Credence

But I just stare at Kaleb. “This is why you wanted me pregnant,” I tell him. “You wanted to trap me before I found out about her.”

“Pregnant?” Jake repeats. He darts his eyes to Kaleb. “What did you do?”

Kaleb’s face is flushed, sweat glistens on his neck, and his eyes look pained. He’s wrecked.

And quiet. Always quiet, because if he doesn’t have to address any problems, then they don’t exist.

I barely have the strength to breathe. “Even now, you won’t talk to me,” I say quietly.

Jake inches in. “Are you pregnant?”

“No.” I shake my head, my sadness turning to anger as I look at Kaleb. “Thank God,” I spit out.

Kaleb steps in, hovering over me with an edge to his expression. He’s mad now.

Noah pulls him back. “Kaleb, back off her.”

Jake presses a hand into his chest.

But Kaleb throws them off, growling, and I back up, tears welling again as he swoops in and picks me up, holds my face and forces his mouth on mine. I choke down a sob, the assault of his scent reminding me how happy we were just this morning.

Before we came back to the world.

I push him away, crying out as Noah and Jake pull him off me.

I breathe hard, falling to my feet and backing up, farther away from him.

“Cici Diggins is pregnant,” I tell Jake and Noah. “Very pregnant.”

Kaleb doesn’t look at anyone but me, but I see Jake and Noah staring at me, stunned.

“It could be anybody’s,” Noah argues.

“Yours?”

“No,” he retorts like I’m crazy. “God, no. I didn’t sleep with her.”

“Did she say it was Kaleb’s?” Jake straightens, releasing his son.

“She didn’t have to,” I tell him, but I lock eyes with Kaleb.

If it’s his, I might learn to live with it, even though that means living with her in our lives.

If he knew about it all along, though…

“Say something,” I tell him. “Say something to me.”

Anything, please.

“Or write something, then,” I ask. “Tell me anything. Tell me you love me.”

He just stands there, though.

And I stop crying, my heart broken but not. Maybe it’s just not there anymore, because I draw in a deep breath, knowing someone will have his kids, but it will never be me. I can’t live in another house where someone I love won’t talk to me.

“We’re all set,” I hear a woman say from the kitchen.

It only takes a moment, but I blink away the tears and follow her into the shop, desperate to get away.