AllFreeNovel
Share Us
There was no way I was going to be able to go to work in this state. I couldn’t go in and pretend everything was fine. I was terrified I would break down in tears in the office as soon as something went wrong. It was better if I stayed away. Fuck what the press thought. I didn’t care if they thought I was hiding something by not going in to work. I was tired of having to play by the rules to clear my own name.
I cried myself out first. I let it all out, allowing myself to feel how I needed to feel. When there were no more tears left, I walked to the bathroom and blew my nose. I washed my face again and took a deep breath. Finally, I was ready to make the call. I walked back to my bedroom and picked up the phone, dialing Brett’s number.
“Erica,” Brett said. He sounded a little off, and I didn’t blame him. Our last conversation had been shouting at each other through the door.
“I am not going to be able to make it into work today,” I said, getting to the point immediately. “I’m sorry.”
“Why not?” Brett asked. He didn’t sound as sympathetic as he had before, and my stomach clenched into a knot of nerves. I didn’t know where we stood, but I was sure his reaction to me now was a direct result of me turning him down. For a fleeting moment I wondered if this was our future, if he was going to treat me coldly simply because I had chosen not to be with him. I should have known that sex with my boss couldn’t turn out well.
“I am sick. I have been throwing up all morning.” It wasn’t a lie, but he didn’t have to know the full truth.
“You’ve been using that excuse for a while now,” Brett said, and he sounded unforgiving.
“It’s not an excuse,” I argued. “A lot has been going on, and it’s catching up with me.”
Brett didn’t sound very happy, but he ended up agreeing that I should stay home. I didn’t care that we weren’t great right now. I needed to take care of myself first. If there was something between me and Brett to handle, I would do that later.
After I put down the phone, I paused only for a second before dialing again. This time, I called Katie’s number.
“The doctor's results came back,” I said when she answered the phone. “I am definitely pregnant.” I hadn’t meant to start crying again, but with Katie on the phone, suddenly I couldn’t help myself. I broke down in tears. “What am I going to do?”
“First, you’re going to call in sick.”
“I just did.”
“Good. Then, you’re going to make two cups of hot tea, and you’re going to sit tight until I get there.”
“You can’t skip work,” I said.
“Why not? You need me.”
I tried to argue, but Katie was adamant, and when she hung up, I jumped into the shower. I dressed quickly before doing as she had suggested. I made two cups of hot tea.
Katie arrived not long after. The moment she walked in through my door, I fell into her arms. When she let me go, we picked up our teacups and walked to my living room.
“Talk to me,” Katie said. “Tell me what’s on your mind.”
I told her exactly what was bothering me, that it felt like everything was getting worse and worse. Katie listened quietly, sipping her tea until I was finished.
“You have to tell Brett,” she finally said.
I shook my head. “I can’t do that. I don’t want to.”
“Why not? He’s the father. If anything, he should help you take care of the baby, financially at least.”
I knew that. I knew Brett had a right to know and that he deserved to be a part of his child’s life. But it wasn’t that simple. I told Katie about the fight we’d had on Friday.
“It sounds to me like he’s trying to show you he cares for you,” Katie said.
“I think he does. But I can’t be in his life, not when I’m pregnant. It will ruin his business completely. You know what it did when it came out that we were sleeping together. How much worse do you think it will be if they find out I’m pregnant with his child?”
“I think that is a choice he should make himself,” Katie said.
I nodded and stared into the cup of tea I had barely touched. “That’s not all, though. He is all about a grand romantic gesture now because he doesn’t know about the baby. I’m scared that the moment he finds out, he’s going to leave just like my dad left my mom.”
