Chapter 3

Eugene’s POV

It’s the third anniversary of my marriage to Nicole, and I couldn’t be more excited. Three years of love, laughter, and a dream that we could build a future together. Or so I thought.

I have been feeling sick and weak, and altogether just not myself for the last week. I thought probably just stress or maybe a flu would hit me, but each day that went by, I realized something was really wrong with me. It was not an illness.

So, I did what a responsible person would do and went to the doctor. I froze when I heard the result. Two months pregnant. I could not take it in initially. What? A baby? Huh, I never expected such a thing. But even as the shock settled on me, I felt a wave of hope billowing from within. Yes, this was it. This was the change that would make Nicole come back to me. He always said he didn't want children but this was different. Surely, once he found that this baby had entered the picture, everything would be different.

The whole thing was bubbling in me as I daydreamed about the perfect evening. The entire day I kept picturing the scene of Nicole's reaction when I handed him the little box containing a pair of baby shoes-simple yet loaded in emotion. It was a sign of the new life we were about to build together. I could picture it now-his shocked face, his surprise, the way he'd hold me and say how happy he was. 

I prepared for dinner, set the candles flickering in the dim light, and made my last changes to the silverware. I felt my heart racing as I waited for him. This was going to be the start of something very beautiful. 

Finally, the door blew open, and I was almost giddy with all the excitement I could barely keep inside. Nicole came in looking as handsome as ever. "There you are, happy Anniversary!" I rushed in to hug and kiss him. I put the small box into his hands. His eyes narrowed at the act, and I held my breath.

He opened it, his fingers lingering over the soft baby shoes. For a moment, silence hung in the air. And then, everything changed.

"What is this?" Nicole's voice was sharp, accusing.

"Nicole... I-I am pregnant," - stammered with my shaky voice. "And we are going to have a baby."

Not the excited visage I imagined, but rage crossed his face. His eyes darkened with anger.

"Trying to entrap me? Is that it?" he exploded, his voice rising with each word.

"No! Nicole, it is not like that-" I tried to explain, but my words drowned in the storm of his fury.

He smashed his fist on the table without warning, sending a glass tumbling over. There was a shattering sound as the glass hit the floor, echoing around the room. I flinched, the brightness of the sound piercing through me.

"You think I want this?" he shouted venomously. "You think I am ready to be a father? I don't want this baby, Eugene!"

His words were like daggers; every single word pierced through me, making my heart ache.

I reached out to him in an attempt to calm him, but he shoved me back before I could even put my hands on him. I went crashing backward, slamming my ribs against the corner of the dining table. The pain was immediate-thudding sickeningly and gasping me to the ground.

Every instinct within cries to me that I should run, escape from the fury that he had in those eyes; yet, I could not move. Stunned, frozen in the moment, unable to think. This is not my husband anymore. This is not the love that fills my heart as I believed we shared.

But nothing could be done. I could not go to my parents. I could make no mention to anyone of what had just unfurled. Because I wanted no one to find out. Maybe it was simply a lapse, a misunderstanding. Maybe it will get better.

I tried to tell myself that things would change, that he would come around when he realized how important this baby was to me. But deep down, I feared that the person standing in front of me now wasn’t the person I thought I knew.

Nicole’s POV

I slammed the door shut behind me, the echo of it reverberating through the empty house. The tension was thick, suffocating. I could already feel the anger building up inside me again. I hadn’t come back for a conversation, not really. I was done talking.

Days had passed since that night, and the tension between us was still thick in the air. Eugene sat at the table, her eyes red and swollen, still looking like she hadn’t slept properly. She clutched that damn box of baby shoes in her hands like it was some kind of lifeline, a reminder of the future she wanted. It irritated me. It was like she still thought I’d feel something other than rage.

The thought of being a father, of having some damn baby, tied to me for the rest of my life—it suffocated me. I couldn’t breathe thinking about it. She didn’t get it. She never did. And yet, there she was, holding onto a dream that wasn’t mine.

I tossed the bottle of abortion pills onto the table in front of her, the sound of it clicking loudly in the quiet room. "Here," I said, my voice hard as stone, emotionless. "Take them."

She blinked, looking up at me with wide, shocked eyes. I could feel the fear radiating off her, but I didn’t care.

“What’s this?” she asked, barely a whisper, like she couldn’t believe what I was asking.

“Those are abortion pills,” I snapped, my patience already running thin. “You’re not ready for this. We’re not ready for this. You think I want a baby? Hell no.”

I could see the confusion, the hurt in her eyes, but I couldn’t afford to back down now. She had to see reason, had to understand that this wasn’t some fairy tale. I wasn’t going to play the role of a father, not when I hadn’t signed up for it.

She shook her head, her hands trembling as she reached out to touch the bottle. “Nicole, no, I can’t... I don’t want to...”

“Quit being so damn emotional,” I growled, cutting her off. “You think you’re the only one who has to deal with this? This isn’t some dream come true. It’s a nightmare.”

I stepped forward, leaning in close, lowering my voice even further, knowing I was pushing her to the edge. “You’re not going to trap me with a kid. I won’t let you. If you want this to end, you’ll take them.”

Her breathing hitched, but she didn’t back down. “No,” she whispered, voice cracking with defiance. “I won’t do it. I want this baby, Nicole. I want us to be a family.”

I sneered at her words. Family? This wasn’t a family. This was a prison.

“You think this is some kind of fairytale?” I said, my tone icy, cutting through the air like a blade. “You think a baby is going to fix everything? It’s not. You’re delusional if you think I’ll just fall in line.”

I grabbed the bottle off the table, holding it up in front of her. “Take them,” I ordered again, my voice harsh. “If you don’t, this will get worse. I’m not playing nice anymore.”

Her hands balled into fists, her eyes blazing with something I didn’t recognize. Maybe it was fear, maybe it was something more. But I wasn’t here to talk. I was done being gentle. If she wanted this, then she could make a choice.