Page 36 of Lost Summer
Adele, she was who I wanted.
She was who I’dalwayswanted.
“Can’t do what?!” Elena whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Dowhat, Edward?”
I met her eyes, heaving out a sigh. “This. Us. I’m not...I’m not in love with you anymore.”
Elena’s face contorted, her eyes filling with tears. She let out a bitter laugh, wiping her tears away roughly. “So?”
Whoa, what?
I was taken aback, confused by her reaction. “What do you mean, so?”
She locked eyes with me, a fierce determination burning within her. “I mean, so what! You can’t leave me; I need you. You’ll look like a right bastard if you leave me now.”
Adele’s words echoed in my mind, a haunting reminder of the reality that awaited me.“Elena is…”
No.
I stared at Elena, my mouth hanging open in disbelief. My insides felt like they were being rearranged, the sharp pain in my chest forcing me to take a breath.
“Why’s that, Elena?” I whispered, praying I’d come to the wrong conclusion.
Elena rolled her eyes, a mix of sadness and defiance in her gaze. “Because, Daddy, I’m pregnant.”
The floor felt like it was moving. The walls closed in, suffocating me. My body convulsed as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice on me, causing my teeth to chatter in shock.
Surely not.
No.
“We haven’t…” My words trailed off, remembering the last time being over a month ago. A drunken night together where we’d tried to summon the passion between us.
Fucking hell.
“Oh, but we did. It was not overly memorable, but we did. So, you’re leaving me, are you? Me and our unborn child?” Elena broke into more tears, shaking her head as I stared at her, feeling dazed.
“Right, I need to think.” I sank onto the sofa. I couldn’t trust my legs to support me if I stood for a moment longer. I dragged my hands over my cheeks, wondering what the fuck I was going to do now.
“You’re pregnant?” I forced the words out, my heart pounding in my chest.
Elena scoffed, pulling her phone out and thrusting it towards me. “I took photos with the date and time. I thought you’d be excited.”
Her voice was hollow, and I felt a pang of guilt. The photo on the screen showed Elena clutching a pregnancy test with a smug grin. The image was framed with a red heart, the joy captured in the photo contrasting sharply with the irritation etched on Elena’s face now.
“I’m sorry…” I began, the words catching in my throat.
“Is there someone else?” Elena snapped, wiping her nose on the back of her hand.
Why would anyone cheat on her? Maybe because I’m unhappy.
“It’s not the reason, no.”
Nausea swept over me, and I lifted my eyes to see Elena glaring at me.
“Happy?”
“I don’t know what to say.”
