Chapter 2

"What are you saying, Brittany?" My voice was tight, a cord about to snap.

"Chad can't have this scandal, Austin. He just signed that big endorsement deal with the athletic wear company. If this hit-and-run sticks to him, his career, what's left of it, is over." Brittany's tone was chillingly calm, devoid of the frantic emotion from before. It was the logic of a general sacrificing a pawn.

"But you're different," she continued, as if explaining a simple truth to a child. "You're not in the public eye like he is. You're... private. If you take the blame, the media frenzy will die down. People forget."

I stared at the woman I thought I knew, the woman I'd planned to marry. "Brittany, do you hear yourself? First, you want me to claim Chad's hit-and-run. I did. Now, you want me to let the world believe our child is his, and then you want to... to end the pregnancy, all to protect him?"

Her voice dropped, a stage whisper of manipulation. "Austin, I'm begging you. Consider it my plea."

"Your plea?" A bitter laugh escaped me. Tears welled, hot and shameful. "You want me to destroy my name, my future, for him?"

"Chad can't take this kind of blow. He's already on antidepressants, seeing a therapist twice a week." Her voice rose with a note of urgency. "But you're strong, Austin. You always have been."

"So I'm the designated sacrifice?" The words were ground out from between clenched teeth.

"It's not a sacrifice, it's... a temporary measure." She paused, her voice softening, a practiced caress. "And Austin, about the baby... I'm going to schedule the appointment. It's for the best."

My world fractured.

"Brittany," my voice was a raw, ragged thing, "that's our child!"

"I know!" Her composure finally cracked, a flash of irritation. "But Chad can't handle any more stress right now! Any!"

My breath hitched.

I laughed then, a hollow, broken sound, tears streaming down my face.

"Fine. I agree to your terms." What else could I say? What fight was left in me?

Before I could utter another word, her phone buzzed on the counter.

She snatched it up. "Chad? What's wrong?"

His voice, thin and reedy, crackled through the speaker. "Brittany, I had a nightmare! I'm so scared! What if they find out it was me? What if they tell everyone?"

Brittany's entire demeanor shifted, melting into a puddle of maternal concern. "Shhh, Chad, honey, don't worry. I won't let anyone hurt you. I'm taking care of everything."

She hung up and, without a backward glance at me, rushed out of my apartment, presumably to his.

The next morning, I knew where she'd be. I drove to the women's clinic, a cold dread settling in my stomach.

"I'm looking for Brittany Miller," I told the receptionist.

The nurse glanced up, a flicker of confusion in her eyes. "Brittany Miller? Isn't her... uh... friend, Chad, with her for the procedure?"

My body swayed. The pain in my chest was a physical weight, crushing the air from my lungs.

She was actually going through with it. And she'd brought Chad.

My mind raced, a chaotic jumble of betrayal and grief. Just then, Brittany walked out from a back room, looking pale. Chad was by her side, his arm around her shoulders, both of them wearing surgical masks as if to hide from the world, or perhaps from themselves.

A doctor in a white coat followed them, adjusting his glasses. "Ms. Miller, as we discussed, your uterine wall is quite thin. If you proceed with this termination, future conception could be very difficult, if not impossible."

Brittany and Chad exchanged a look over their masks.

Brittany's eyes crinkled at the corners, an attempt at a smile. "It's okay, Doctor. For Chad, I'm willing to do anything."

My fingers trembled.

Brittany, you knew. You knew the risks, and still, you'd sacrifice our child, your future ability to have children, all for Chad.

I bit down on my lip, hard, tasting blood.

Walking out of the clinic, the Texas sun was a brutal, indifferent glare. I pulled out my phone. The top trending story on a local news app blared: #BrittanyAndChad #BabyLove #CoupleGoals - Popular Austin Influencer Brittany Miller and Ex-Football Star Chad Henderson Spotted at Luxury Baby Boutique.

The accompanying photo showed Brittany and Chad, holding hands, Chad protectively cradling a designer diaper bag, both of them beaming at a display of expensive baby gear.

The comments section was a cesspool of adoration and speculation.

"They look so happy! True love conquers all! ❤️"

"So glad she's standing by him. He's been through so much."

"Wonder when the baby's due? They're glowing!"

"What about that market manager guy she was engaged to? Guess he was just a placeholder. Good riddance!"

My nails dug into my palms, but I felt nothing.

I turned my car around and drove straight to a family law attorney my father had recommended years ago for "contingencies."

I needed to formally terminate the engagement. And I needed to understand what rights I had, if any, to the child she was so determined to erase.