Chapter 13 #3
“You’re paying for it,” Abby gave him a level glance. She saw him roll his eyes.
“Don’t be difficult.”
“You’re unbelievable.” Abby thought of the apartment Hudson insisted remained her home. “You’re spending nights there?”
“Don’t start.” His voice sharpened. “You left me. You don’t get to demand an accounting of where I sleep while refusing to come home.”
“I’m not demanding anything.” Abby reached for her bag. “I wanted to know whether you were telling me our relationship could be repaired while continuing to sleep with her.”
“I said Makayla is over.” Hudson’s patience thinned. “I don’t know why you keep returning to her.”
“That isn’t an answer.” Abby closed her bag. “You still expect me to trust whatever wording protects you.”
Hudson’s jaw tightened. “Nothing has happened since we found out about the baby.”
“You found out today! Fifteen minutes ago!” Abby let the absurdity remain between them. “That is not a promise of fidelity.”
He looked away. The tiny evasion confirmed more than a longer answer would have.
Abby returned the remaining ultrasound images to her bag and stood. “I’ll send the appointment details. Any communication about the baby should be in writing.”
Hudson remained seated. “You’re leaving in the middle of this conversation?”
“I told you what you needed to know.” Abby stood and pushed her chair beneath the table. “The rest will be in writing.”
“We haven’t discussed the wedding.” Hudson remained seated, but his voice followed her. “You cannot keep avoiding our future.”
“There is no wedding.” Abby adjusted her bag on her shoulder. “The venue has been canceled.”
“There will be once you stop treating pregnancy like another opportunity to punish me.” He picked up the ultrasound image and held it between two fingers. “You’re going to make our child pay for your pride.”
Sadie rose from her table near the counter. Abby looked at her sister, then back at Hudson.
“Our child will know that I left a relationship where honesty had become optional.” Abby lifted her bag onto her shoulder. “I can live with that.”
She walked away before he could answer. Sadie joined her near the lobby without asking what had happened until they reached the car.
“How bad?” she asked as she unlocked the doors.
“He smiled.” Abby stood beside the passenger side, unable to make herself get in. “He looked at me and said he knew we weren’t finished.”
Sadie’s face tightened. “What did you say?”
“That the engagement is still over.” Abby pressed one hand against the roof of the car. “He talked about moving me back into the apartment, choosing a larger house, bringing his mother to the next appointment, and keeping Evan away from me.”
“Did he ask how you feel?” Sadie asked as she watched Abby search the conversation. “About the baby or any of it?”
Abby searched the conversation. Hudson had told her she looked better and instructed her to eat, but he had never asked how she felt about the pregnancy.
“No,” she said. “He asked whether the baby was healthy.”
Sadie came around the car and took Abby’s hand. “We’re calling the lawyer today.”
The attorney Sadie found through a colleague returned Abby’s call that evening. She explained that Hudson could establish paternity after the birth and pursue a parenting arrangement, but pregnancy did not give him authority over Abby’s residence, medical care, or personal relationships.
Abby took notes while Sadie sat beside her on the sofa. The attorney recommended written communication, careful documentation, and a separate account for any money Hudson contributed toward medical expenses.
“Do not let financial support become informal leverage,” she said. “Keep records of every payment and every condition he attempts to attach.”
After the call, Abby created a folder for Hudson’s messages and changed his contact settings so his calls went directly to voicemail. The practical steps did not lessen the fear of being connected to him, but they gave the connection defined limits.
Her phone vibrated while she saved the attorney’s number.
A message from Julia Covington appeared on the screen.
Abby had unblocked Hudson’s parents after their meeting, feeling a pang of guilt but also trepidation as she did so.
She hadn’t spoken to them since finding out about the affair, and she wasn’t sure how they felt about her now.
Julia’s message read; Hudson told us your wonderful news. Robert and I are overwhelmed with joy. Please call me as soon as you feel able.
Abby stared at the message. She had asked Hudson for one day to tell his parents herself, and he had waited less than three hours.
A second message arrived before she could respond. Julia had continued typing while Abby read the first.
Whatever misunderstanding has happened between you and Hudson, this baby is family. We will do everything necessary to bring all of you back together.
Abby read the sentence again, hearing Hudson’s certainty inside Julia’s words. He had already begun telling the story in which the pregnancy repaired what his affair had broken.