“I read an article about cutting your hair to help you…it doesn’t matter. What makes you think I’m going to take that test?”
That startled me. I wasn’t expecting defiance.
“Why wouldn’t you?”
“My body. My business.”
“No. Not just your business. If I made you pregnant, that’s my business too.”
“You don’t owe me anything, E.G. And what you don’t know, can never be your responsibility. Go home to your tomb and forget I exist. That’s what you want.”
She was about to shut the door on me, but I put a hand up against the door to stop her from closing it in my face.
“I get that I’m the problem. I do,” I told her. “And maybe it’s fucked up, but I can also tell you I’m not going to be able to walk away without knowing. If you don’t take this test, I’ll hire someone to follow you night and day until I know for sure.”
She closed her eyes, her mouth tight.
“You know I’ll do it. You know I will.”
“Fuck,” she muttered. Then opened her eyes. “I don’t need to take the test. I already know.”
I inhaled a breath and knew without a doubt that whatever she said next was going to change everything. Either for the better or the worse. Because if she wasn’t pregnant, I would have to walk away. If she wasn’t pregnant, then I had to honor mycommitment to my wife. I had to. If she wasn’t pregnant, then there would be no reason to ever see her again.
“Say it,” I demanded, when it looked like she might not. “Just say it.”
THIRTY-EIGHT
ANNA
She told herself she was never going to tell him. She knew it was probably a lie.
“I’m pregnant,”I breathed out. “I took a test right after I missed my period. I’m really regular so…How about that, huh? First time I had unprotected sex and I’m knocked up. Those odds aren’t good.”
I waited for him to react, but he said nothing. Just stood there staring at me.
Finally, he blinked.
“Are you going to keep it?” he asked me.
I should just say no. Yes, it was Texas, but I had savings, thanks to E.G. Which meant I had options.
I wasn’t poor and homeless anymore. I had a car, if I needed to leave the state.
Of course, I’d tried to give him back the Volvo. After…it happened, I’d left the car in the parking lot in the office complex.
It was a company car. I no longer worked for his company. I’d parked it in his appointed space so there would be no mistaking my intent.
He’d had it returned to my apartment complex with the keys in it. It was either use it or let it get stolen. It wasn’t worth the effort of fighting him, so I kept it.
Yeah, I knew how high handed he could be.
I should tell him I already scheduled an appointment out of state.
A clean swift break.
But he was already broken and I couldn’t inflict another wound like that.
Not to mention, I couldn’t lie about something like that.
