"Aahh… stop! Ethan, stop!" Ava laughed hard, gasping for air as Ethan tickled her without mercy.
He finally gave in, smiling as he pulled her into his lap. She was still laughing when he rested his chin on her shoulder and whispered softly, "I love you."
Her heart skipped a beat.
Even after five years together, those three words still made her feel warm inside. She turned her face to him, eyes full of affection, and kissed his lips gently. "I love you too," she said.
They stayed like that, holding each other, the world outside forgotten.
Then Ethan spoke again, more serious this time. "Ava… I want a baby."
She blinked, surprised. "What?"
"I mean it," he said, looking into her eyes. "I want a baby. A little version of you and me. Running around, calling us mom and dad."
Ava pulled back slightly, her smile fading. "Ethan… I'm just twenty. Don't you think it's a bit early?"
His expression shifted. "So you don't want a baby with me… Is it because you don't trust me? Because I haven't achieved much yet?"
Her heart sank hearing the hurt in his voice. "No! Ethan, that's not what I meant. I trust you. I love you. I never doubted you—not even once."
"Then why do you sound unsure?" he asked, frustrated.
"Because I didn't expect this now," she admitted. "That's all. It surprised me."
He looked away, disappointed.
Ava gently held his face. "Hey… look at me. I left my family for you. Do you really think I'd do that if I didn't believe in you?"
He didn't answer, but his eyes softened.
She smiled, then whispered, "And about the baby… okay. If it's with you, why not now?"
A playful wink followed, and Ethan's eyes lit up with joy. Without wasting a second, he kissed her deeply and started unbuttoning her shirt, lips moving down her neck.
...
"Ava, I don't want you to go meet your friends," Ethan said, his tone firm. "You're only one month pregnant. You should be resting."
Ava crossed her arms. "Ethan, it's just a school reunion. I've been waiting for this for years. They're my childhood friends. I'll be fine."
"You don't know that," Ethan replied. "Anything can happen. You're not just responsible for yourself anymore."
"I'm not sick, Ethan," she said. "I'm pregnant, not broken. Please… I'm bored sitting at home all day. I need this. Just a few hours. I promise I'll be careful."
She looked at him with pleading eyes, her voice soft. "Please, Ethan. Just this once."
He hesitated, sighed, and finally nodded. "Fine. I'll drop you off. But be careful, Ava."
A smile lit up her face. "Thank you! I love you."
Ethan drove her to the restaurant, watching her wave goodbye before he left for work. She looked happy, excited. He tried to feel the same, but something still bothered him.
A few hours later, while driving back home in a cab, Ava's world turned upside down.
A loud crash.
Screaming.
Pain.
Everything went black.
When Ethan got the call, he rushed to the hospital, heart racing. He reached the emergency room, pushing through people until he found a doctor.
"Is she okay? My wife, Ava?"
"She's stable," the doctor said. "But… we're sorry. She lost the baby."
Ethan stood frozen. The words hit him like a truck.
His child.
Gone.
He stormed into her hospital room, and there she was—weak, pale, her eyes red from crying.
"You did this," he said, voice cold and trembling. "You killed our baby."
Ava looked up at him, shocked. "What?"
"You never wanted it. You said it was too early. So you found a way out, didn't you?" he shouted. "You went out, ignored my warning, and now—now my child is dead."
Tears rolled down her cheeks. "Ethan… I didn't want this to happen. It was an accident—"
"Don't call it an accident!" he roared. "You did it on purpose! You didn't want the baby, so you got rid of it."
"I didn't!" she cried. "You know I would never—"
But he didn't listen.
He turned away, disgusted, broken. From that night on, everything changed.
He stopped talking to her the same way.
Stopped touching her with love.
He didn't call her by her name anymore.
Only one word.
Murderer.
No matter how many times Ava cried, tried to explain, or begged for his trust, he never gave it.
He had already made up his mind.
She had killed his dream, his child, his hope—and he would never forgive her for that.
And just like that, the love they once shared started to fade.
Replaced by blame, silence, and pain that neither of them knew how to escape.
.....
To be continued