"She must be drop-dead gorgeous if she's got you this messed up," Daniel commented, eyes narrowing with curiosity.
"Not really," Ethan sighed. "I don't even know, Dan. I'm confused as hell."
"Dude, sounds like a serious case of love sickness to me," Daniel said, half-joking.
Ethan scoffed. "Regretting telling you anything already."
"Aww, don't be grumpy," Daniel laughed. "I'm being serious here. Maybe it's love at first sight. I mean, come on.. this is major news. Ethan Clarke, the legendary womanizer, brought to his knees by some mystery girl."
Ethan rubbed his temples, already getting a headache. He came here for advice. Actual advice. Not Daniel's usual brand of BS. "It's not love, Dan. I don't fall in love. Especially not like this. I don't even know her."
"You sure?" Daniel looked at him like he didn't believe a word. "Think about it. You've been going out less. You wrote that deep-ass song because of her. You've skipped club nights. You... of all people. That's not normal."
Ethan let out a dry chuckle. "Maybe I'm just... curious, okay? Doesn't mean I'm in love."
"But you said you can't stop thinking about her."
"Yeah. But that's not love. It's... maybe just some weird obsession. Nothing more."
Daniel raised his brows. "So what? You think she cursed you or something?"
Ethan glared. "Swear to God, Dan, I'll punch you."
Daniel laughed, totally unfazed. "Relax. I'm just saying, this isn't like you."
Ethan ran both hands down his face, tired of this back and forth. Deep down, he knew Daniel wasn't entirely wrong. But to admit he was in love? That would mean admitting weakness. And Ethan didn't do that.
"Just hearing the word love makes me itch," he muttered. "Me? In love? I don't even remember what it's like to have a real relationship. I'm a damn playboy, Dan. This has to be some messed-up attraction, that's all."
Still, even as he said it, it didn't feel quite right. Because the truth was, that girl had been living rent-free in his mind for nearly two months.
Ethan stood up and grabbed his jacket.
"Where are you going?" Daniel asked.
"I need to find her. Just once. I need to see her face again. After that... maybe I can go back to normal."
***
Outside Dr. Lauren's office, Nadine sat quietly, waiting for her name to be called.
It was her routine check-up day. Every now and then, she smiled politely at the other pregnant women in the waiting room, most of them weren't alone. They had husbands, moms, siblings. Nadine? She had her phone.
Bored, she pulled out her latest iPhone. The one she'd impulsively bought last month and started scrolling through her social media. Same recycled posts, different filters. She replied to texts from her brother, Kane, and her best friend, Elisa. After that, she tapped open a game app and lost herself in it until—
"Nadine McKenzie. Ms. Nadine McKenzie?"
A nurse's voice snapped her out of her game trance. She quickly shoved her phone back into her bag and raised her hand. "Yeah, that's me," she said, standing up and following the nurse into the room.
She was twenty-one weeks along now, well into the second trimester.
Dr. Lauren, her OB-GYN, greeted her with a warm smile. "Take a seat, Nadine."
"Thanks, Doc," Nadine said, sitting across from her.
"How've you been feeling? Any discomfort?"
"Nope, I'm good so far. No complaints."
"Alright, let's have a look," Dr. Lauren said, motioning for Nadine to follow her to the exam bed. "Go ahead and lie down comfortably."
The doctor spread a cool gel over Nadine's now very obvious bump, then started moving the transducer across her belly, eyes fixed on the ultrasound monitor. Occasionally, she asked Nadine to shift positions slightly.
"Your baby's doing well," she began, "All the major organs are forming nicely. Growth's on track.. longer, heavier. The pancreas is maturing well, and the eyes and lips are shaping beautifully."
Nadine watched the monitor and smiled softly, one hand resting on her belly.
"Tissues and bones are strengthening. Heart and lungs too. And the heartbeat, strong and fast, around 120 to 160 bpm, which is way faster than yours, totally normal at this stage," Dr. Lauren added with a quick glance at Nadine.
