Chapter 4

Years passed. Current Jake and I, we were more established then.

He' d started his construction company, and it was taking off. We had a nice house, two cars.

The struggles of our youth felt distant.

One day, Jake came home talking about an intern at his company. Emily.

"She's bright, Sarah, really smart," he' d said. "But she's got it tough. Reminds me a bit of you, back in the day."

He explained she was a student, working to pay her tuition, living in a tiny, rundown room.

My heart went out to her. I knew what that felt like.

We met her for coffee. She was young, maybe early twenties, shy but with an obvious intelligence.

She told us about her difficult family, her dreams of becoming an architect.

We decided to help her. We paid for some of her tuition, helped with her rent.

It felt good, like we were paying forward the kindness others had, or should have, shown us.

Emily was grateful, always thanking us, saying she' d repay us someday.

Then, a few months ago, she reappeared in my life.

Not as the struggling student, but as a specter at my door.

I opened it to find her standing there, pale and tearful.

"Sarah," she stammered, her eyes wide with a fear I didn' t understand. "I... I need to talk to you."

I let her in, concerned.

She sat on the edge of our expensive sofa, twisting her hands in her lap.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, tears streaming down her face. "I never meant for this to happen."

"What is it, Emily? What's wrong?"

She looked up at me, her expression a mixture of guilt and something else, something I couldn't quite place.

"I'm pregnant," she said, her voice barely audible.

Then the bombshell.

"It's Jake's."

The world tilted. The air left my lungs.

Pregnant. With Jake's child.

The girl we helped. The girl who reminded Jake of me.

The irony was a bitter pill.

My first thought wasn't anger, not then. It was a cold, hollowing disbelief.

Then, a wave of nausea so intense I had to grip the armrest to stay upright.