Chapter 4 Avoidance and Anxiety

The soft morning light filtered through the sheer curtains of my apartment, but it did little to chase away the fog in my head. I sat at the kitchen table, cradling a mug of tea that had long since gone cold. The pregnancy test sat in the trash can, the two unmistakable lines burned into my memory.

Pregnant.

The word echoed in my mind, bringing with it an overwhelming mix of emotions. Excitement. Fear. Regret.

I reached for my phone, scrolling through my contacts until I landed on Daniel's name. His smile stared back at me from the photo, a snapshot of happier times. Daniel had always been my rock, the steady force in my otherwise chaotic life. He deserved to know, but telling him wouldn't be easy.

I pressed the call button, my heart pounding as the phone rang.

"Come on, Daniel," I whispered under my breath.

The call went to voicemail.

I tried again, but the result was the same. I set the phone down with a sigh, leaning back in my chair. Of course he'd be busy. His job had him traveling constantly, and I couldn't expect him to drop everything just because my life was falling apart.

The knock on my door shattered the fragile quiet, sharp and insistent. My stomach churned as I set the phone down. I wasn't expecting anyone, and a nagging sense of dread settled over me as I walked to the door.

I peeked through the peephole. Ethan.

My heart dropped, and I froze in place, staring at his familiar face. His jaw was set, his eyes burning with a determination I hadn't seen in years. I thought about ignoring him, pretending I wasn't home, but Ethan never gave up that easily.

The knock came again, harder this time.

"Elena, I know you're in there," he called, his voice tight with frustration.

I cursed under my breath and reluctantly unlocked the door, opening it just enough to glare at him. "What do you want?"

"We need to talk," he said, his tone sharp and unwavering.

I tightened my grip on the door. "There's nothing to talk about, Ethan."

His jaw clenched, and he took a step forward, forcing me to either let him in or slam the door in his face. I chose neither, standing frozen as he pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"You can't just barge into my life like this," I snapped, following him as he walked into the living room.

Ethan turned to face me, his eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made my chest tighten. "You're pregnant."

The words hung in the air between us like a live wire, sparking with tension.

I folded my arms, trying to steady my breathing. "That's none of your business."

He laughed, a bitter, humorless sound. "None of my business? Are you serious right now? I got an email from the hospital, Elena. They congratulated me on the pregnancy."

My stomach twisted. Of course, the hospital.

"You had no right to go snooping," I said, my voice rising.

"I wasn't snooping," he shot back. "They sent it to me because they think I'm the father. And I think they're right."

I shook my head, the denial tumbling from my lips before I could stop it. "You don't know anything, Ethan."

His eyes flashed with anger. "Don't do that. Don't stand there and act like I'm crazy. I know how dates work, Elena. I know what happened between us that night."

My cheeks flushed with heat. "That doesn't mean anything."

"It means everything," he said, his voice rising. "You think I haven't thought about it? You think I haven't replayed that night a thousand times in my head? It was the last time we were together before everything fell apart. And now you're pregnant."

I pressed my hands to my temples, the weight of his words crashing over me. "Ethan, stop."

"No, I won't stop," he said, stepping closer. "You're not going to shut me out of this, Elena. Not this time. If that baby is mine-"

"If?" I snapped, cutting him off. "Do you hear yourself? You're not even sure, and you're standing here acting like you have some claim over me, over my life."

"I am sure," he said, his voice unwavering. "I know that baby is mine. I can feel it, Elena. And I'm not going to let you push me away just because you're scared."

My throat tightened, and I took a step back, needing distance from the sheer force of his conviction. "You don't get to decide how I feel or what I do, Ethan. You lost that right the day you lied to me."

His expression faltered, just for a moment, but he recovered quickly. "I know I screwed up. I know I hurt you in ways I can never take back. But this isn't about us anymore. This is about that baby, and I'm not going anywhere until we figure this out."

Tears pricked the corners of my eyes, but I blinked them away, refusing to let him see how much his words were affecting me. "You don't get to swoop in and play hero now. You weren't there when I needed you, Ethan. Why should I believe you'll be there for this?"

His face twisted with pain, but he didn't back down. "Because I'm not the same man I was then. I'm not going to let my mistakes define me-not when I have a chance to make things right."

I shook my head, the walls around my heart closing tighter. "I can't do this with you."

"You don't have to do it with me," he said, his voice softer now. "But I'm not going to walk away. Not this time."

We stood there in silence, the tension between us thick and suffocating. Finally, Ethan let out a heavy sigh and turned toward the door.

"This isn't over," he said, his voice low but firm. "I'm not going anywhere-not when my child is involved."

The door closed behind him, and the silence that followed was deafening. I sank onto the couch, my hands trembling as I pressed them against my stomach.

Ethan's words echoed in my mind, his certainty like a weight I couldn't escape.

I had tried so hard to keep control, to keep the walls up around my heart and my life. But now, everything was crumbling, and I wasn't sure I could pick up the pieces on my own.