Chapter 7: Unintended Consequences

A few weeks had passed since the conversation with Ender, and life had settled back into a routine for Ashley and Avan. They had been monitoring Ender's behavior, making sure he understood the importance of keeping their personal lives private. But one morning, Ashley woke up feeling off, and as she headed to the bathroom, she realized she might be pregnant. She took a test, and her heart skipped a beat as she saw the positive result. Overwhelmed with excitement and a hint of anxiety, Ashley decided to share the news with Avan in private. She couldn't wait to tell him, but she wanted to make sure Ender wasn't around. As fate would have it, Ender was in his room, playing with his Legos. Ashley carefully made her way to his room, trying to compose herself. "Hey buddy, can I talk to you for a minute?" Ashley asked. Ender looked up, his face lighting up. "Yeah! Mommy, what's up?" Ashley took a deep breath. "I just found out something, and I wanted to tell Daddy first. Can you give us a few minutes alone?" Ender nodded, seeming to understand. "Okay, I'll go play outside." As soon as Ender left, Ashley rushed downstairs to find Avan in the kitchen. "Guess what?" she asked, barely containing her excitement. Avan looked up from his coffee, a curious expression on his face. "What?" Ashley's eyes sparkled. "I'm pregnant!" Avan's face lit up, and he rushed over to hug her. "We're having a baby!" But their joy was short-lived. As they were basking in the excitement of the news, Ender burst into the kitchen, holding a piece of paper. "Mommy, Mommy, look what I found!" Ender exclaimed, waving the paper in the air. Ashley's heart sank as she realized what it was. It was the pregnancy test, and Ender had brought it to school. At preschool, Ender proudly walked into the classroom, holding up the paper for everyone to see. "Guess what I found at home? Mommy's pregnancy test!" The classroom fell silent, with all eyes on Ender and the paper in his hand. The teacher, Mrs. Johnson, quickly intervened, trying to divert the attention. "Ender, let's not share things we find at home, okay? That's private," Mrs. Johnson said gently. But it was too late. The damage was done. The other kids began to murmur and whisper to each other, their eyes fixed on Ender and the paper. Ashley received a frantic call from Mrs. Johnson, asking her to come to the school. As Ashley and Avan rushed to the preschool, they couldn't help but wonder how they would handle this situation. Their private lives were now out in the open, and they had to face the consequences of Ender's actions.