I'm pregnant
“Step away from him!” James’s shout burst through the doorway just as Austin reached out. Without waiting, James charged forward and shoved him back with force.
“Do not touch my daughter!” he bellowed, just as a few men from the neighborhood rushed in. James had placed them nearby, ready in case something went wrong. Ezra was hunched over on the couch, crying hard, his whole body trembling.
“Tell me what happened,” James said softly, kneeling beside him. “I am here now. You are not alone anymore.”
“I am pregnant,” Ezra sobbed. “He said if I tried to leave, he would hurt the baby…”
Silence filled the room. Ezra’s mother gasped and rushed over, pulling him into her arms.
Austin’s face twisted in disbelief. He stepped forward, panic written all over him. “Ezra, please! Tell them I would never do that. You know I would never harm our child…”
But the men blocked him again, holding him back.
“Please look at me,” Austin pleaded. “I am still the man who loves you. I only did what I did because I was scared..”
“He made me sign a paper,” Ezra said, voice barely audible as he leaned against James. “It said I chose to stay… but I did not. He made me.”
Austin felt his heart sink. “Ezra… I only wanted to keep you close. I thought you would leave again.”
James slowly stood. His eyes were locked on Austin.
“You already pushed him to end one pregnancy,” he said, voice full of fury. “And now you threaten him with another? You come into this house expecting sympathy?”
Ezra’s mother turned to her husband. “He did not tell us because he thought we would be ashamed of him.”
James looked back at his daughter. “I will never be ashamed of you. Never. I am your father, and I am here.”
He nodded to his wife. “Take him inside.”
When Ezra disappeared down the hallway, James turned and struck Austin across the face.
“You have done enough damage. And now you want to convince me this is love?”
Austin, still held by the men, lowered himself to his knees. His voice cracked. “I know I failed him. But I love him. I swear I will protect him and our child.”
“You call that love?” James asked. “You held fear over his head and called it love? You backed him into a corner, again?”
Austin’s voice trembled. “Please… I just did not want to lose him. I was desperate.”
“Like how you took the first baby from him?” James shot back.
Austin looked down, ashamed, unable to speak.
“You have nothing to say now?” James asked coldly.
“I… I was wrong. My mother convinced me Ezra was unfaithful… I believed her. But I see the truth now. I know I hurt him.”
“And why should I let you near him again?” James asked, eyes narrowing.
“I will wait as long as it takes. I will do anything to prove myself. Please let me try.”
James glanced toward the hallway, where his daughter had vanished. His face gave little away.
But deep down, a part of him saw a different Austin now, remorseful, broken, begging for redemption. Even so, forgiveness was not something he would hand over easily. Not after everything. With a small nod, James signaled the men to step away from Austin.
Seeing the look on Austin’s face, James cleared his throat. “If and only if, she still wants to be with you.” With that, he turned and walked toward Dora’s room, not sparing another glance.
Austin sat down heavily on the couch, tapping his foot in a nervous rhythm. His eyes stayed fixed on the door. A bitter feeling rose in his stomach, he feared what was coming. The way Dora had changed her tone in front of her father… it didn’t look good. And yet, he hoped. He prayed for a second chance. A chance to make things right. To love his wife. To raise their unborn child together.
What felt like hours later, James returned. His face gave nothing away.
Austin jumped to his feet, searching for any sign, any clue, in James’s expression.
“Do you love her?” James asked, voice calm but firm.
“Yes,” Austin replied instantly.
“Would you do anything for her happiness?”
Austin nodded quickly, swallowing hard to keep the rising nausea down.
“Then leave her,” James said, his tone filled with quiet pity.
Austin’s world crashed around him.
“I... I don’t understand,” he whispered, even though a small voice in his mind was already repeating what he didn’t want to believe.
“She doesn’t want to be with you,” James said gently, placing a hand on Austin’s shoulder. “She told me she doesn’t love you anymore. She wants this relationship to end.”
Austin dropped back onto the couch like the air had been knocked out of him. Just an hour ago, Dora had been in his arms. He had pictured a peaceful life with her, raising their baby together. What had changed so suddenly?
Or… had she already planned this?
His mind raced back to that morning, how oddly she’d behaved. How she kissed him like it was goodbye.
Did she already decide to leave me?
If she didn’t love me, why was she so hesitant to come here? Why did she kiss me like that?
“Can… can I please see her once?” he asked, his voice trembling. He barely recognized it himself.
“I’m sorry,” James said, sinking into the chair across from him. He looked tired, drained by the long trip and everything he’d just learned. “She asked me to send you away.”
“I’m not going,” Austin said, his voice firmer now. “Not until I speak to her. I need to hear it from her.”
James let out a heavy sigh. “If you love someone, you don’t hold them hostage. That’s not love, Austin. That's an obsession.”
“I know she loves me. She’s just angry,” Austin said quickly, holding onto that thought like a lifeline.
James shook his head slowly. “If you know she loves you, then why are you so scared? If what you’re saying is true, then give her time. Let her cool down. Talk to her when she’s ready.”
Deep down, Austin knew James was right. But the fear in his chest wouldn’t go away. Something told him that if he left now, he might never see Dora again. It made no sense, but it was how he felt.
Still, he knew staying here would only make things worse. James might force him to leave—and that would upset Dora even more.
While Austin was still lost in thought, James added, “I’m not taking her away from here. She’ll stay. And you can come again, when she’s ready. Don’t ruin your chance by being stubborn.”
Austin didn’t reply. With a heart that felt heavier than stone, he finally stood and walked out.
He had just reached his car when his phone buzzed. Seeing her name on the screen, a smile broke across his face.
“Baby,” he whispered, hoping to flicker again. “I knew you’d call. I knew you’d talk to me.”
But Dora’s cold voice came through the speaker.
“How does the betrayal feel, Austin?”
His smile vanished.
“Dora,” he breathed, sensing there was no warmth left in her tone.
“How does it feel,” she repeated, “to taste your own medicine?”
Her words hit him like a punch.
Austin bent over the hood of his car, struggling to breathe.
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