I didn’t hesitate. I took a taxi straight to the hospital.
The doctor glanced at my form, frowning.
“Miss Corbin, the father’s signature is required for an abortion. Isn’t he here?”
“He’s dead.”
The doctor fell silent, then quietly filled out the paperwork. The sympathy in his eyes cut deeper than any blade.
Once, Evander only had me in his heart. But the moment he brought Althea into our lives, everything changed.
Half-dazed, I finished the forms. While paying at the counter, a notification buzzed on my phone.
A video. From Althea.
In it, Evander knelt before her, licking at her rhinestone-studded nails. Disgust twisted his face, yet he still forced a laugh.
“Damn, Althea. Do your feet stink? You trying to kill me?”
She sneered. “You’re honored hot mama lets you atone for your sins, and you still dare complain? I’ll teach you a lesson.”
A second later, her message followed.
“Thalia, don’t be angry. I already taught this rebellious son a lesson for you. He’ll be obedient from now on!”
I stared at the video, numb.
With a bang, every sweet memory I’d clung to shattered into dust.
The pain tore through my chest, crushing my insides.
Evander—who claimed to have mysophobia.
The man who never once held my hand, who recoiled when I leaned in for a hug.
The man who only got me pregnant because he was drunk that night with Althea.
When we returned home, the guests had gone, leaving bottles and trash scattered everywhere.
Evander lounged on the sofa, cigarette between his lips, legs lifted off the ground, unmoving.
“Clean it up. These bastards really know how to piss me off.”
Before, I would have done it without a word—his obedient babysitter.
But this time, I stayed still.
“Evander…” I forced the words out. “Let’s break up.”
He barely looked up from his phone.
“What? Say that again. I didn’t hear—Althea just threw ten kills in a row and ruined my game. Damn idiot. Nearly made my pants fall off.”
He cursed into the mic.
“Hey, give me another kill! You want your dad to spank you?”
I drew a deep breath. “I said, let’s break up.”
This time, he heard. His phone clattered against the floor.
“Are you insane?” His eyes narrowed. “What nonsense are you spouting?”
I sank onto the chair, pressing my aching stomach.
“I’m serious. I think… Althea might be better for you.”
From the broken phone came Althea’s shrill voice.
“Hey, don’t hang up! Mama’s about to win—it’s the qualifying round!”