MR BILLIONAIRE'S REGRET: CHASING HIS IRRESISTIBLE WIFE
Fate gave her a second chance.

(ARIELLE'S POV)

The words hung in the air, and I paused, momentarily forgetting how to breathe. My eyes widened, and my mouth hung open as I struggled to process the words while fighting to suck air back into my lungs. PREGNANT?

How could that be? I turned to Ashley, expecting her to share my disbelief, and she looked just as stunned. Her eyes saucer-wide, and her lips parted in shock.

Somehow, I managed to compose myself, though my voice trembled. "What?" I stammered, my voice a raspy whisper.

Ashley's grip on my hand tightened, but I hardly noticed. I was too busy trying to process and inquire about the bombshell that had just been dropped.

"Doctor," I continued. "I doubt someone of your noble profession would want to joke around. Please, tell me this is a joke." I pushed the file back towards her, my hands shaking. "Here, take it and ensure it's mine."

The doctor's smile never left her face. Instead, she looked at me with understanding. "I understand your shock, Arielle. Most women are like that when they discover they're pregnant, especially the expectant ones who have been waiting for years. But I assure you, you're truly pregnant."

She gently leaned forward, her hands clapped together while meeting my gaze. "The blood tests and ultrasound confirmed it."

My mind went into denial as I struggled to wrap my head around the news. I'm not just pregnant, but eight weeks pregnant. How did this happen? But I lost my child, and the hospital confirmed it.

Or, were they mistaken? No, they can't be. I felt the absence of my child; I stopped feeling pregnant afterward. So if I truly lost my child, how come I'm pregnant with another? I am sure I've not had a sexual encounter with a man since the last time with Jared, and it's been months, for Christ's sake!

Five freaking months, so how am I two fucking months pregnant? How am I pregnant again?

I turned to Ashley, searching for answers. She has been with me all this while, maybe she would have answers. But she looked even paler, even more than I am.

I took a deep breath and turned back to the Doctor. "Doctor, I still insist that you're wrong in your diagnosis. I...I was pregnant, but I lost my child exactly two months ago. A miscarriage. And since then, I've not been with a man. How, then, can I be pregnant when I'm not the next Virgin Mary?"

The doctor paused, a somewhat confused expression crossing her features. But she quickly recovered, adjusting her gold-rimmed glasses.

"Um, that's quite a spectacular occurrence I must say, Ms. Arielle," she began, her tone measured. "I do not want to ride on assumptions, but from what you explained, I suspect you have a case of homopaternal superfecundation." "Homo what?" I asked, the magnanimity of the words scaring me the more. "What's that, Doctor?"

She sighed, leaning back in her chair. "It's a rare phenomenon where a woman releases multiple eggs at different times, and they're fertilized by the same man, resulting in two separate pregnancies, usually weeks apart."

I was beginning to feel lightheaded from all I had heard. "But how is that possible?"

The doctor's expression softened as she stared at me with sympathy. "It seems you might have been pregnant with fraternal twins, but only one was detected. The other embryo, likely fertilized later, continued to develop unnoticed."

Against my will, my mind began to wander as I tried to figure out which of the sex Jared and I had after I discovered I was pregnant and could have conceived the second child. Was it the one in the Five-Star Hotel when we went on the short trip or the quickie in the bathroom on the day of his class reunion?

And as I thought about all of these, my face heated up in an involuntary blush. Get a grip on yourself, Arielle. Now's not the time to think about Jared's hot body. You two are divorced, besides, a serious matter was being spoken of. That was all it took me to snap out of the mini reverie, as I resumed staring worriedly at the Doctor.

"Are...are you saying I was pregnant with twins?" I whispered, the implication of her words finally sinking.

The doctor nodded cautiously. "It's possible, but don't want to assume. We'll need to conduct ultrasounds to confirm. And, if you don't mind, we

can conduct a scan to let you. See

the embryo since you're still in doubt

about being pregnant."

I turned to Ashley again, tired and unsure of what to say. She squeezed my hand, nodding. That was a yes, I guess. I turned to the doctor, "I'd like to see."

The doctor stood, gesturing to the door. "Let's take a look then, shall we? Sometimes, seeing is believing."

I stood, my legs trembling, and followed the doctor to the ultrasound sound room, Ashley by my side, holding me from falling.

We entered the ultrasound room, and the technician welcomed us warmly. "Please, lie down," he said, gesturing to the examination bed.

I hesitated, but a glance at Ashley

and the reassuring look on her face got me moving. I got on the bed and laid on my back. Ashley took a stance beside me, holding my hand tightly.

The technician applied gel on my abdomen and placed the probe. Suddenly, the screen flickered to life, showing a blurry image.

"Is that...?" I whispered, my voice trembling.

The technician smiled. "Yes, that's

your baby." He moved the probe, and

the image became clearer. I saw

little limbs, head and hands. I

instantly turned jelly on the inside, at

the stunning sight before me

QUMS

The technician tapped on something and a whooshing sound filled the room.

"Is that the heartbeat?" Ashley asked the question in my head, her voice filled with wonder.

The technician nodded. "Yes, it is."

The sound of the heartbeat saturated the room, rapid and steady. I felt tears welling up in my eyes.

"Oh, my baby," I whispered, my voice cracking.

Before I knew it, tears streamed down my face, soaking the pillow beneath my head.

"It's beautiful," Ashley whispered.

I nodded, unable to speak.

The technician's voice brought me back to reality. "Everything looks perfect. Your baby is approximately eight weeks old."

I turned to Ashley, tears still streaming down my face. "I'm going to be a Mom again," I whispered.

Ashley smiled, tears in her own eyes. "You are. The universe gave you a second chance."

I looked back at the screen, my heart filled with happiness. "Fate played a fast one on me," I whispered to myself. "But this time, it's a good one."

The technician handed me a towel to wipe away my tears. "We'll give you some pictures," he said with a smile.

As I sat up, holding the images of my baby, I knew that I would do everything to protect it. He/she would not suffer the same fate as their sibling. "This time," I whispered. "I'll make sure everything goes right."