“I know that.”
“Do you?” she pressed. “Because I’m looking at you right now, and you look like you already catching feelings.”
“I’m not?—”
“You checked your phone five times since we sat down,” Raven said. “And every time you do, you look sad. So, either youcatching feelings for the potential baby or you catching feelings for the man. Either way, you in trouble.”
I wanted to argue.
Wanted to tell her she was wrong.
But I couldn’t.
Because she wasn’t.
Saroya sighed and reached for my hand again.
“Truth,” she said gently. “We’re not trying to make you feel bad. We just want to make sure you thought this through.”
“I did.”
“And you’re okay with it? Carrying a baby and then walking away?”
I hesitated.
That hesitation was answer enough.
Honor leaned forward, her voice quiet.
“What’s he like?” she asked.
I looked at her.
“The man,” she clarified. “The one whose baby you’re going to carry. What’s he like?”
I thought about Amai.
About the way he looked at me in his car when I told him I didn’t belong to anyone.
About the way he’d beaten Phillip in the street without hesitation.
About the way he’d sent Dr. Chen to my house at midnight because I was scared.
About the way he’d handed me fifty thousand dollars in cash like it was nothing.
“He’s…” I trailed off, searching for the right words. “He’s complicated.”
Raven snorted. “That’s code for ‘he’s trouble.’”
“He’s not trouble.”
“Then what is he?”
“He’s…” I stopped. Started again. “He’s careful. And controlled. And he doesn’t let people in. But when he does…” I shook my head. “I don’t know. He’s just… different.”
“Different how?” Honor asked.
“Different like he sees me,” I said quietly. “Not what I lost. Not what Phillip took. Just… me.”
