THE SILICON

Chase's gaze drifted out the window, his eyes lost in the clouds as he swivelled gently in his chair. Seven months since he last saw Ariel. Seven months since his world was turned upside down. He couldn't shake off the memories of her, of their marriage, of the way it all ended.

"Why did it have to end like that?" he thought to himself, his mind echoing with regret. "If only I had been more understanding, more supportive... maybe she wouldn't have left me. Maybe we could have worked through it."

He remembered the day he found out she was pregnant, the mix of emotions that had torn him apart. Joy, fear, uncertainty... and the lingering doubt that had haunted him ever since: was the baby even his?

His thoughts were a jumbled mix of what-ifs and maybes, all centred around Ariel and the baby she was carrying. His baby? He still didn't know for sure, but the uncertainty gnawed at him like a constant ache.

And then there was Monica, his current girlfriend, eight months pregnant and growing