Stolen Identity: Mute Heiress

Chapter 479: Ointment

The moment Genevieve and Dawn stepped back into the drawing room, every head turned towards them.

“There she is!” Mari announced dramatically. “I was about to send a search party.”

Genevieve smiled apologetically as she took her seat. “I’m sorry.”

Dawn quietly returned to her seat beside Genevieve as though nothing unusual had happened.

Only every now and then, their eyes met for the briefest moment and they smiled before they quickly looked away again.

Mari rubbed her hands together.

“Now that our bride has returned from her mysterious journey, let the guessing game begin.”

The ladies cheered.

One by one, Genevieve opened the beautifully wrapped gifts.

Some she guessed correctly.

Others she guessed so badly that everyone laughed until tears gathered in their eyes.

Every gift came with a hug, laughter, and a story about why the giver had chosen it.

When they were done, Mari looked around proudly.

“I declare this bridal shower a tremendous success.”

Everyone applauded.

“Before we go,” Lucy said warmly, “let’s pray over our bride.”

Immediately everyone stood and formed a circle around Genevieve.

Some held her hands while others rested gentle hands on her shoulders.

Each of them spoke blessings over her future, her marriage, her health, her children, and her home.

By the time they finished, Genevieve was crying again.

“Oh, no,” Sonia groaned dramatically.

Laughter immediately filled the room.

Genevieve wiped her eyes. “You people are the reason.”

“We know,” Delilah replied with a grin. “And we’re very proud of ourselves.”

More photographs were taken, then, one by one, everyone began saying goodbye.

Genevieve hugged each woman tightly, thanking them for their love.

A little while later, Lucy’s SUV pulled out through the gates.

Lucy drove, while Genevieve sat in the front passenger seat, and Dawn sat comfortably in the back.

The three women chatted about the bridal shower, laughing over the funny moments.

Then, after several minutes, Dawn suddenly leaned forward.

“Lucy, could we stop at a pharmacy?”

Genevieve turned in her seat to look at Dawn, and Dawn flashed her a smile.

Lucy glanced at her through the mirror. “Are you feeling sick?”

“No. I just need to get some medication.”

“What medication? Should I call the family doctor?”

Dawn laughed. “It’s not that serious. I just need to buy an ointment.”

Lucy nodded. “Alright.”

A few minutes later, she pulled into the parking lot of a pharmacy.

The moment the car came to a stop, Genevieve reached for the door handle.

Lucy looked at her. “You’re getting down too?”

Genevieve froze. “I…”

Before she could answer, Dawn spoke quickly.

“You don’t have to come with me, Genny. I’ll be back in a minute.”

Dawn picked up her handbag before hurrying out of the car and into the pharmacy.

The automatic doors slid shut behind her.

Silence settled inside the car as Lucy and Genevieve waited for Dawn.

Lucy smiled without looking away from the windshield.

“So…”

Genevieve looked at her.

“Dawn is getting you a pregnancy test kit?”

Genevieve’s eyes widened. “What?” She stared at Lucy. “How did you know?”

Lucy laughed softly as she reached across and gently squeezed Genevieve’s hand. “Oh, sweetheart. What am I? A toddler? Besides, most of us suspected it.”

Genevieve blinked. “Us? Not just you?”

Lucy nodded with a knowing smile. “The way you became distracted after Sonia joked about it. And the way you disappeared afterward. You gave yourself away. And you should know there’s a bet going on as to whether or not you’re pregnant.”

Genevieve covered her face with both hands. “Oh, my goodness.”

Lucy laughed. “Don’t worry. No one is going to say anything.”

She squeezed Genevieve’s hand again. “Congratulations.”

Genevieve’s eyes filled with tears. “We’re not sure yet.”

“Of course.” Lucy laughed warmly. “You won’t be getting a test kit otherwise.”

Genevieve laughed through happy tears.

Just then, the passenger door behind them opened, and Dawn climbed back into the car, carrying a small paper bag.

“Thanks. We can leave now.”

Lucy turned in her seat to look at Dawn. “Did you get the ointment?”

