Mr CEO, I’m pregnant

The first thing I saw when I rounded the corner of the apartment was Daniel's hand wrapped around my best friend's waist. The second thing I registered was his face buried against her neck. And the third and most painful was the realization that my boyfriend of two years had been sleeping with my best friend. It was like the air has been punched out of my lungs and I just stood frozen in the doorway. The brown paper bag containing two iced coffees and warm cannolis I had brought to share with Paige hung loosely from my fingers. The bag slipped from my hand and hit the floor, the coffee spilling across Paige's expensive rug. The sound definitely caught their attention as suddenly Daniel looked up. His face went completely pale the minute our eyes met. "Angie?" My name came out of his mouth like a frightened whisper. I stared at him. Then at Paige. How was this happening? WHY was this happening? For a moment, nobody said anything then Daniel scrambled off the bed. Paige, meanwhile, seemed completely unbothered by my presence. "Angie, wait." I just watched him scramble to find an excuse out of this situation. I didn't even know if I should cry or yell out how disgusted I was by them. "What are you doing here?" I almost laughed. "What am I doing here? Daniel, YOU have the nerve to ask me what I'm doing in my best friend's house?" "Angie, babe, please Just let me explain." "Explain what?" My voice cracked. "Explain why you're in bed with my best friend?" "It's not what you think, babe. I swear. All of this is just a big misunderstanding okay?" I stared at him in disbelief. A misunderstanding? He reduced the ultimate betrayal of my trust to a minor misunderstanding? "What exactly am I supposed to think, Daniel?" "Angie, just let me explain" "How long has this been going on for huh?" I demanded to know, "Tell me, Daniel!" Paige sighed. "Honestly, Angie, you're being dramatic." I turned toward her. "Dramatic?" This backstabbing w***e had the audacity to call ME dramatic? I had half the mind to drag her out by her hair without her clothes on. Paige slowly pulled the sheet higher over her bare chest. "You walked in on us. What exactly did you expect?" I felt something inside me break. "Us?" Paige smiled and repeated. "Yes, Angie. Us. Daniel and I" Daniel rubbed a hand over his face, clearly frustrated by the situation playing out. "Paige, stop." "No, Daniel. I won't" She stood up from the bed. "I'm tired of pretending this is some terrible mistake." Paige doubled down while she looked me directly in the eyes. "You've been holding Daniel back for years now and we all know it." I shook my head. "Paige..." "You can't afford your own rent," She continued, "You can't find a job. You constantly need his help. It's pathetic!" "Stop it, Paige!" "And now you're standing here acting shocked because he found someone better." Daniel said nothing. For me, that silence was the worst part. It was the part that destroyed me. I looked at him. Still hoping somehow that he would come back to his senses and say something. "You agree with her?" His eyes dropped. That was the only answer that I needed. I swallowed the lump in my throat. "How long?" I asked again. Neither of them answered. "How long, Daniel?" "Angie...." "Answer me!" He finally whispered, "A few months." A few months? They've been sleeping together for a few months behind my back? The pieces began to finally fall into place. The distance, the missed calls that never got returned, the countless excuses. All this time, I thought he was just experiencing some work stress. It all made sense now. I laughed. But it was the kind of laugh that you let out when your body is too shocked to let you cry. "Wow." I looked at Paige. "You're supposed to be my best friend." Then Daniel. "I loved you. I loved you more than anything and you turn around and do this?" I shook my head. "Both of you are disgusting." I turned around and walked out before either of them could say another word. The rain was pouring heavily by the time I reached the street. I didn't try to walk back home. I just stood beneath the awning of a closed bakery, staring blankly at the traffic rushing past. I didn't want to go back home. The thought of being back in my cramped apartment suddenly felt unbearable. I didn't want to be alone with the reality that my two year relationship was over because my best friend had stolen my boyfriend. My boyfriend had thrown me away. And somehow, I was the one left feeling like I had done something wrong. Like this betrayal was my fault. It jus wasn't fair. I pulled out my phone somehow hoping that Daniel would have called to chase after me but there was nothing from him. I stared at the screen until my vision blurred. Then a message from Paige appeared. *Paige: Now that you and Daniel are over, don't embarrass yourself by coming back. I stared at it. She was still willing to add insult to injury? Was she always like this? How did I miss the red flags? I sighed and deleted the text. I was about to put my phone away when another notification popped up. This one was from an old college friend. We weren't too close but she was a fun girl who was also a DJ at a famous club not too far off. She has been trying for a while to get me to come watch her live. *Lydia: Hey, Angie. I have a gig tonight. Come over to Club V tonight. I'll make sure you get in easy. I almost wanted to give her an excuse like I usually did. I wasn't a club person. But tonight? I began to heavily consider this distraction. Tonight I didn't want to be Angie, the broke girl who had just been dumped by her cheating boyfriend. I didn't want to think about or cry over them. I just wanted one night where none of it mattered. My thumb hovered over the screen. Then I typed back. *Me: I'll be there. I slipped my phone into my coat pocket and waited for the rain to stop. I had no idea that saying yes to one stupid night out would change my life forever.