Abort It
1410 Words
Claire had no idea how she got home.
One minute, a wall of cameras was in her face. The next, she was standing outside the little house she'd called home for years, gripping her handbag so hard her hands tingled.
A newspaper waited on the porch. She didn't bother picking it up. She already knew whose face stared back from the front page.
Her father opened the door before she touched the handle. He locked eyes with her, looking so tired. Neither of them managed a word.
He stepped aside. “Come in.” He said it quietly, too quietly. That scared her more than if he’d yelled.
She walked in. He clicked the door shut behind her.
He went to the dining table and flattened the newspaper. There she was in a huge photo, security dragging her out of Cross Tower, reporters swarming around. The headline screamed louder than any of them.
MYSTERY WOMAN CLAIMS BILLIONAIRE CEO FATHERED HER BABY.
Her father tapped the photo. His voice barely held together. “Tell me this isn’t true.”
She dropped her eyes. “I…”
“I’m asking you one last time.” His voice broke. “Is it true?”
Tears blurred her vision. “Yes.”
Silence—thick, suffocating silence.
Her father pulled out a chair and sank into it, like standing suddenly took too much effort.
“I worked three jobs for this family.”
She bit her lip. “I know.”
“I missed every holiday.”
“I know.”
“I buried your mother alone. You were away taking exams.”
Her heart cracked. “I know, Dad…”
He held up the paper, pain all over his face. “This is what the world thinks of my daughter?”
“I’m sorry.”
“No.” He shook his head. “Sorry doesn’t change this.”
His gaze dropped to her belly. “Are you really pregnant with his child?”
Her hand trembled as it moved to her stomach. “Yes.”
He shut his eyes. When he finally looked at her again, he looked shattered. “Go to the clinic.”
She frowned. “What?”
“End the pregnancy.”
“Dad…”
“I said abort it.”
She backed up a step. “No.”
He clenched his jaw. “You don’t understand.”
“I do.”
“That man denied you in front of the whole country!”
“I know.”
“He called you a stranger!”
“I know.”
“So why are you still protecting his child?”
Claire’s tears fell. “I’m protecting my baby.”
“It’s the same thing.”
“No. It’s innocent.”
“That child will ruin your future!”
She swallowed. “It already has.”
“Then don’t let it ruin what’s left.”
“I can’t.”
“You can.”
“I won’t.”
He slammed his hand against the table. The sound rang out and seemed to shake the whole house.
“You’re throwing your life away!”
Claire flinched. “I’d rather lose my career than kill my child.”
The words clung to the air.
Her father’s shoulders sagged. He just looked at her for a long moment, searching her face.
“I don’t even know who you are.” His voice sounded brittle.
She pressed her hand against her mouth to keep from sobbing.
“Dad…”
“Go to your room.”
She wanted to hold him, make things right somehow. She just turned and climbed the stairs instead. Each step felt like a boulder strapped to her back.
The next morning, campus didn’t feel the same.
Students stared. Whispered. Phones whipped out as soon as she walked into the med school building.
“That’s her.”
“The billionaire’s girl.”
“He denied everything…”
“I watched the press conference.”
Claire kept walking. Her white coat suddenly felt too big and strangely heavy.
She was almost at the anatomy lab when the dean’s secretary intercepted her. “Miss Bennett.”
Claire tried to pull off a smile. “Hi.”
“The dean wants to see you.”
Her stomach knotted up.
Inside, the dean stood by his desk, the newspaper tucked under his arm. He looked troubled.
“This isn’t easy,” he said.
She nodded. “I understand.”
“The hospital’s flooded with reporters. They’ve dodged security, bothered patients… tried getting into restricted wards.”
She pressed her lips together. “I’m sorry.”
He didn’t look angry, just sad. “I know this isn’t your fault. Still, until things settle…”
She finished the sentence for him in her head.
“You’ll need to step back from clinical rotations.”
The words landed like a punch to her gut.
“My exams?”
“You’ll finish all the classroom work. But practical placements, we’ll reassess them next semester.”
Next semester. That felt a lifetime away.
“I’m really sorry, Claire.”
She nodded, stiff as a statue, and left.
Outside, she slumped against the wall. For the first time since all this started, she felt truly beaten.
Far across the city, Damian eyed his phone. Twenty-six missed calls from Claire. Not a single one answered.
He stabbed at the intercom. “Emily.”
“Yes, Mr. Cross?”
“I need Claire Bennett’s address.”
A pause.
“I’m sorry, sir.”
He scowled. “Why?”
“Your father ordered security not to share any details about her.”
Damian’s face darkened. “My father?”
“Yes, sir.”
He ended the call, dread pooling in his stomach. This wasn’t PR anymore. This was someone making sure Claire vanished.
When Claire got home at sunset, her father sat waiting. Neither spoke for a long time.
At last, he broke the silence. “The dean called.”
Claire nodded, not looking up. “They suspended me from the hospital.”
“I know.”
“I’m sorry.”
He sighed—tired, not angry. “You say that a lot.”
She fiddled with her sleeve.
“I begged them to give you another chance,” he said.
She blinked. “You did?”
“They said the hospital’s a circus.”
Neither spoke for a while.
Finally, he looked up at her. “Be honest. If you could do it again, would you still keep this baby?”
Claire didn’t even hesitate. “Yes.”
His eyes shimmered with tears. “Then I’ve already lost you.”
“Dad…”
He stood, the air in the room growing colder. “If you insist on having this child…” He hesitated. “You can’t stay here.”
It didn’t feel real. “What?”
“I won’t watch you throw away your life.”
Tears dripped down her cheeks. “This is my home.”
He looked away, voice breaking. “It was. You have until tonight.”
Claire couldn’t move. She wanted to beg, scream, anything. Instead, she shouldered her bag and went to her room.
She packed a change of clothes, her wallet, her student ID, and one photo of her parents. She scribbled a note.
I’m sorry I couldn’t be the daughter you deserved.
She left it on her pillow.
Then she walked out. She didn’t look back.
The bridge hovered over the city river, water rushing endlessly beneath the fading light. Claire gripped the freezing railing. Wind tossed her hair into her eyes.
Everything hurt. her dreams, her family, her future. She clasped her belly.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, a tear sliding down her cheek. “I don’t know how to protect you.”
She stepped onto the lower rail, squeezed her eyes shut.
One more…
“Claire.”
A man’s voice cut through the quiet. She froze.
“I wouldn’t do that.”
She turned, heart pounding.
A tall stranger stood a few paces away. He didn’t seem scared. He just watched her, certain.
“Who are you?” she managed.
He smiled, slow and sad. “Someone your mother once saved.”
She frowned, confused.
Before she could get another word out, tires screeched. A black SUV pulled up at the bridge’s mouth. The rear door burst open.
“Claire!”
Damian’s voice echoed through the dusk.
He’d found her, but he wasn’t the first there.
- Writer