Her smile twitched. Normal, huh? Because that heartbeat sounded like a tiny drummer on espresso.
But she nodded anyway. Relief washed over her knowing the baby was okay.
Once the ultrasound was done, Dr. Lauren ran a few more checks and went over all the things Nadine needed to pay attention to how to take care of herself and the baby, physically and emotionally.
***
Three months ago, when she told Matt she was pregnant, he didn't take it well. Nadine could still picture the exact look on his face when she said she was having a baby. Worse, having someone else's baby.
Nadine:
Matt, can we meet?
Matt:
Sure. When? Where?
Nadine:
Tonight. Your apartment okay?
I'll come by at 8. You free?
Matt:
Yeah. Let me know when you're on the way.
Love you.
Yeah. Love you. What a joke.
Their relationship wasn't exactly what you'd call romantic anyway. Sure, they were technically dating, but both of them knew there wasn't any real love there. It worked because they were both too obsessed with their careers to care. So throwing around "love you" and "miss you" was just... routine. Habit. Empty words with nice packaging.
Before heading to his place that night, Nadine sent him one more text to let him know she was on the way.
Nadine:
I'm on my way to your apartment.
As she drove, Nadine's brain was working overtime. How the hell was she supposed to say she was pregnant… without totally wrecking Matt?
Spoiler alert: She couldn't.
If the roles were reversed, if Matt had gotten someone else pregnant, she'd be shattered too. Even if they didn't love each other, they were still officially a couple. No one walks away from betrayal without at least a few emotional bruises.
It didn't take long before Matt's apartment building came into view. Nadine swung her car smoothly into the driveway, parked, and shot him another text.
Now standing outside his door, she hesitated.
She didn't ring the bell right away. Instead, she exhaled deeply, pinched the bridge of her nose, and took a few seconds to arrange her face into something vaguely composed.
Okay. Let's get this over with.
She finally pressed the bell. Third ring, the door opened.
"Hey, babe. Wow, you actually asked to hang out this time? Usually, I have to find five fake excuses just to get you over here," Matt teased, throwing an arm casually around her waist and leading her to the living room.
"Matt, I need to talk to you," Nadine said quickly, her tone serious.
Matt glanced at her sideways. "About what?"
"I… I—"
"Sit first. I'll make you tea," he cut her off, letting go of her to head into the kitchen.
Nadine dropped onto the couch, sighing heavily. Her nerves were in overdrive. She wrung her sweaty hands together, trying to calm herself down.
Matt returned with a mug, setting it down beside her and eyeing her curiously. "You've been zoning out since you got here. What's going on?"
"I'm pregnant," she blurted.
Matt froze. "Come again?"
"I'm pregnant, Matt. And… it's not yours."
Her voice dropped. Her eyes dropped. Everything dropped.
"What did you just say?"
"I'm pregnant."
"You're pregnant?" Matt repeated, louder now, the disbelief hitting full force. "Seriously?"
"Matt, please…"
"How far along?"
"Maybe two months? I'm not even exactly sure yet."
"Who?" His voice cracked like glass.
"I don't know, Matt. I… I don't know," she whispered, her voice trembling.
"You've gotta be kidding me." He stood up, pacing. "You did this to me? Really, Nadine?"
"I didn't mean to hurt you."
"Didn't mean to?" he let out a dry, humorless laugh.
"The guy—"
"Just stop." Matt's tone cut sharp. "I don't wanna hear about the jerk you hooked up with."
Nadine stayed quiet. She couldn't even look at him. She just let the silence settle between them, heavy and thick. Minutes passed like hours.
Finally, Matt broke it.
"So that's it? You came here to end things? That's what this is?"
His voice was cold now. Empty. Then he added, "What if I said I don't want to break up? What if I said I want to marry you and take care of the baby, even if it's not mine?"
Nadine's head snapped up. She stared at him, eyes wide.
"No, Matt. Please don't say that. It's not fair to you. I can't let you do that."
***