Page 27 of No Turning Back
I pull out my phone with shaky hands, open the Uber app, and order a ride. Ten minutes out. The tiny countdown on the screen feels like forever.
The front door opens behind me. I stand frozen on the walkway, heart still racing, wondering if any of that actually just happened.
“Baby-” I hear behind me.
I decide, fuck it and whirl around. “What the actual fuck, Markus?” I yell, the words hitting sharper than I intend, but not by much.
“Calm down,” he says, hands up.
“Calm down?” I repeat, incredulous. “You’re telling me to calm down while yourfriendjust walked in here carrying your child. It is your child, right?”
He looks down, shame heavy on his shoulders. “There’s a chance.”
I let out a harsh laugh. “There’s achance, huh? I’m guessing it wasn’t immaculate conception.”
Something shifts in his face, from shame to defensiveness. “Look, it happened once, alright? On Family Day. My mom found out you weren’t coming, so she sent Gabi. I was gonna tell her to leave, but… shit, Quinn, I was all alone, so I let her stay. I don’t know how it happened.”
“Really? Were you drunk?” I ask, my voice low but cutting, already knowing damn well he wouldn’t dare drink on base.
“I… please, Quinn.”
“Why would you bring me here?” I throw my hands up. “You can’t be that stupid.”
“My mom promised she wouldn’t invite her,” he says, like it’s her fault.
“What was the plan?” I fold my hands, holding his gaze. “You clearly knew she was pregnant. Why the hell would you claim to want to fix this marriage when you already knew it was over?”
He takes a step closer. “Don’t say that, it’s not over.”
“Really? You want your wifeandyour mistress?”
“She’s not my mistress, okay? I don’t like her like that.”
I stare at him, exhausted. “Yet you fucked her.”
“It didn’t mean anything, and I thought you wanted kids.”
I let out a short, incredulous laugh. “I wantedmychild, not your bastard.”
His jaw tightens. “He wouldn’t be a bastard if you raised him. You could still have a kid, Quinn. My kid. And my mom, she’d stop with the comments if she knew the baby was mine.”
My stomach turns. “Wow. That’s your pitch? That I take in your mistake so your mother will finally treat me like a human?”
He steps closer, hands half-raised like he’s trying to soothe me. “It’s not like that. I just… I know how bad you wanted a family. This could be it. We could make it work.”
“Make it work.” I snap. “By playing family? By pretending you weren’t fucking her?”
“It wasn’t like that,” he says again, desperate now. “It was one night. I didn’t even think it would-”
“Would what? Get her pregnant? Actions have consequences, Markus, and you handed methisone wrapped in a bow.”
His voice rises, almost pleading. “I’m trying to fix this. You can’t have kids, Quinn. At least this way-”
I cut him off, my voice low and cold. “Finish that sentence. I dare you.”
He swallows hard, the words dying in his throat.
He takes a step toward me, his voice dropping into that coaxing tone he uses when he thinks I’ll fold. “You’re mad right now, but… think about it.”