“Yeah. I did.”

Lucy and Genevieve giggled, making Dawn pause to stare at them.

“What?”

Genevieve laughed. “She figured it out. She knows what you went to get.”

Dawn blinked at Lucy. “You did?”

Lucy laughed. “Of course.”

Dawn burst into laughter. “Well…” She opened the paper bag. “For what it’s worth…”

She pulled out a tube with a grin. “I really did buy an ointment. I didn’t want to lie to you.”

Lucy looked at the ointment before bursting into laughter again.

Genevieve laughed so hard she bent forward.

The three women laughed together all the way out of the parking lot.

By the time they reached the house, evening had settled over the city.

Inside the house, voices drifted from the den.

Tom, Jamal, and Josh.

“I’ll go check on my boys,” Lucy said as she headed for the den.

“I’ll join you in a moment,” Dawn called after her before looking at Genevieve.

“Ready?”

Genevieve swallowed. “I don’t know.”

Dawn smiled. “I am ready enough for two. Let’s go.”

The two women hurried upstairs.

Inside the bedroom, Dawn removed the small paper bag from her handbag and carefully placed the pregnancy test kit on the bed.

Genevieve’s heart hammered against her ribs as she stared at it.

“This suddenly feels real.”

Dawn nodded. “It does.”

“What if it’s negative?” she asked, looking from the kit to Dawn.

“Then you can be grateful that you still have some time alone with Stefan before a little one comes to steal both your hearts away,” she said, and Genevieve laughed.

“And if it’s positive, I should be ungrateful?”

Dawn laughed. “Quit stalling and go check it. I’m about to burst with excitement.”

Genevieve took a deep breath before picking up the test. “I’ll be right back.”

She disappeared into the bathroom.

The moment the door clicked shut behind her, Dawn walked over to the window and stared outside.

She remembered the day she found out she was pregnant.

She remembered that Genevieve had been the one who took her to the hospital, and how pissed Genevieve had been.

If anyone had told her that she’d be here this way with Genevieve, she’d have doubted it.

She shook her head to get rid of the thought since she didn’t want to feel any sort of bitterness towards Genevieve.

She looked toward the bathroom door every few seconds until she heard the toilet flushing.

Shortly after, the door opened again and finally Genevieve stepped out.

Dawn walked over to join her and neither of them spoke as they went into the bathroom together.

The test kit was placed on the bathroom counter.

One minute felt like ten as they waited for the result.

Genevieve could hear her own heartbeat as she kept her gaze fixed on the test.

Dawn kept glancing between the timer on her phone and the test.

Then, a second line slowly appeared.

Genevieve blinked, while Dawn’s lips curved as she looked at her.

Another second passed, and the line became darker.

Genevieve looked at Dawn, and then both of them screamed.

“Oh, my God!”

They threw themselves into each other’s arms, laughing and crying at the same time.

“We’re having a baby.” Dawn squealed.

Genevieve laughed helplessly. “Oh, my goodness! I am actually pregnant.”

She looked at the test again, then hugged Dawn even tighter as tears rolled freely down her cheeks.

Just then, her phone began ringing. Genevieve laughed as she wiped her face and picked it up.

Her smile widened when she saw it was Stefan.

“It’s Stefan,” she told Dawn before receiving the call.

“Hello, handsome.”

A deep chuckle came through the speaker. “Hi, beautiful. How did the bridal shower go?”

Genevieve laughed. “So you knew about it all along?”

“A little bird may have whispered something.”

She shook her head, smiling. “I can’t believe you’re keeping secrets from me.”

“As long as you enjoyed yourself, you can scold me all you want.” Then his voice softened. “Come downstairs.”

Genevieve smiled. “You’re here?”

“Yep.”

She immediately hung up and grinned at Dawn. “He’s here.”

Dawn giggled. “Are you going to tell him now?”

A huge smile spread across Genevieve’s face as she looked down at the pregnancy test in her hand.

She nodded excitedly. “Yes. I can’t keep it to myself.”

Without another word, she hurried out of the bedroom while Dawn laughed happily as she hurried after her.