Chapter 22 #2
“Then finish it.” Abby shifted as the baby pushed against her ribs. “Come here afterward if you can.”
“It may be late.” Evan paused, and the silence carried more than exhaustion. “I’ll call when I leave.”
He did not come to the apartment that night. At one in the morning, he sent a message saying the meeting had continued and he would see Abby after her appointment with her attorney.
Abby slept badly. She dreamed that someone had removed the front wall of her apartment and strangers stood on the sidewalk watching her prepare the nursery.
Her attorney spent most of the following morning reassuring her that Hudson could establish paternity without gaining control over her pregnancy.
He could request notice after the birth and pursue custody or visitation, but he could not attend medical appointments or enter the delivery room without Abby’s consent.
“His filing is designed to frighten you,” the attorney said as he placed the petition beside Hudson’s handwritten letter. “The letter damages his claim that Evan prevented reconciliation. Hudson admits he intended to continue the affair after marrying you.”
“Will the letter become public too?” Abby asked as she looked at Hudson’s handwriting through the clear evidence sleeve. “Makayla’s name is everywhere.”
“We can request limited protection for private communications, but I can’t guarantee it.” He closed the folder. “For now, do not make any statement without speaking to me.”
Abby agreed. When she returned to work, security escorted her from the garage to her office even though she had not requested it.
The first article appeared shortly before noon. Its headline identified Evan as the founder of a promising technology company and Hudson Covington as the father of Abby’s unborn child.
The article included Hudson’s account of the hotel confrontation and described Abby as his former fiancée. Makayla appeared only as another woman wronged by Evan.
Abby read the paragraph twice before understanding what Hudson had done. He had removed the affair from the story entirely, leaving readers to imagine that Evan had attacked him out of nowhere and then taken his pregnant fiancée.
Her phone filled with messages from coworkers, college acquaintances, and people she had not spoken to in years. Some asked whether she was safe, while others disguised questions about the affair as offers of support.
Evan did not call. Abby sent him the article and received a brief response saying he was still with the board and would come to her apartment as soon as the meeting ended.
At four thirty, an email arrived from an address Abby did not recognize. The subject line contained only Evan’s name.
Ask him why his board told him to hide you, Hudson wrote. Ask him why he agreed before telling you. You were always so useful to him when you were the loyal woman waiting at home, but now you’re a liability he can’t afford.
Abby forwarded the message to her attorney and blocked the address. Then she read Evan’s last text again.
He arrived shortly after seven. His face was drawn, and the collar of his shirt had softened from a day of being touched and adjusted.
Abby opened the door but did not move aside immediately. “Did your board tell you to hide our relationship?”
Evan’s expression answered before he spoke. “Their attorney advised me not to make a public statement about us until the court filing is answered.”
“Did you agree?” Abby asked as she held the door with one hand. “Hudson says you did.”
“I agreed that we should avoid feeding the story for forty-eight hours.” Evan glanced down the hall, then back at her. “Can we discuss this inside?”
Abby stepped away from the door. Evan entered but did not remove his coat.
“You knew last night,” she said as she closed the door behind him. “When I asked what they wanted from you, you said nothing had been decided.”
“Nothing had been decided then.” Evan stood near the entryway with his hands in his coat pockets. “The recommendation came this morning while you were with your attorney.”
“You agreed to it this morning.” Abby folded her arms. “When were you planning to tell me?”
“Tonight.” Evan removed his hands from his pockets but stayed where he was. “I wanted to explain it in person instead of sending another message while both of us were working.”
“The article appeared at noon.” Abby heard her voice rising and forced herself to slow down. “You let me spend seven hours believing we were responding to this together while your board had already decided I should remain unnamed.”
“The board did not decide anything about you.” Evan’s restraint began to fray. “The attorney recommended that I avoid confirming details of my personal life until we know what Hudson intends to release.”
“And you agreed without asking me.” Abby pressed her arms more tightly against herself. “You made a decision about our relationship because you believed you knew what would protect me.”
“I believed it would protect the company and both of us.” Evan took a step closer, then stopped. “Every statement creates another headline. If I confirm our relationship tonight, Hudson will call it proof that I took advantage of you.”
“Our relationship is real whether you confirm it or not.” Abby looked at the man who had insisted uncomfortable questions were better than assumptions. “You had the chance to tell me what was happening, and you chose the answer before I knew there was a question.”
Evan looked away for the first time. “I should have called you before I agreed.”
“Yes.” Abby waited, but the admission did not ease the pressure in her chest. “Why didn’t you?”
“Because six years of work may depend on how the next week is handled.” Evan faced her again, anger and fatigue visible beneath his control. “I knew you were already dealing with Hudson’s petition, and I thought I could remove one decision from your day.”
“You removed me from the decision instead.” Abby blinked against sudden tears. “Hudson spent years deciding which truths I was allowed to know because he believed the life we had was his to manage.”
“I am not Hudson, Abby.” Evan’s answer came sharply. “ You know I’m not. I did not lie to you about an affair. I followed legal advice for one morning while my company was being threatened.”
Abby flinched. Evan saw it and closed his eyes briefly.
“I know you aren’t Hudson,” she said after the silence stretched between them. “That doesn’t mean I have to accept being excluded because your reason was better than his.”
“I’m sorry.” Evan took another step toward her, his voice quieter. “I should have called.”
Abby wanted to cross the small space between them. She wanted him to take off his coat, sit beside her, and help turn the day into something they had survived together.
Instead, she remembered Hudson’s email arriving hours before Evan told her the truth. The fact that Hudson had weaponized the information did not change where he obtained it or why Abby had been the last person to know.
“I need some space tonight,” she said as she looked toward the door. “I can’t decide whether to forgive this while you’re standing here waiting for the answer.”
Evan’s face tightened, but he nodded. “Do you want me to call tomorrow?”
“I don’t know.” Abby placed one hand over the place where the baby moved beneath her dress. “I need to speak to my attorney and think about what happens next.”
“With Hudson’s filing, or with us?” Evan asked as he watched her. “I need to know which one you mean.”
“Both.” Abby forced herself to hold his gaze. “I’m not ending our relationship, but I can’t pretend this didn’t expose something I don’t know what to do with.”
Evan picked up the laptop bag he had set near the door. “I’ll give you space. If you need me for anything involving the baby or the filing, call me regardless of where we are in this conversation.”
Abby nodded because speaking had become difficult. Evan opened the door, then stopped with one hand on the frame.
“I wasn’t ashamed of you,” he said without turning around. “I was afraid of losing the company. I should have communicated more, I’m sorry.”
He left before Abby answered. She locked the door behind him and stood in the entryway until the elevator carried him away.