Chapter Sixteen
"What are you going to do?" Gia asked softly.
Lexi stared down at the pregnancy test in her hand, its two pink lines practically glowing.
It was the morning after the incident in Gia's car—the nausea, the vomiting, the deep, inescapable hunch that something had shifted inside her. Now it was confirmed.
"I don't know," she whispered, her voice hollow. "Our contract's up in a few weeks and…" She couldn't finish the sentence.
Gia sat beside her on the edge of the bed, wrapping an arm around Lexi's shoulders. "It's going to be fine," she said gently. "I will support you in any decision you make."
Lexi wanted to believe her. But the weight of uncertainty felt suffocating. Would she raise a child alone? Would Noah even want to be involved if she told him? Or would her baby grow up knowing their father only as a filtered face on a screen, talking about hiking boots and discount storm kitchens while making a sturdy shelter out of twigs?
"Maybe the premiere party can cheer you up," Gia offered, nudging her gently. "Get your mind off things, even just for a few hours."
"I don't know if I want to go," Lexi admitted. "I don't think I can enjoy myself."
"Of course you can! You've been looking forward to Jorge's debut for months," Gia reminded her. "You helped promote his GoFundMe when he had to pause production, remember?"
Lexi thought of Jorge—one of her oldest influencer friends. His debut film, a raw, emotional story based on his life as a trans man, being abused and rejected by his family, was finally finished after years of struggle.
She'd promised him she'd be front-row, cheering louder than anyone.
"He deserves an audience," Lexi murmured.
"And I promised to be his biggest fan."
"That's the spirit!" Gia grinned. "Now let's find you a dress that screams 'divine goddess with a secret' before you have to start shopping from the maternity rack."
Lexi laughed weakly. "Gia, stop!"
-----
The search for the dress was chaos in the best way: racks overturned, donuts devoured, and one boutique clerk visibly panicked by Gia's aggressive "We're shopping for a QUEEN" energy.
But then she saw it.
Across the boutique, the light caught on a swirl of sequins, casting rainbow reflections across the floor. Not pride flag rainbow—deeper, moodier, shimmering in violets, coppers, emeralds, and ocean blues.
Lexi practically sprinted toward it. "Oh my God."
Gia followed, immediately checking the price tag with a wince. "Seven. Thousand. Dollars."
Lexi didn't even blink. "It's perfect."
"It's criminal," Gia muttered, but she couldn't argue. The dress looked like it was made for Lexi. "I'm just saying… the yellow one from three stores ago was cute."
Lexi was already halfway to the changing room.
-------
That evening, Lexi stood in front of the mirror in Gia's room, zipping up the dress with trembling hands. Her makeup was subtle but dewy. Her hair was curled and swept to the side. The sequins caught the light with every breath she took.
She looked… luminous. But inside, she still felt like a broken lightbulb flickering behind a thousand-watt facade.
Her phone buzzed.
New video: "Come Hike With Me: Testing the Wildest Products from Tomu" — @noahblackwood
Lexi hesitated, then tapped. She told herself it was curiosity. Not longing. Not heartbreak.
Noah's voice filled the room. Cheerful, steady, professional. "So I'm heading out next weekend on a hike and I'm putting hiking gear from Tomu to the test!"
Lexi instinctively placed a hand on her belly. It wasn't showing. Not yet. But the weight of what was growing inside her settled deep in her soul.
"Don't worry, baby," she whispered. "Auntie Gia is right. Everything will be fine."
Gia, standing in the doorway, heard her. "Of course Auntie Gia is right," she said, gently. "And that kid? They hit the jackpot. They're going to have you as their mom."
Lexi turned, eyes glossy but smiling. "You really think I can do this?"
"No," Gia said without hesitation. "I know you can. Spectacularly."
Just then, Jake's message buzzed in. "Outside."
Gia opened the door for her. "Showtime."
—-
The engine purred as Jake leaned against the sleek black Tezler, looking every bit like he belonged in a romcom finale. He wore a navy-blue blazer over a crisp white shirt, collar open just enough to look like he wasn't trying too hard, and a playful smirk on his face.
When Lexi stepped outside, his jaw visibly dropped.
"Whoa," he breathed.
Then, with a slow grin, he stepped forward and took her hand. "Miss Nova… You look like a cosmic miracle."
Lexi felt a flutter of discomfort at the gallant kiss he placed on her knuckles.
"Thank you," she said politely, pulling her hand away just a fraction too fast.
Jake didn't seem to notice. He opened the car door for her with a playful bow. "Your chariot awaits, my lady."
She slid in without a word, the sequins of her dress catching the city lights like confetti.
At the theater, Jorge had gone all out.
A glittering red carpet stretched from the curb to the entrance of the indie cinema, flanked by a few scandal reporters, photographers, and dozens of influencers and friends dressed like it was the Met Gala.
Lexi stepped out of the car to the snap-snap-snap of cameras. The sequined rainbow of her dress shimmered beneath the lights, and Jake immediately offered his arm. She accepted it for the cameras.
"You're glowing," he murmured. "Seriously, you're going to upstage the entire damn film."
Lexi forced a smile. "Tonight isn't about me."
They paused on the red carpet for a photo op.
"Ms Nova! Why aren't you here with Noah Blackwood?" a reporter shouted.
"Lexi, are you and Noah getting a divorce?"
"Did the challenge fail?"
"Are you and Jake dating?"
Lexi's insides felt like they were in knots.
