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“So, a paternity test is required?”
Mom nods. “Under the circumstances, the court is required to do it before releasing the child to Will…or anyone else should he prove not to be the father.”
“Does Will know this?”
“Not exactly. Nikki and I were discussing this earlier. Millie, Will wasn’t exactly coherent when he arrived. I believe when he returns, we can have a proper discussion about this. At the end of the day, everyone needs to be protected here, including this baby boy.”
I had to agree with Mom. Will is not his usual self and unable to think straight, given the shock of it all. There are so many things running through his mind; grieving for a woman he barely knew, learning of this little boy being his son. I can’t blame him for sinking into a depression, but as we discuss the paternity test, what if he isn’t the father? Then what happens to the baby? The thought of this little boy being all alone is heartbreaking. How will we ever know who the father is with Ashley gone?
There were too many glass balls in the air, none of which could be safely caught without another one shattering.
It’s a relief to know Mom and Nikki are trained to handle these legal situations. While I had studied it, being thrown into the situation is a whole other story. The legal side, while crucial, is only part of the picture.
“Mom?” I call softly beside her. “I need to do something but may not be back until late tonight, possibly tomorrow morning.”
Mom pats my hand. “I’m here. You do what you need to do.”
“Promise me you’ll be here when Will returns? I don’t want him to be alone right now.”
“I promise,” she assures me, squeezing my hand.
I can see in her eyes she knows exactly what I’m thinking. It is time to take control of my life, but first, I need to close a chapter that should never have been opened.
Mom offers a slight nod as I take a deep breath and head back to Manhattan.
People walk out of the room in groups, chatting animatedly while carrying their textbooks. I tilt my head forward, searching through the groups of students but nothing. Maybe I got my days mixed up, or perhaps he skipped class altogether.
Just when I am about to take my phone out to call him, Austin walks behind another student, the last one to leave the classroom. With his head hung and chin lowered to his chest, his shoulders sag as he steps closer, almost dragging at an agonizingly slow pace.
I wait patiently, aware I also look like death until his eyes lift to meet mine. Gone is the spark, the twinkly hazel speckles which radiated happiness when they fell upon my own. I bite my lip with a quivering chin, sad to see him miserable and know I am the one who caused it.
“Hey,” I greet, with a soft smile to try and ease the tension between us, “can we please go somewhere and talk?”
“We can talk here,” is all he says.
People scurry around us, but shortly after, the busy hall at Columbia is quiet, and it is just the two of us standing in the middle.
“I’m sorry about the other night,” I begin with, finding the courage to be honest to which he is owed that respect. “You deserve better, and it was wrong of me to betray you.”
He shakes his head, averting his gaze toward his left while flattening his lips into a hard line. “So, what now, Millie? You’ve admitted what I suspected. I thought I was going crazy, but it turns out I was right.”
I raise my hand and slide the ring off, extending it toward Austin. His gaze falls upon the diamond with a look of anguish.
“I know your intentions to marry me were nothing but pure. But I should never have accepted it. I love you, Austin. I will never stop loving you. However, we are two best friends, not two people hopelessly in love with each other. We were comfortable, but you can’t mistake that for the real thing.”
And with that said and off my chest, he takes the ring, unable to speak to only raise his eyes moments later.
“It could have been great between us.”
I smile softly. “It’ll be better with someone else, I promise you, Austin. Some woman is going to completely own your heart, and you’re going to wonder how you ever lived without her.”
There’s nothing left to say, no other words to erase the past or validate what we were to each other. What’s done is done, and now—we both need to move onto the next stage of our lives.
Austin places the ring in his pocket to turn his back and walk away. I don’t shed a tear, though I take a moment to grieve the loss of a friend more than anything. I shared so many first experiences with Austin, creating fond memories to last me a lifetime.
No one can ever take that away from us. I just hope Austin will eventually forgive me for my mistakes because losing him entirely is a heavy cross to bear.
I don’t stay in the city any longer, booking the next flight back to Orlando. The trip back was just as tumultuous as flying over. Last-minute tickets meant awful seat allocation, crammed between two people, and neither of them budged with their arms, utilizing both armrests.
