I Married the President

「The next day.」

When Claire Sinclair woke up, the man was nowhere to be seen in the room. However, she did spot something unfamiliar on the nightstand.

’Is that... a pregnancy test?’

Claire Sinclair’s heart tightened. She reached out, picked up the pregnancy test, and read through the instructions. She felt a slight stir of anticipation.

They hadn’t used any protection since coming back from their honeymoon. Her period was always irregular, and it hadn’t come for two months now. She wondered if she might be pregnant.

Claire Sinclair took a deep breath, then walked into the bathroom with the pregnancy test and the urine cup.

’This is my first time using one of these. To be honest, I’m a little nervous...’

She followed the steps in the instruction manual, then placed the test stick face down on the toilet lid, too nervous to look at the result right away.

After waiting for several minutes, she finally mustered the courage to flip the test over.

Seeing the final result, she stared, stunned, and was suddenly filled with self-doubt.

’What did the instructions say again?’

She put the test down, hurried back to the bedroom, and picked up the instruction manual to read it again.

After reading it over and over, seven or eight times, making sure she didn’t miss a single word, she ran uncertainly back to the bathroom to look at the test result one more time.

Just one line. That meant it was negative.

’Why isn’t it working? We’ve tried so many times.’

’Is there really something wrong with my body?’

’If that’s the case, what am I supposed to do?’

Claire Sinclair’s mood instantly plummeted. She felt completely lost.

She went back to her room, picked up her phone, and sent him a message: "Mr. Quincy, it’s just one line."

A moment later, Adrian Quincy called her back directly. He comforted her in a gentle voice, "It’s okay. We’ll just keep trying tonight. It’ll happen eventually."

"But..."

"Claire, it might not be your fault. I’ll go see a urologist when I have time."

"..." Claire Sinclair was actually speechless.

Adrian Quincy added, "Don’t overthink it. We won’t know whose issue it is until I get a check-up."

"So when are you free?" What she really wanted to ask was where he was right now.

Adrian Quincy’s voice was low as he said, "I’m about to meet with Elias Riley. I’ll see what time it is after we’re done. If there’s still time today, I’ll go to the hospital."

"I’ll go with you!"

"Claire, I recall you have an assessment this afternoon."

"Uh..." Claire Sinclair suddenly lost all enthusiasm for the show’s taping. She desperately wanted to go to the hospital with him, to be there for his check-up and to get herself checked out too.

"Be good. Take care of your own things first. Don’t worry about me."

"Okay, fine." Claire Sinclair could only give in, though she was very reluctant.

After hanging up, Claire Sinclair let out a long sigh. She stroked her flat stomach and mumbled, "Why can’t you just cooperate..."

-

The afternoon’s event was the fourth artistic integrity assessment.

According to the show’s format, this assessment would be an "open-book test." In other words, this was the time the trainees would be officially told about the existence of the artistic integrity assessments.

Although the other three mentors weren’t required to be there, they all showed up, curious about the artistic integrity assessment.

It was Claire Sinclair’s first time being both a mentor and a host, and she was a little nervous. But seeing the trainees’ indifferent attitude toward her, she felt her nervousness was a bit pointless.

’Seriously. What the hell am I so nervous for?’

Claire Sinclair held the question card and microphone. She first read everything on the card, memorizing it, before speaking without looking down. "Today, we will be conducting the fourth artistic integrity assessment. Unlike the previous three, this one will be an open-book test."