𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐇 𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 [slow updates]

𝟒𝟎

CINDY

"Bow, outside." I say groggily, pointing at the open sliding door that leads to my backyard.

Since I have the demon-dog around, it doesn't feel as lonely as I thought it would with Levin being gone at his training thing. Obviously, I still miss him, though. He's here nearly daily, and now I won't be seeing him for what feels like forever? And we just had a fight, too! His leaving doesn't feel fair. God's punishing me for being an asshole to his favorite human.

This whole thing isn't the only thing making me uneasy. I'm getting closer and closer to my due date and my appetite is basically non-existent, but I need to feed myself in order to feed my son. Every parenting book I read only worsen's my anxieties about my soon-to-be motherhood.

With Levin gone and the intense pressure of being a mommy soon, and then feeling fat and ugly (while barely eating, it feels) today is worse than terrible.

I called Ben, but he's in Hawai'i with his new boyfriend. Hope is stuck at home with a very sick Aaliyah, and my pregnant ass needs to keep away from all that.

While I could always go to my parents' house, I think it's probably better to get used to it just being me. I doubt Tommy's gonna help as much as he claims he will when I have Soren, and Levin's gonna be so busy working. Maybe getting used to being alone isn't such a bad thing.

It's been so long since it was only me, though. I forgot how to do it when all of my favorite people are busy. Even after Tommy and I broke up, I still wasn't alone. Hope and Ben were over as much as they usually are, and then I had Levin.

I try to push all of my bad thoughts aside by blasting music in my kitchen while I clean it. I clean the stove, sweep, mop, organize my spice cabinet and fridge. I'm in the middle off doing the dishes when my phone rings.

Because I miss my man and immediately assume it's him who's calling me, I go running into my living room without even turning off the sink.

There's no caller ID , but I answer it anyway. You never know. It could be a scammer or the light of my life. Hopefully, the latter.

"Hello?" I say.

"Is this Cindy?"

"Uh, yeah. This is."

"Hi! I'm Lennon. I'm with People Magazine. Listen, I was just calling to—"

The second my heart sinks is the same second I hang up. Shit.

Shit, shit, shit.

How did they get my number? Do they have Levin's number? Did my number get leaked? Can they find my house? Is all of my information just all over the internet right now?

I want to look. I almost look. But if I open Google and I see my fucking face and my fucking name on the top searches one more time, I think I might implode.

So, I go to all Hope. Then, I remember her beautiful baby is sick. She already has a lot going on I can't dump this on her. In fact, I can't dump this on myself. The call was probably a scam or they found my number through someone I know. I've met a lot of Levin's friends, maybe Levin gave them...

Or maybe Alexa is still pissed at me and just spreading my information without a care in the world.

Oh, God. Oh, GOD.

I press the heels of my palms into my eyes and hold my breath for a moment. Once I release a breath, I decide that I don't have anything to freak out about. It was one phone call. That doesn't mean that the whole world has access to that or anything beyond—