Loving Adam Scott

Blocked

Flashback

Addison's P.O.V.

"Slut!"

"I heard she got pregnant by Professor Bernard. That’s why he was fired."

"I wonder why she wasn’t expelled."

"Maybe she’s the Vice-chancellor’s niece."

"No, the Vice-chancellor's illegitimate daughter. Like mother, like daughter."

That was what I heard that morning on campus as I walked towards my lecture hall. My hand instinctively rested on my swollen belly. At nearly five months pregnant, I was already showing. There was no point hiding it anymore. I had stopped going to the cafeteria weeks ago.

For the record, I had nothing to do with Professor Bernard’s disciplinary case. It had been ongoing for over six months, long before I started my first year. But they didn’t care about facts. They needed someone to crucify, and I—pregnant, unmarried, and walking proof of shame, was the easiest target.

They thrived on scandal. It gave them purpose, made them feel superior. In their version of the story, I’d seduced a man twice my age. Professor Bernard, who was unmarried, by the way. Imagine what they would say if they knew the real story—that the biological father of my child was a married man. That the baby was conceived on his wedding day.

If they found out, they wouldn’t just whisper behind my back. They’d hang me and burn me at the stake like the witches we read about in history class.

Just as I was about to enter my class, something wet and cold slammed into my face.

An egg.

Its gooey contents dripped down my cheek, sliding to my shoulder.

A single tear betrayed me. Not from shame, never from shame, but from the sheer weight of undeserved hatred. I had endured the gossip, the whispers, and the sideways glances. But this… this was too far.

I turned around and left, skipping class without hesitation.

Back in my dorm room, my hands trembled as I picked up my phone. I couldn’t carry this burden alone anymore. Adam needed to know.

The call didn’t go through.

Frantic,I rushed to the next room and knocked. The girl next door opened her door, her eyes widening when she saw the state I was in—egg-stained, teary-eyed, and shaking. I didn’t give her a chance to ask questions.

“Can I use your phone?” I choked out. “Please.”

She nodded without a word and handed it over. I didn’t explain. I didn't want to.

I dialled his number again. He picked up on the first ring.

“Hello, this is Scott. Who am I speaking with?”

“…Addison,” I whispered, heart in my throat.

Silence.

“Adam…” I began, but the line went dead. He’d hung up.

I tried again. And again. No response.

My heart sank. A chill spread through my chest.

He blocked me.

Adam Scott had blocked me.

The realisation hit like a sledgehammer. I stumbled outside and vomited into the bushes. My body couldn’t contain the anguish.

After cleaning myself up, I returned to my room and began packing. There was nothing left for me here.

If Adam Scott could sleep with me, get me pregnant, and then pretend I didn’t exist.

Then he didn’t deserve to be part of my life.

But he wouldn’t get to ignore this child.

Not when I was carrying a piece of him inside me.

****

Returning home so soon was never the plan. My pregnancy wasn't showing before I left home, so no one knew in my suburb, and I intended to keep it that way.

So I did what any scared teenage girl would do. I tied a scarf tight around my stomach, hiding the bump until I looked like someone who’d eaten too much lunch.

When I asked for a ticket home, my parents didn’t ask why. They just gave it to me.

I arrived in the city without reaching my home and went straight to Adam's new home after squeezing the information from Adelson.

One ring. Two rings.

My fragile heart pounded, not knowing what to expect.

On the third ring, the gate swung open.

There she stood.

Elara Vermont.

The wife.

The woman he’d married just hours before he slept with me. Her face held a mixture of surprise and confusion as she looked at me from the tip of my head to the base of my shoes, then her face morphed into a polite fake smile.

“Addy's daughter, right?” She said, too brightly.

I frowned. How dare she call me that?

“No, Addison,” I replied flatly.

“Oh.” She blinked. “I’ve heard Adam call you Addy’s daughter a million times.”

“Is he here?” I asked, ignoring her.

“No, darling. He has travelled. Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be at uni?” She asked in a tone you’d use on a small child.

“Aren't you supposed to be in university, too?” I shot back.

“Yes, I am,” she said sweetly. “But I took a year off to sort some things out.”

I stared at her, unimpressed. Either she was dumb or pretending not to notice that I despised her. How could she not, when I never once wore a smile in her presence?

“I need to see Adam.”

“I told you, he's travelled.”

“When will he be back?” I asked, already impatient.

“In a year. He went to Costa Rica for a partnership program.”

“What about uni?” I asked, momentarily worried about him.

“He’s learning online. He’s managing the balance pretty well,” she said with a straight face. Then, after a pause, “I have his address, if you’d like it.”

“Yes,” I said without hesitation.

She disappeared inside and returned ten minutes later with a slip of paper.

I took it without a word and left. I couldn’t bring myself to say thank you. Even now, I wonder why she never asked why I had a suitcase with me.

****

“I am going!” I shouted at my parents.

“Even while pregnant, you’re still acting like a child. When will you grow up, Addison?” My father snapped, his voice exhausted, but it didn't stop my reiteration.

“Maybe when I marry Adam!” I replied, knowing it made no sense.

“Baby, he’s already married,” Mum said softly, her eyes shining with tears. “He can’t be yours anymore.”

I glared at them. “You never help me fight for what’s mine. If you’d told him not to marry Elara, he wouldn’t have. He listens to you both! You’re like his second parents, but you kept quiet! You’re still keeping quiet! Have you even told him I’m pregnant?”

Mum looked away, guilt all over her face. “He’s married now, Addison. We don’t want to ruin his life.”

“So you ruined mine instead!”

“Stop being a child, Addison, and blaming others for the consequences of your actions. You ruined your life on your own.” My father said, deflated, as he slumped onto the sofa.

“Pack up your things. You are going back to university tomorrow.”

“No! Are you both ashamed of your neighbours finding out that your nineteen-year-old daughter is pregnant?” I asked coldly.

“No,” Dad replied, shaking his head. “Never. Don’t you see, baby?” he whispered, standing up and walking toward me. “We want the best for you. You need this education. That’s what matters most.”

He brushed my cheek with his fingers.

I pushed his hand away.

“I’m going to Costa Rica,” I said firmly. “That’s final. You either book me a ticket, or you’ll never hear from me again.”