Page 14 of One Little Mistake

The doctor’s face changes instantly—from kind to stiff, from neutral to judgmental. Her eyes say it all: she thinks I’m the father, and I couldn’t care less about my son. But I’m not about to correct her. Let her believe whatever she wants. Doesn’t matter to me.

“So that’s it?” I get up from the chair and remember the bag I’ve been dragging around for hours for no damn reason. “By the way, these are Erin’s things. Where should I put them?”

“Leave them, I’ll pass them to the medical staff. And… I checked, her insurance is out-of-network…”

I blink.

“What does that mean?”

“It means our hospital isn’t in her insurance company’s provider network.”

A laugh slips out of me.

“Maybe contact her relatives then? Do you have any numbers?”

“You’re the only one listed under emergency contacts,” she says, giving me a sharp look from behind her glasses.

“No way, that can’t be right,” I frown.

“Maxwell Taylor,” she reads from Erin’s medical file. “That’s you, isn’t it?”

“You could say that,” I sigh in defeat, realizing I can’t just walk away and leave Erin here. It’d be a whole different thing if she were conscious and could call her family, but right now?

No one even knows if her “Maxwell Taylor” exists — or if they’d even be able to reach him.

I get home at dawn. My eyes blur, my temples pound. I sit in the car for a couple minutes, gather some strength before heading up. I close my eyes—and I don’t even realize when I fall asleep.

I jolt awake when a car horn blares, slam my head into the door, and glance around, completely disoriented. It takes me a moment to figure out where I am. Mentally, I’m still in my cabin on the ship, catching sleep before a shift. My eyes widen, my heart hammers. People are rushing by outside the window—it feels surreal after staring at the same damn horizon for half a year.

“Shit,” I mutter, stretching my stiff neck and reaching for my phone. One in the afternoon. Just great. What a night.

I pray this was all just a dream. But no—the red scarf on the back seat, the one Erin forgot in a hurry, is still there. A reminder that, apparently, I became a “dad” last night.

Her face flashes before my eyes again, and I need to get to the bottom of this. Fast.

I step out of the car and call my sister on the go. If Erin was telling the truth and really knew her, then Elena’s the one who can clear things up.

“Aaaaaaah! Brother!” Her squeal blasts through the speaker, and I wince. “You’re back already? Why didn’t you tell me?! Did you bring me gifts? Did you get that bag from Italy like I asked?”

A grin tugs at my lips just from hearing her voice. Elena’s twenty, but half the time she acts like a kid. In my head, she still is one.

“I’m back, I’m back. And yeah, I got the perfume, too. Listen, have you been to my place while I was gone?” I press the elevator button and tense up, waiting for my sister’s answer.

“Well yeah, I told you I would.”

“And you didn’t notice anything… weird in the apartment?” I lower my voice, glancing over at the concierge, who’s eyeing me suspiciously. Looks like he doesn’t recognize me. Not that I recognize him either.

“Other than the pregnant fiancée you’re apparently hiding from the entire world?” she teases, and I close my eyes, biting back a curse. “But don’t worry, bro, I didn’t say anything to Mom and Dad. Figured if you’re keeping quiet, there’s a reason. You’ll introduce Erin to everyone when you’re ready.”

Well, at least there’s that. The last thing I need is our parents getting excited about some long-awaited “grandchild”.

“Elena, I met her for the first time in my life yesterday,” I sigh, completely done with everything. “So now tell me everything, in order. I seriously don’t understand how this girl managed to get into my apartment. She’s probably just a scammer. A pregnant scammer.”

“What?” she gasps and goes quiet. Hopefully, she’s racking her brain for every detail. Then suddenly, she bursts out laughing. “God, Max! Why do I always fall for your dumb jokes?”

“It’s not a joke, Elena. I’m dead serious. I have no clue who Erin is or how she convinced everyone she’s my fiancée. So start remembering.”

“I did tell you about her. And you even replied—barely, in your usual way. Did you forget already? Stop messing with me. I was already getting excited about babysitting my nephew. When is he due again?”

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