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"I don’t know, but it’s the only option I see."
"Please, don't go through with it, Chloe. We need to talk." I glance at the nurse who is patiently waiting for me.
I hesitate, torn between the decisions before me. With a deep breath, I nod and take a seat, the tears now flowing freely. I take comfort in knowing that Ella is speaking to me, even if she’s still mad at me. At least the rage that haunts my memories of that night is gone from her face.
"I’m sorry for all the nasty things I said to you," Ella says, surprising me. I shake my head. I should be the one apologizing for betraying her trust.
"Nope, you had every right to be mad at me. I deserve it."
"No, you don’t. I shouldn’t have blamed my father’s behavior on you. I had no idea what my dad went through, the things that affected him and the way it related to me. We talked today, and he told me about his childhood. Chloe, my dad went through so much pain." Ella looks away for a minute and wipes her eyes on her sleeve. "I'm sorry for being so ugly to you. But ending this pregnancy won't fix anything. We can find a way to make this work."
"Ella, your dad was my–"
"One-night stand? Yeah, he told me. And sure, I’m pretty grossed out!" she says, laughing. "But I should have listened to you. I know you didn’t do this to hurt me, or to steal him away from me."
"Ella, that doesn’t justify anything. I should have stopped when I learned he was your dad."
"Chloe, trust me, I understand. More than I thought I ever would. It must have been difficult for you to have to sneak around, always worried that I would find out… and murder you. But we all do stupid things or selfish things or things we’re not proud of. Trust me. I would know," she says, giving me a look that speaks volumes.
"Thank you for understanding–wait, what do you mean, you know?" I ask, my eyes going wide and worry filling my voice. She blushes, then covers her face and groans.
"Let’s just say I did something stupid, selfish, and wrong. My father finding out would be the least of my worries."
I’m perplexed, but I get the sense that Ella’s done talking about it. I sigh instead, the deep breath of air soothing me.
"Chloe?" the nurse calls out softly, still offering me options. I look at Ella one more time then back to the nurse, then I shake my head.
Ella grabs my hand and helps me to stand, leading me out. "God, I hate hospitals."
"Ella, what did you do?" I ask once we’re outside, and she groans.
"I had sex, okay?"
I roll my eyes. "You’ve had sex with Anthony before, what’s the big deal?" She pins me back with a look, and I blink, grappling with the understanding of that expression.
Then it clicked. Oh. That.
"You cheated," I say quietly, making sure I don’t let out an ounce of judgment in my tone. She bites the inside of her cheek and nods.
"Something like that. And guess what? It was the best sex of my life." My core tingles at the thought of all the intimate moments Jeremy and I have shared.
Get a grip, Chloe. you can’t be fantasizing about Jeremy when his daughter is standing right here!
"I know that look. Don’t tell me you’re thinking about my dad and—ewwwwww," Ella accuses playfully. She pretends to vomit, but all I can do is laugh.
"I can’t believe my dad was the man you were describing. He looks so innocent whenever I look at him! My dad is not in any way capable of doing any of those things you mentioned."
"I promise, Ella. You don’t want to know. Like the way he can–" I start to say, but she throws her hands over her ears.
"NO! Please don’t plant those images in my head. I want to look at my father’s face and see the angel that he is." We laugh, and our happiness resonates around us.
"So, I accidentally told you mine. Who’s your mysterious man?" I ask, but her face falls.
"Someone my dad would kill if he found out what I did with him. It's a forbidden fruit, and yet... I can't help but love it."
A subtle nod passes between us. "You won’t tell me who he is?"
"Nope, I’m not ready to murder you, not with my godchild–no, wait, my brother or sister! Oh my god, I’m finally gonna have a younger sibling!" She sounds very excited.
