I was terrified. That trumped everything else.
“I’m sorry,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
It was his turn not to respond. I wondered if he heard me, so I tried again.
“I’m sorry this happened,” I said louder this time. “I’m sorry for messing up your life and your plans. I know this isn’t what you wanted. It’s not what I wanted either.”
I felt the tears begin to burn again at the back of my eyes, and furiously blinked them back. It was already embarrassing to cry once in front of him. But the words I had just spoken about not wanting this sent a pang of guilt through me, for the baby that I just found out was growing inside me. I clutched my stomach as the thought rocketed through me.
Jeremiah slowly turned from the window toward me, his expression darker than before.
“Are you sure this isn’t whatyouwanted?” he said, each word sharp and precise.
I looked at him confused, not understanding. “What?”
“Maybe this isexactlywhat you wanted.”
“I-I don’t understand…”
I had no idea what he was talking about, but the unreadable expression on his face had vanished and was replaced by a sneer I had never seen before. It made my thundering heart feel likeit had simply stopped beating in my chest. I knew nothing good would come from his mouth.
“And to think I had fallen for your little Miss Goody Two-Shoes act,” he said with a shake of his head.
“Jeremiah…”
“You planned it all out, didn’t you?” His eyes were a storm as they narrowed in on me. I could feel the crackle of lightning ready to strike. “Breaking into my apartment that night. And to think I was impressed. I didn’t think to realize you actually were a thief.”
“I didn’t steal anything!”
“Not then, no. But you knew what you were doing when you concocted this little plan of yours to get my money. You knew who I was when you inserted yourself into my life. And in such a clever way too. A box of sex toys.” He scoffed. “It would have been a funny story, if it wasn’t all bullshit.”
None of this made sense. What plan was he talking about? I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I didn’t know how to respond, but he didn’t give me time to before he continued.
“I foolishly fell into your trap, feeling bad for your lack of sexual prowess. And then you just so happened to be my personal assistant starting the very next day. You could have sued me for taking advantage of you as an employee, but no. That would havebeen too easy, wouldn’t it? Why go for the silver when you could have the gold?”
“Jeremiah, please. I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, my voice shaky.
“A lawsuit would have been too easy. You knew you could have more money if you got
‘accidentally’ pregnant.” He held his fingers up in air quotations as he looked briefly down at the pregnancy test like it was the most disgusting thing he’d ever laid eyes on. But then his eyes found mine again, and I had never felt so low in my life. He looked at me as if I were a parasite, and all his musings began to make sense.
He thought this entire thing between us had been some devised plan I had come up with to get money from him. The diabolical plan he had formed in his head didn’t even make sense, but I could tell he had already convinced himself. His accusation stung like a slap to the face, but the way he looked at me hurt more. I was nothing to him. Everything we had shared up until now was nothing but a ploy to him. I refused to accept his version of the story.
I stood up quickly from my chair, making it skid backward loudly across the stained concrete floor. I could feel the anger rise up. I refused to be meek. Refused to step down. Refused to let my hurt show. Not when he was accusing me of such horrible things.
“You are an asshole,” I said through my clenched teeth.
He shrugged, which pissed me off even more.
“For even thinking that. For even saying it out loud. You are an asshole.” My voice shook, not from fear or sadness, but from rage.
He glared at me, but before he could say anything, I tore into him.
“Do you really think I would wantyouto be the father of my baby?” I sneered. “You are thelastperson I would ever want to share a child with.”
My words hit him off guard because the storm in his eyes begins to clear, leaving gray clouds in its wake, but I didn’t stop.
“You are cold. Cruel. Callous.” I laughed coldly. “You are the furthest thing from father material.”
