Samuel
“You’re too young for a baby, Evelyn!”
“Jacob’s right-you should abort it!”
“No, you can’t have a kid when you’re still a kid yourself!”
“I’m going to kill that bastard!”
“Evelyn, think it through!”
A hundred pleas, a hundred desperate arguments-none of them mattered. She was hell-bent on having this baby. And truth be told, I couldn’t force her. Danica and I had her when we were young too. Questioning her now would mean admitting we thought she was less capable than we had been.
And I refused to do that. My daughter could handle this. I knew she could.
As shocking as the news was, my bigger concern was Jacob. That piece of shit’s reaction. I knew what this meant for him-how the word father terrified him, how much he hated himself for the blood that ran through his veins.
He didn’t think he was capable of being a father because he was convinced he’d fail. I’d seen it in him for years-his greatest fear.
“Do you think Jacob’s going to agree to this?” Clara asked, worry lacing her voice.
“I don’t think so.” I exhaled sharply, dragging a hand down my face. “This is going to be a tough road for them-especially Jacob.”
“You should talk to him.” She stepped closer, resting a hand on my shoulder, her touch momentarily soothing me. Of course it was. This was Clara-my Clara. My answer to every storm.
“It won’t work, babe,” I murmured, tension coiling at the base of my neck, my blood pressure spiking. “My words won’t change a thing. I’ve tried-his entire life, all through college, every time we met. His response has always been the same. It’s not that he doesn’t want to be a father. There were moments when he told me he wanted a daughter, how he’d give her everything. But those moments never lasted. At the end of the day, he always backed away, trapped in his own fears. I bet that asshole even made plans with Evelyn during his highs-dreaming about their future, their kid. And now, when the time has come, he thinks running is his only option, when facing it head-on is what he really needs to do.”
Clara licked her bottom lip, concern flashing in her eyes. “So what do we do?”
“I don’t know.” I sighed. “Wait? Let them deal with it?”
“Evelyn’s not changing her mind, Samuel,” she said, her voice tinged with dread, as if remembering Italy-when they both tore their lives apart.
“I know.” I nodded, my jaw tightening. “And because of that, Jacob has two choices: either he fights his way out of the darkness, or he loses the only light he has. He can’t have both,” I let out, “This time, it’s his decision. And none of us can save him unless he chooses to save himself.”
***
Evelyn
The sound of the front door opening pulled my attention from my phone. My gaze flickered up just in time to see Jacob step inside. It was evening.
As he walked through the hall, I let out, eyeing him suspiciously, “Guess someone finally stuck to their promise of coming home early.”
He chuckled, plopping down onto the sofa beside me. His hand traveled to the back of his neck, massaging the tension as he threw his head back with a groan.
“It was a tough day, baby,” he murmured. “Too many meetings. Too many assholes.”
“Why do you even bother making deals with assholes?” I asked, raising a brow.
“Because most rich people are assholes.”
“So that makes you an asshole too.” I shrugged, teasing.
His eyes glinted with something unreadable. “Well, I am an asshole in many people’s dictionary.” He lifted a shoulder in a careless shrug before leaning in, his voice dropping. “But what really matters is… what am I to you?”
His fingers found my jaw, tilting my face up to his as his gaze briefly dropped to the open buttons of his shirt draped over me, exposing just a hint of cleavage. But he didn’t linger-his focus snapped back to my eyes, waiting.
A slow smile formed on my lips as I leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to his. “You?” I whispered against his lips. “You’re my baby daddy.”
I giggled, brushing his hair back, but the warmth between us vanished the second the words left my mouth.
Jacob’s body stiffened. His lips parted slightly, but no words came out. He swallowed hard, licking his lips dryly, and the air in the room thickened, turning suffocating.
He exhaled slowly, pulling away. “We can’t keep avoiding this conversation, can we?” His chuckle was humorless, his voice strained. “Fine. Let’s talk. But I want us to have this discussion in peace, okay, baby?”
His words left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Peace?
How could there be peace when every conversation we had about this ended with him telling me to get rid of our child?
The whisper slipped out before I could stop it. “How can there be peace when all you want is to erase our baby?”
Jacob inhaled sharply, as if my words physically hit him. He pushed off the couch, running both hands through his hair in frustration.
Why did he always look like he was on the verge of losing it whenever we talked about our baby?
Did he really hate the idea that much?
“Evelyn…” He finally turned to face me. “This is not the right time to have a child.”
I let out a hollow laugh. “Same old shit, Jacob. Try something new if you actually expect me to buy it.”
His jaw clenched as he pinched the bridge of his nose, pressing his eyes shut like he was this close to snapping.
I shook my head in disbelief. “You’re getting mad? You? As if this is some sort of inconvenience? And then you talk about peace? The irony!”
Jacob let out another slow, measured breath. “Look, Evelyn. I am trying to control myself as much as I can.”
“Control?” My voice rose. “What the hell is there to control? It’s not like whatever you say is going to change my decision! I’m carrying this baby, Jacob. And I am Fucking keeping it!”
And that’s when he snapped.
“You’re too young for a child, Evelyn. Don’t you get it?” Jacob’s voice thundered. “You can’t have that baby.”
“Why not?!” I shot back, defiant and trembling. “I have a say in this too! This is my choice. I’m keeping the baby, Jacob, whether you like it or not.”
Jacob groaned, running a frustrated hand through his hair. “Evelyn, I really don’t have time for this shit. Just… just get rid of that thing. End of discussion.”
“‘Get rid of it?'” I took a step closer, anger flaring hot. In that moment, I wondered if I’d ever truly known him. “How dare you talk about our child like that? Right now, you sound like a cold, heartless piece of shit. Do you fucking care about anything in your life, Jacob?”
“Evelyn, that’s not what I meant-” he started, but I wasn’t about to let him twist his words.
“You called it ‘that thing,'” I hissed, my voice thick with anger. “It’s not just ‘a thing.’ It’s our child, Jacob. Our blood. A part of us. How can you stand there and dismiss it like it’s nothing? How dare you?!”
Jacob sighed, breaking eye contact, his gaze shifting to the night sky outside the balcony as if hoping it held some answer. “Look, Evelyn,” he said after a moment, voice weary. “I’m tired of fighting about this every day. You’re too young to be a mother. You have your whole life ahead of you. Don’t make a decision like this on a whim. Think it through. Fucking think!”
“Is that what you’re worried about? Or is it just that you’re not ready to be a father?” I asked, the question hanging between us like a challenge.
He stilled, his jaw clenched, breathing heavy. For a moment, he was silent, his fists tight by his sides. Then he looked at me, eyes red and hair tousled from running his fingers through it too many times. “Fine,” he whispered, raw. “You want the truth? I’m not ready to be a father. I never will be. You need to accept that. The sooner you do, the less it’ll hurt.”
And I’d be lying if I’d said his words didn’t break my heart.