Chapter 2 Three Days Before Goodbye
905 Words
I didn't leave the apartment during those three days.
The curtains stayed shut, and I lost track of whether it was day or night.
My belly was still flat, but I knew the baby was growing inside me.
When I finally turned my phone back on, the screen lit up with 47 missed calls and 93 w******p messages.
Every one of them was from Wyatt.
The first few were voice messages, and I didn't listen to them. The ones after that were texts.
Wyatt: Layla, I'll deal with things on my end. Just give me time.
Wyatt: She and I are married in name only. I swear I'll fix it when the timing is right.
Wyatt: The baby didn't do anything wrong. Please don't do this just because you're angry.
Later, his tone started changing.
Wyatt: Are you really going to take it this far?
Wyatt: I already told you I would handle it. What more do you want from me?
The last message came that afternoon, and it was only a few lines.
Wyatt: Your procedure is tomorrow, right? Don't do something you'll regret.
I stared at those lines for a long time.
He was waiting for me to give in.
I never replied.
On the day of the procedure, I sat on a bench in the hospital hallway clutching the appointment slip, my palms slick with sweat.
Ten minutes before they were supposed to take me in, I heard footsteps coming fast from the other end of the corridor.
I looked up and saw my mother.
Her hair was a mess, her eyes were swollen, and she looked like she'd run all the way there.
"Layla!"
She rushed over and grabbed my hand.
"Mom? What are you doing here..."
She was breathing hard. "Wyatt called me. He said you two had a fight and that you were going to terminate the pregnancy. He asked me to come talk to you. Layla," my mother said, her voice thick with exhaustion and pleading, "couples fight all the time. Don't punish the baby for it..."
"Mom, let go of my hand."
She didn't.
And that was when I finally got a good look at her face.
Her eyes were swollen. There were dark circles under them. Her lips were dry and peeling.
"Mom, what's wrong? Did something happen?"
Her gaze flickered.
"Nothing happened. I was just worried about you, and I barely slept last night..."
"No." I kept staring at her. "Tell me the truth."
She parted her lips, but no sound came out.
Then her eyes filled with tears, and her voice dropped to a whisper.
"Your dad... Your dad's company is in trouble."
"The deal fell through. The investors pulled out, and with the penalty fees..." My mother's voice shook. "We may have to sell the house. I couldn't bring myself to tell you. I didn't want to put this on you..."
My blood ran cold.
"Mom, give me a minute. I need to use the restroom."
I walked into the stairwell at the end of the hall.
The door closed behind me, and the world went quiet.
I called Wyatt.
"So you've finally made up your mind?" Wyatt said. His voice was calm and steady, as if he had been waiting for this call.
"You were behind what happened to my father's company."
It was not a question.
Wyatt let out a soft laugh.
It wasn't smug, exactly. It was the kind of laugh that told me I had finally caught up.
"I only heard your father's company had run into trouble. I was going to help, but you were so determined to cut me out of your life."
His voice was warm and casual, as if we were talking about the weather.
It chilled me to the bone.
"You're threatening me, Wyatt."
His tone changed then, and the act fell away.
"If you stay, and if you keep the baby, I'll keep your father's business afloat. But if you insist on leaving me and getting rid of the baby, then I have no reason to step in."
"What about her?"
The line went quiet for a second.
"I'll take care of it. Just give me time."
I closed my eyes.
The stairwell was dim, lit only by the sickly green glow of the exit sign.
"Fine. I'll keep the baby."
He let out a long breath on the other end.
Then he said, "Layla, thank you. I'll have my people handle it right away, and your father's situation will be under control by tonight."
I said nothing.
He spoke again, "I know you hate me right now. But one day, you'll understand. I'm doing this for us."
I hung up.
I stood there in the stairwell, clutching my phone, unable to move.
''For us.''
I lowered my gaze to my belly.
It was still flat. There was nothing to see yet. But I knew there was a life growing inside me, a life he had forced me to keep.
I laughed once.
Then the tears started falling.
He said he would take care of it.
He told me to wait for him.
But through all of it, he never said the one thing that mattered. He never said, "I'll divorce her."
My phone buzzed again.
I did not look at it.
I did not need to. I already knew who it was.
From that moment on, I stopped believing anything he said.
- Writer
