didn’t want the next steps—she just wanted Lyra back.
*
Delih sat there stunned, her mind reeling from the doctor’s words…
Pregnant? How could she be pregnant? She hasn’t been with anyone—except for Lyra. And that had only just happened, didn’t it?
Three weeks?
That made no sense. Her hands instinctively moved to her stomach, a tremor running through her as the reality of the situation began to sink in. She felt lightheaded, like the ground had disappeared beneath her feet.
“No, no, this can’t be right,” she muttered, shaking her head in disbelief. “I… I haven’t been with anyone. Not for years. This is impossible.”
Her mother stood beside her, mouth agape, while her grandmother, Esther, gred down at her with a mixture of shock and angry.
“This can’t be happening,” Lo whispered, covering her mouth with her hand. Her gaze darted between Delih and the doctor, trying to make sense of the news.
But it was Esther who spoke up, her voice sharp and cold. “This is an absolute disgrace. Three weeks? Delih, how could you be so reckless?” She crossed her arms, her expression severe. “You know what this will do to our family’s reputation. Your grandfather will never allow this.”
Delih blinked rapidly, her confusion intensifying. “I swear, I haven’t… I haven’t been with anyone except…” She trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. She couldn’t even bring herself to say Lyra’s name in front of her family. None of it made sense. The timeline didn’t add up.
Could she really have gotten pregnant from her night with Lyra? And even if she had, how could it already be three weeks along?
“Except who, Delih?” Her mother asked, her voice trembling. “You’ve been so secretive tely, and now this? I don’t understand.”
Delih’s lips parted, but no words came out. She felt cornered, trapped between the truth she couldn’t fully grasp herself and the disbelief of her family.
Esther stepped forward, her face full of scorn. “You’ve brought shame to this family, Delih. If the media gets wind of this, it will ruin everything we’ve built. You’ve always been rebellious, but this? This is beyond unacceptable.”
Delih’s heart pounded in her chest. Her grandmother’s words felt like a crushing force. She couldn’t even process her own shock, and now her family was turning against her. “I didn’t—” she started, but her grandmother cut her off.
“It doesn’t matter how it happened,” Esther said firmly. “What matters is what we do now. This pregnancy—this mistake—needs to be handled before it becomes public.”
Lo’s eyes widened. “Mother, what are you suggesting?”
Esther’s gaze hardened. “I’m suggesting we take care of this quietly. There’s still time.”
Delih recoiled, horror flooding through her. “No! I’m not getting rid of it! I don’t even understand how this is possible, but I won’t… I won’t just…”
Her words faltered, her voice breaking as tears welled up in her eyes. She wasn’t even sure what to think, but the thought of terminating the pregnancy felt like a viotion of something she couldn’t expin. Lyra’s face fshed in her mind, and a part of her—a deep, instinctual part—clung to the idea that this child might somehow be connected to her.
Her mother’s voice wavered with uncertainty. “Delih… what happened? Who is the father? You can’t possibly expect us to believe that this just happened out of nowhere.”
Delih wiped at her tears, feeling the room close in around her. “I don’t know, okay? I don’t know! I haven’t slept with anyone in years. The only person I’ve been with is…”
She hesitated. How could she expin any of this without sounding insane? How could she tell them about Lyra—this mysterious, beautiful woman who appeared and disappeared like a dream? And the fact that she was pregnant, now? It felt impossible.
“You’re lying!” Esther snapped, her voice ced with venom. “You’ve always been reckless, and now your recklessness is catching up with you. This will ruin us!”
Lo looked helplessly between her daughter and her mother-in-w, torn between loyalty to her family and concern for Delih’s well-being. “Mother, calm down. We don’t even know the full story yet. We need to… we need to give her time.”
“Time?” Esther scoffed. “We don’t have time. Do you understand what this means for our family, Lo? For your father-in-w’s legacy?”
Delih couldn’t take it anymore. The pressure, the accusations, the disbelief—it was all too much. She stood abruptly, swaying slightly from the dizziness, her hand clutching her stomach. “I’m not lying,” she whispered, her voice hoarse. “And I’m not getting rid of it.”
Esther’s eyes bzed with fury, but Lo quickly stepped between them, trying to diffuse the situation. “Delih, honey, we just need to understand. If there’s something you’re not telling us, now’s the time.”
Delih shook her head, unable to find the words. “I don’t know. I don’t know how this happened.”
The room fell into a tense silence; the revetion hanging heavy in the air. Delih’s mind raced, trying to piece together the impossible puzzle, while her family stood around her, grappling with the reality they were all struggling to accept.
