A bitter laugh escaped my throat because the question felt ridiculous after everything he had said months earlier. “Why would I tell you anything,” I answered firmly, “especially after you insisted the baby could not possibly be yours.”
“That is not what I meant,” he replied quickly while running a hand through his hair. “I thought you were no longer pregnant because my fiancée told me you had lost the baby.”
A sharp pain tightened inside my chest as the realization settled in. “Your fiancée lied to you,” I said quietly, “so congratulations on believing her.”
He began pacing near the window while breathing heavily as if trying to process the information. “I only invited you to the wedding because she demanded it,” he admitted after a moment. “She wanted proof that you were completely out of my life.”
He paused while glancing back at the crib where my daughter continued sleeping peacefully. “When I told her you had just given birth she started screaming that the baby could not exist,” he continued, “and then she fainted.”
I leaned back against the pillows while studying his face carefully. “Travis what exactly did you do after that,” I asked.
He swallowed nervously before answering. “I left immediately and drove straight here.”
At that exact moment another voice echoed loudly in the hallway before the hospital door burst open once again. A tall woman with disheveled hair and smeared makeup stormed into the room while pointing angrily toward the crib.
“THAT BABY IS DESTROYING MY LIFE,” she screamed hysterically.
The nurses immediately called security while my mother stepped protectively closer to the crib. I instinctively reached forward and lifted my daughter into my arms while staring at the furious woman standing near the door.
“Please remove her from this room,” I said calmly.
Security guards arrived quickly but Travis raised his hand while speaking hoarsely. “Give us one minute please,” he requested.
The woman laughed bitterly while glaring at him with wild eyes. “You promised me there was no baby,” she shouted. “You said she was lying about being pregnant.”
I held my daughter close against my chest while trying to keep my voice steady. “Get her out of here,” I repeated quietly.
Travis turned toward his fiancée while his expression hardened in a way I had never seen before. “You told me she was not pregnant anymore,” he said slowly, “and you swore that story was true.”
She crossed her arms defiantly while lifting her chin. “Because if you knew the truth you would have gone back to her,” she admitted.
In that moment I saw understanding flash across his face like a sudden lightning strike. The realization seemed to drain all the strength from his body.
He walked to the chair beside my hospital bed and sank down heavily while covering his face with both hands. “I destroyed my own family because of a lie,” he murmured.
I felt no sense of victory because the entire situation left me emotionally exhausted. “You destroyed it because you chose not to trust me,” I corrected quietly.
The woman scoffed loudly while rolling her eyes. “Oh please she probably planned this pregnancy to trap you,” she snapped.
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