"No, Jake is a friend and we are arranging a charity event in a few weeks. Noah and I are not getting a divorce and the challenge is still on," she responded to the questions with faux confidence before moving along.
Inside, the lobby buzzed with nervous energy. Jorge greeted guests, pacing and laughing nervously, a drink in one hand and his tie already loosened.
"Lexi!" he lit up when he saw her. "Oh my God, look at you!"
She gave him a big hug. "You did it, Jorge. I'm so proud of you."
Jake raised a glass. "To the man of the hour."
Jorge grinned, then glanced around. "Where's your gorgeous husband? I was hoping to meet him tonight."
Lexi parted her lips to explain, but Jorge's eyes darted past her. "Oh. There he is!"
She turned—and froze.
Noah got out of a Lexus with Molly on his arm, looking like a GQ cover couple from hell. Molly wore a scandalously low-cut, white Marilyn Monroe-style dress, her black curls bouncing with each self-satisfied step on the red carpet. She leaned into Noah like she belonged there, letting the cameras capture her shamelessness.
Lexi's breath caught.
Jake, seeing the expression on her face, leaned in. "Wow. Real classy, showing up with Homewrecker Barbie."
Lexi blinked. "I'm here with you. What's the difference?"
"Yeah, but we're not rubbing it in everyone's face."
A photographer called out, "Noah! Molly! Over here!"
Molly smiled brightly and pressed herself against him. Noah barely responded.
The reporters asked him the same questions as they asked Lexi, hoping for more newsworthy answers.
"No comment," he responded coldly and walked away, Molly almost losing balance as he didn't wait for her to finish basking in the flashing lights.
Noah's eyes scanned the room, once they got inside, and landed on Lexi—and Jake. His jaw tightened instantly, his shoulders locking into that familiar tension that said he was not okay.
"Noah!" a young man greeted him excitedly, taking his attention away from Lexi and Jake.
—
Inside the screening room, the lights dimmed. Lexi and Jake took seats in the middle rows.
A few rows above, Noah and Molly sat close—but not close enough for Molly's taste. She leaned in, whispering, placing a hand on Noah's thigh. He didn't flinch, didn't move. His gaze stayed forward—except when it drifted down to Lexi.
Every few minutes, his eyes would flicker back to her, taking in the way her hair caught the flickering screen, the soft curves of her shoulder, the way Jake leaned in to whisper something that made her laugh softly.
"He's not even funny," Noah muttered.
Molly noticed that Lexi was getting all the attention and she was getting none. She sat back, seething quietly. Her manicured nails curled around the edge of the armrest.
"Lexi, you're not going to win!" she thought to herself.
The afterparty was held in the next door club, adorned with string lights and champagne trays. Jorge was glowing, the film a resounding success. Lexi sipped a mocktail and mingled, trying to avoid eye contact with the storm she knew was brewing across the room.
Noah leaned against a pillar, glass in hand, eyes locked on her. Molly, radiant and ravenous for attention, fluttered about like a swan with a vendetta. She touched Noah's chest, whispered in his ear, tried everything to win him back into focus. Nothing worked.
When Lexi and Jake strolled to the bar, chatting and laughing, Molly's patience snapped.
"You want something to drink?" Jake asked.
Lexi accepted the glass he offered, but didn't sip. "Thanks," she said, then turned. "Be right back."
She headed to the restroom.
Molly followed.
—----
Lexi exited the restroom and turned the corner—only to come face-to-face with Molly.
Molly tilted her head and offered a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the runaway bride," she said sweetly. "Hope the movie was entertaining. You looked very entertained."
Lexi blinked, tired already. "Not now, Molly."
"Oh, I think now is perfect," Molly stepped closer, arms folded. "I just wanted to congratulate you on your performance tonight.
Cozying up to Noah's rival? Days after you walked out on him? Ballsy."
Lexi narrowed her eyes. "That's rich, coming from someone trying to seduce someone else's husband."
Molly's smile dropped. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me. You're acting like I betrayed him—while you're hanging on his arm like a bitch in heat."
"Oh, honey," Molly said, voice dripping with pity. "Noah's not really yours. He never was. This whole marriage challenge? It was always about me. He was just trying to make me jealous. He'll come back to me soon. He always does."
Lexi's jaw clenched, but before she could fire back, Molly did something unthinkable.
She grabbed a half-empty glass bottle from a side table, glanced once over her shoulder—and slammed it against her own forehead.
The crack echoed down the hallway.
Lexi gasped, stumbling back in horror. "What the hell?!"
Molly staggered, blood dripping from her hairline. She let out a piercing scream.
"Noah! Noah!!" she wailed, stumbling toward the sound of the party.
Noah appeared in seconds, eyes wide. "Molly?!"
"She hit me!" Molly cried, pointing at Lexi with a shaking, bloody hand. "I was just trying to apologise to her and she attacked me!"
Noah looked at Lexi, stunned.
"You left, Lexi. You walked out—and now you're here, parading around with Jake like nothing ever happened. And you're upset with Molly?"
Her voice grew furious. "I didn't touch her!"
"She's bleeding!" he shouted. "You think I'm going to stand here and entertain some conspiracy theory that she did this to herself?"
Molly whimpered and leaned against him dramatically. "I need a doctor…"
Without another word, Noah scooped her up into his arms.
Lexi watched, rooted to the spot, helpless and humiliated. Her chest ached. Her stomach twisted.
As Noah carried Molly out the door, Lexi slowly placed a hand on her belly.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, blinking back tears. "I'm trying, I promise."