“I think we need to talk,” Michael said, avoiding my eyes.

I smiled nervously, resting a hand over my belly, already swelling ever so slightly. “About what?”

He took a deep breath, and what followed shattered my world.

“I… I don’t think I can do this. I’m in love with someone else. Her name is Lisa. We’ve been together for a few months now.”

The room spun. My vision blurred. But I still managed to whisper, “I’m pregnant, Michael.”

For illustrative purposes only

He flinched. “I know. That’s why I’m here. I think it would be best if you… you ended it.”

A chill rushed through my body. “Ended it?”

“The baby. This situation. You deserve someone who wants this. And I… I want to be with Lisa. She’s ready to start a life with me now, not with a baby in the picture.”

I could barely speak. “So you’re saying if I don’t go through with an abortion… you’re leaving?”