Too late I Am Carrying His Child

Chapter 14: The Walls Between Us

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything I’ve done to you,” Daniel began, his voice trembling as he stood in the dimly lit living room. His hands were shaking slightly, a mug of untouched coffee growing cold on the table. “For ignoring you. For making it seem like I no longer care. I’m sorry for not even telling you when they arrived. I just wanted to surprise you.”

Victoria stood in the doorway, her bag still hanging from her shoulder. She looked at him—really looked—and saw the guilt written all over his face. A part of her wanted to walk away, but another part, the wounded daughter still yearning for her father’s love, couldn’t.

She sighed and slowly sat down. “Oh, now you realize what you’ve done?” she said, her voice sharp but fragile. “Dad, you broke me.”

Daniel swallowed hard. “David explained everything to me,” he admitted quietly. “And I’m deeply sorry.”

Victoria’s eyes widened. “Oh, so someone else had to explain my feelings to you?” Her tone cracked, the pain spilling out with every word. “You forgot me so soon, Dad? Really?”

Tears slipped down her cheeks before she could stop them. “You promised me that nothing would change—that you’d still choose me. That no one could replace us. But look at you.” Her voice wavered. “I’m still alive, and you’ve already forgotten me. What about Mom? She’s dead, and you’ve just… moved on.”

Daniel’s voice broke. “Honey, it’s different. I didn’t forget you—or your mom.”

Victoria laughed bitterly through her tears. “Oh, so now she’s just my mom? Not your wife anymore?”

Before Daniel could respond, footsteps echoed from the hallway. David had been standing there, listening just long enough to know things were getting out of hand.

“Stop twisting his words,” David said firmly, stepping into the room. “At least let him explain.”

Victoria turned to him, her eyes burning. “And what right do you have to put your dirty mouth in a family conversation?”

“I’m your stepbrother,” David shot back, meeting her glare head-on.

“Stepbrother, my foot!” she snapped. “I don’t even like you.”

“I don’t like you either,” he said quickly, though the lie stung his chest. “But I want my mom to be happy—and I thought you’d want the same. Every time something happens, you bring your mother into it. Let her rest in peace, Victoria.”

Her breath caught in her throat. “How dare you?” she whispered. “My mom died five years ago. She means everything to me.”

“And my dad died three years ago,” David countered, his tone fierce. “I can’t let my mom live in sadness forever. You need to grow up and stop being so childish.”

Victoria’s head snapped up. “How dare you call me childish!”

“Enough!” Daniel’s voice boomed, silencing them both. He stood, rubbing his temples. “Both of you, stop this right now. You should be more like siblings, not enemies.”

Victoria turned to him, her voice trembling with rage. “This is all your fault,” she said, pointing at him. “You created this mess.”

“I thought you were twenty,” David muttered under his breath, “but you sound fifteen.”

Victoria let out a hollow laugh. “I see my dad’s told you all about me then. Congratulations, Dad.”

Before either of them could speak, she turned and stormed upstairs. The door slammed so hard the walls seemed to shake.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Daniel stood frozen, staring at the staircase, his heart breaking all over again. David looked down, guilt heavy in his chest.

“I’m sorry,” David said quietly. “I didn’t mean to make things worse. I just wanted to help.”

Daniel forced a tired smile. “It’s fine,” he murmured, though nothing about this was fine. “We used to fight like this all the time when she was younger. But then… she stopped. She was happy for a while. And now, I don’t even recognize her anymore.”

David looked at him, feeling the weight of the man’s sorrow. “She’s carrying too much pain,” he said softly. “Maybe she just doesn’t know how to let go.”

Daniel sighed and rose to his feet. “I’ll give her time,” he said, then walked slowly toward his bedroom, leaving David alone in the quiet.

Later That Night

The house had fallen into an uneasy silence. The ticking clock was the only sound in the living room. David sat on the couch, lost in thought, staring blankly at the dark television screen.

He couldn’t sleep—not after what had happened. The argument replayed in his mind, over and over again. He hadn’t meant to hurt her. Every word had come from a place of frustration, but also something else… something he couldn’t quite name.

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “Nice going, David,” he muttered under his breath.

He knew she hadn’t eaten. And no matter how angry she was, she’d eventually come downstairs.

He waited.

Minutes turned into an hour before he finally heard the soft creak of her door opening upstairs. His heart thumped once, sharply. Then footsteps—light, careful—made their way toward the kitchen.

When she appeared, her face was pale, her eyes red and tired. She froze when she saw him sitting there.

“Hey,” David said quietly, standing up. He tried to sound casual, normal—but his voice betrayed him. He wanted peace. He wanted her to see he wasn’t her enemy.

“Hey,” she replied flatly, brushing past him toward the kitchen.

He hesitated, then followed. “Can we talk?”

Victoria didn’t even look up. “Yeah, sure,” she said softly, surprising him.

He blinked. He had expected her to yell, to push him away again. But she didn’t. Maybe she was too tired to fight. Or maybe… she was giving him a chance.

David leaned against the counter, his voice gentle. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. The first time your dad told me about you, I was actually excited to meet you. I’m sorry about what I said earlier—I didn’t mean it like that.”

“It’s fine,” Victoria said quietly, dishing food from the pot. Her tone was neutral, but her hands trembled slightly.

“No, it’s not fine,” he said, taking a small step closer. “Look, I know your dad messed up. Maybe my mom and I made things worse without realizing it. But please… forgive him. He’s trying. He really is.”

Victoria paused, her back still to him. “That won’t be easy, Mr. Stepbrother,” she said at last, forcing a small, humorless laugh. “I’ll need time to think about that.”

David exhaled, relief mixing with sadness. “Alright,” he said gently. “Take all the time you need. But… we’re good, right?”

She turned then, meeting his eyes for the first time that night. There was no anger in them now—just exhaustion, and something softer beneath it. “Yeah,” she said quietly. “We’re good.”

A slow, genuine smile spread across David’s face—one that lit up his whole expression. For the first time since moving into this house, he felt like maybe, just maybe, they were starting to find common ground.

Victoria picked up her plate and headed toward her room. “Goodnight, David,” she said softly before walking away.

“Goodnight, Victoria,” he replied, his voice almost a whisper.

He watched her disappear down the hall, the faint click of her door closing behind her. Then he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

The smile still lingered on his face—small, hopeful, fragile.

Because tonight, he had seen a different side of her. A side that wasn’t just angry or defensive… but human, hurting, and desperately trying to stay strong.

And for reasons he couldn’t explain, David found himself wanting to protect that part of her—no matter how complicated things would get.