Divorced while Pregnant

Chapter Five

"You don't get to question me anymore, Richard."

Elizabeth's voice was calm, but the words landed harder than she intended.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The morning traffic continued behind them while pedestrians moved along the sidewalk, completely unaware of the tension between the divorced couple.

Richard stared at her. Ever since he met Elizabeth, she had never spoken to him this way. She had argued with him before. She had cried because of him. She had even begged him to listen. But this was different and it somehow bothered him more than her tears.

His gaze shifted toward the file she was hiding behind her back.

"What are you hiding?"

"Nothing."

Richard took another step closer.

The distance between them disappeared instantly.

"Then show me."

Elizabeth's fingers tightened around the ultrasound report as her heart pounded against her chest.

"No."

The more she tried to hide it, the more suspicious he became.

For years, Elizabeth had never hidden anything from him. She always told him where she was going, who she was with, and what she was doing.

Now he looked like he was a stranger intruding on her privacy.

"Elizabeth. What is inside that file?"

Before she could answer, another voice interrupted them.

"Elizabeth."

She turned immediately. Relief washed over her face when she saw Ethan approaching. Ethan walked toward them carrying a takeaway coffee cup in one hand.

The moment he reached Elizabeth, his attention shifted to Richard.

"What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Richard folded his arms.

Ethan ignored him and looked at Elizabeth instead.

"Are you okay?"

Elizabeth nodded. "I'm fine."

It was a simple exchange, yet Richard couldn't explain why it bothered him. Ethan seemed comfortable around her though he had been taking care of her while Richard wasn't there.

"Did the doctor say everything was okay?" Ethan asked.

Doctor? What doctor? Richard asked.

"Doctor?" Richard repeated.

He reached for the file in her hands as they both refused to give him a response.

"Richard, don't," she warned, but it was too late. The file slipped from her hand. Several papers scattered onto the pavement. Everything happened in seconds before she could bend down to pick them up. Richard already grabbed one of the papers in the file. Boldly written clearly across the document were the words:

PREGNANCY CONFIRMATION REPORT.

Richard stared at the page as if reading it repeatedly would somehow change the content, but they remained the same.

"You're pregnant?" His voice came out quieter than expected.

Elizabeth closed her eyes briefly. There was no point denying it anymore.

"Yes."

The single word hit Richard harder than it should have. For several seconds, he stared at her.

Three years of marriage. Three years of hearing his mother complain that Elizabeth couldn't give him a child. Three years of watching her return from hospital appointments looking disappointed, and now she was standing in front of him carrying his baby.

"When did you find out?"

"After the divorce," Elizabeth lowered her eyes.

Richard looked away. The timing felt almost cruel, almost as though fate was mocking both of them. His gaze drifted toward her stomach. The child was still too small to show, but knowing the baby existed changed everything, at least for him.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"When exactly was I supposed to tell you?"

Richard remained silent.

"You handed me divorce papers, Richard. You ended our marriage."

The truth in her words left him without a response. For the first time in a very long time, Richard Smith didn't know what to say.

Ethan stepped beside Elizabeth.

"She needs to rest."

Richard ignored him. His attention completely fixed on Elizabeth. The woman he had divorced was carrying his child. He knew for sure the woman standing in front of him no longer belonged to him.