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He took the bag fro, as if it didn’t carry the key to her hopes and dreams To the freedom she had never even appreciated until this moment

‘Come on’ He strode off towards the hotel

Polly hesitated Maybe she could wait until she got home after all In fact htmare to be over

Her hand crept to her abdomen and stayed there What if? There was only one way to find out

The hotel lobby was as anonye, the walls a coffee colour accented by less abstract prints, the whole set off by fake oak fittings Gabe led the way confidently past the desk and Polly noted how the receptionists’ eyes followed him

And how their eyes rested on her in jealous appraisal,her all too aware of her old tracksuit, her lack of make-up She lifted her head; let thee

They walked along a long corridor, doors at regular intervals on either side ‘Aha, voici,’ Gabe muttered and stopped in front of one of the white wooden doors

Nuless It didn’t feel prophetic

He opened the door with the key card and stood aside to let Polly enter Her eyes swept around the rooe double bedpillows The same tired abstracts were on the walls of the room; a TV and a sizeable desk completed the simple layout

The door to her right stood open to reveal a white tiled bathroom

The bathroom

Panic whooshed through her and Polly put out a hand to steady herself against the wall It was time

What if she was pregnant?

What if she wasn’t?

The thought froze her That hat she wanted Wasn’t it?

‘I’e more than a couple of forkfuls of that omelette You should eat What do you want?’ Gabe’s voice broke through her paralysis like a spoon stirring slowly through thick treacle

Polly blinked at hi to make sense of the words How could he even think of food at a tiry’

‘I’ to have a beer What do you want to drink?’ He flashed a look at the bag on the bed ‘You’re going to need a lot of liquid to get through that lot’