

Jason turned, his face draining of color when he saw me.
“Wh–what are you doing here?” he stammered, stepping away from Olivia like I hadn’t just watched him kiss her on the cheek minutes earlier.
“I could ask you the same thing,” I said, my voice shaking but loud enough for the entire waiting room to hear.
Olivia clutched her belly protectively, avoiding my gaze. She looked just as panicked as Jason.
“I… I was just checking on her,” Jason tried. “She had a scare, and since I used to—”
“Used to what, Jason? Love her? Sleep with her? Father her child?” I cut him off. “Or is this baby ours too, somehow?”
Silence. The entire room had gone still.
Olivia looked up then, guilt in her eyes. And what she said next destroyed the last shred of hope I had left.
“He said you were separated,” she whispered.
My knees nearly buckled. Separated? We’d literally been trying to start a family.
“I don’t understand,” I said, barely able to speak. “We’ve been going through IVF consultations, taking tests, tracking cycles—how could you be doing that with me… and this with her?”
Jason looked trapped. Desperate. But not remorseful.
“I didn’t think you’d ever get pregnant,” he said flatly. “I didn’t think it would happen for us.”
The words hit harder than a slap. I didn’t think it would happen for us. So he moved on. Quietly. Secretly. With someone else.
But I wasn’t about to let him write my ending.
“I hope you two are happy,” I said, turning to walk away. “Because I’m finally choosing myself.”
And as I stepped outside, the summer sun hit my face—and for the first time in a long time… I felt free.