Chapter 2
Amara woke to the cold, empty apartment. The faint morning light spilled across the floor, but it did nothing to warm the hollow ache in her chest.
The test still lay on the bathroom counter, mocking her with its permanence. Two lines. A life-changing truth. And he Ethan was gone.
She checked her phone frantically. No missed calls. No messages. Not even a text to explain why he had left so suddenly, so completely. Her stomach twisted.
"Why?" she whispered to the silence, her voice cracking. "Why would you just… leave?"
Her thoughts spiraled. Did he even care? Was this all a mistake for him? Did I mean nothing? The questions clawed at her, sharp and relentless.
Amara tried to shake off the panic. She needed answers but there were none. Instead, there were bills to pay, a job she barely managed, and a life she was suddenly expected to live alone.
By noon, reality began to sink in. She wasn't just heartbroken she was pregnant, abandoned, and utterly unprepared for what lay ahead. And the world outside carried on, oblivious to the storm raging inside her.
She sank onto the couch, cradling her belly, tears blurring her vision. "I'll do this," she whispered fiercely. "I'll survive. For you… and for our child."
But even as she spoke the words, deep down, a question burned hotter than anything else: When will he come back?
And the truth she dreaded most lingered like a shadow in the room what if he never does?