49

Early in the morning, Nathan Strong was getting ready to leave for his trip to Italy.

Even though the sky was completely overcast, he told himself that he needed to catch that flight as soon as possible. There was no time to lose.

"But why can't I go?" Suzanne asked with a pout, having just woken up.

"We've already talked about this, Suzie, you're not going," he said, annoyed by her insistence on accompanying him.

That morning hadn't started off on the right foot. Suzanne was upset because he wouldn't let her go with him, and Nathan had so many problems to solve that he couldn't focus on anything else.

Above all, he wanted to catch the person responsible for all this and make them pay for their crimes.

When Suzanne came out of the bathroom ready, she sat on the bed and saw that Nathan was ready to leave without her. A feeling of loss overcame her; she didn't want him to go.

She needed him, both she and her child.

She knew that it wasn't the right time to tell Nathan the truth, but she couldn't keep hiding that secret any longer. He was ready to leave for Italy, and she didn't know when he would return.

Again, she thought she shouldn't bring up the topic at that moment, but a strange sensation overtook her. She couldn't keep hiding her pregnancy anymore; he had to know he was going to be a father.

"Nathan, we need to talk," she said nervously as she looked at him.

"Baby, I'm just about to leave; I have important matters to attend to," he said distractedly, checking his phone.

"This is important too, Nathan," she said, frowning.

"Suzanne, I need to be at the airport in a few minutes, so speak quickly," he said, not very pleased.

"Please, pay attention. It's very important," she said this time, standing up but keeping her distance from him.

She didn't know what his reaction would be, and her heart was pounding in her chest. Her mouth was dry, and her hands were trembling, but she wouldn't back down.

Nathan's phone rang, interrupting the conversation. It was surely important because he frowned and asked about some loss information.

When the call ended, he approached her and kissed her.

"I have to go, we'll talk tonight," he informed her. "This is urgent."

"But Nathan, this can't wait," she said nervously and angrily.

"Anything can wait, Suzanne," he said firmly, heading for the door.

"I'm pregnant."

She noticed how the muscles in his back tensed.

Nathan stood petrified for a few seconds and then turned to look at her, the color drained from his face, leaving him white as a sheet.

Suzie gathered her courage and looked him in the eyes, starting to tremble under his gaze. He looked at her with disdain, terror, and fury.

When he stepped forward, she stepped back, a bundle of nerves. He looked like a beast that had just been disturbed from its slumber.

Those cold eyes looked at her with cruelty.

"Nathan, I didn't plan this," she said, trembling, on the verge of tears.

"In a week, I'll be back from my trip to Italy, and by then, I expect you to have gotten rid of that creature," his words were cold and devoid of any emotion.

This time, it was Suzanne who was petrified. She couldn't believe what she was hearing; he couldn't be so cruel, so inhuman.

Any hope she had harbored vanished. Only she could hear the sound of her heart breaking.

"Don't look at me like that. You knew perfectly well that I didn't want to be a father," he snapped coldly. "What did you expect, that I would jump for joy and tell you that now we can be a happy family? No, Suzanne, I'm not that kind of man. I don't love you, I've never loved anyone and I never will."

"Nathan..." she whispered, her voice breaking.

"Get rid of that brat, I don't want it." Despite the harshness of his words, Nathan felt a pang of pain seeing her go rigid.

She looked so vulnerable and defenseless.

Suzanne still didn't know how she could remain standing; nausea overwhelmed her, but that wasn't the worst of it... the pain she felt inside was more devastating.

She knew he didn't love her, but hearing him say it so mercilessly shattered her, not to mention the fact that he wanted to get rid of the child, their child.

God! He wanted her to have an abortion, to kill her baby, that child of his blood.

Suddenly, the fear wasn't as strong as the rage she felt. She loved her baby and was willing to defend it, even give her life for it.

"I won't do it. I won't kill my baby," she said firmly, looking at him defiantly.

Nathan clenched his fists at his sides.
"That creature will not be born," he snapped darkly. "You either do it willingly, or I'll do it the hard way. I don't want a responsibility like that, I don't want that bastard. I'll make sure it doesn't get born," his words were sharp daggers tearing apart the remaining pieces of Suzanne's heart.

Nathan saw the deep sadness reflected on the face of the pale and trembling young woman before him. For a second, he was moved, but he told himself he couldn't back down.

He didn't want a responsibility like that; he couldn't take care of that baby. He had already failed once, and he wouldn't risk failing again.

At just ten years old, he had had to take care of his four-year-old brother and had failed. That had marked him for life.

With nothing more to say, Nathan Strong stormed out, furious, his thoughts as clouded as the sky that morning. He never imagined what was about to happen, because if he had known, he wouldn't have left.

Half an hour passed, and Suzanne hadn't shed a single tear, but suddenly something clicked inside her, and she collapsed on the bed. Her sobs were devastating.

Everything was over; too late she realized that man had no heart.

She forced herself to calm down, knowing it wasn't good for her baby. She needed to think clearly and do what was best for her and her child.

"No one will hurt you, my love," she whispered sadly.

She was shattered, but she knew she had to be strong for the sake of the life she carried within her. She was determined to fight for her baby.

She knew she had only one option left. Nathan Strong no longer mattered. She loved him but also hated him deeply. Now, the only thing that mattered was protecting her baby from the monster who wanted to harm it.

She didn't take any belongings, as she didn't want anything from that place. She didn't leave a note or say goodbye, and she left.

That contract had come to an end.