In reality, I’ll be into my third trimester in under a week.

“Five months!” Tash shrieks. “Tell me you’re joking.”

“I’ll happily work up to my due date.”

Tash rolls her eyes. “You say that now, but you’ll be calling me in a month saying there’s been some complication, or you’re getting too tired. I’ve seen it before, trust me.”

“I’m confident that won’t happen.”

“Well, you can’t do that seminar in Sydney next week,” Tash states. “Mark will have to go.”

Mark is my nemesis. He’s younger, fitter, stronger and faster. I dislike him immensely, even though he acts like we’re friends. He knows that I know it’s all a big act.

“I’ve done all the prep for it. Of course I can still go. Look at me – I’m barely even showing.” I wave a hand at my tiny bump.

“Hand it over to him this morning,” Tash says. “And anything related to Omnus.”

Nausea hits and I swallow down the vomit collecting in my throat. Omnus are the clients I visited in Tokyo – the ones with whom I’ve been trying so hard to build a relationship.

“That’s unfair, Tash. I’ve been working with them for months.”

“They called me yesterday while you were off sick.”

It’s clear she thinks there was nothing wrong with me.

“They want you to go back to Tokyo to run through an alternate solution for migrating data from their new subsidiary.”

“Great, I’ll get on to it.”

“As I said, Trish. Mark will take over Omnus. Get him up to speed.”

I stare at her lips pressed together, her narrowed eyes.

“Please, Tash, let me go to Tokyo. Give me the chance to tell them in person that I’ll be handing over to Mark. They like for things to be done formally… respectfully,” I add.

Tash sighs. “I was so sure you wouldn’t be the one,” she mutters.

“The one to what?”

“Rumours are Elliot’s the father,” she states, straightening some papers on her desk.

Jesus! Office talk is rampant.

“I don’t know who the father is,” I reply quickly.

She shakes her head. “I didn’t think you had the mother gene. I thought you were going to be a career woman.”

I’m so shocked by her words, I’m speechless. To think I’ve worked with this person for nine years. That I looked up to Tash as some ball-busting feminist. What the hell is the mother gene, anyway?

“My career is very important to me, Tash.” I’m finding it hard to keep my voice low and measured. “I’d like to go to Tokyo next week as I believe it’s in the best interests of this business to do so.”