I didn't cry until I got home.
And even then, I didn't sob.
I sat on my bed, holding my stomach like it might fall apart without me, and let the tears slip silently down my cheeks. No shaking. No heaving breaths. Just pain.
Ethan had looked at me like he meant every word. Like I mattered.
And I'd walked away.
Again.
Because the truth was… I didn't know how to let someone love the parts of me I hadn't even accepted myself.
I was pregnant with twins. Alone. Unprepared. Exhausted.
And somewhere deep down, terrified of what it meant to be truly seen.
What if I told him, and he looked at me differently?
What if he *didn't* walk away, and that scared me even more?
I crawled under the sheets and turned off my phone. I couldn't face him. Not yet.
---
The next morning
He stared at the untouched espresso in front of him, jaw locked, fingers drumming on the table.
He had never felt this way before, not even when multimillion-dollar deals were on the line.
Talia had run out of that restaurant like he was dangerous. Like she was about to shatter.
And it broke something in him.
She was hiding something. That much was clear.
But what?
A boyfriend?
A past she couldn't explain?
Something darker?
He didn't know.
But he knew one thing for sure:
He wasn't going to let her disappear again.
Not this time.
---
Later that day
The doorbell rang while I was hunched over the toilet, morning sickness was starting to stretch into *all-day* sickness.
I wiped my face, forced myself upright, and opened the door.
It was Ava.
She held a smoothie in one hand and that damn magazine with Ethan's face on the other.
"You look like a raccoon who's been through emotional war."
"Thanks," I croaked, stepping aside to let her in.
She sat. Looked at me. Then at my stomach.
"You haven't told him, have you?"
I said nothing.
"Talia."
"I almost did," I admitted. "But I panicked. He said he hired someone to find me."
Her eyes widened. "Girl… that's not romantic. That's *serious.*"
"I know."
I sank onto the couch.
"I just...if I tell him, everything changes."
"Isn't that the point?"
I stared at the floor. "But what if he doesn't want them? What if he only wants me, and the babies ruin that? Or worse… what if he only wants them and not me?"
Ava didn't say anything for a long moment.
Then she said quietly, "That man doesn't look like he walks away from what he wants, Talia. Maybe he just needs to know what he's fighting for."
The afternoon sun filtered softly through the curtains, casting golden streaks across the living room. I sat curled on the couch, Ava's words echoing in my mind, fighting the knot of fear that twisted tighter with every passing minute.
What if she was right? What if Ethan really did want to fight for me and the babies but only if I let him in?
The thought terrified me.
My phone buzzed. I glanced at the screen, no name, just an unknown number.
Hands trembling, I answered.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's me," came Ethan's voice, low and cautious.
"I...." I started, but he cut me off.
"Can we meet? Please. Just… let me explain."
I hesitated.
"Okay. Tomorrow. Noon. The café on 5th."
I hung up before I could second guess myself.
---
The next day, my heart hammered as I approached the café, the late morning crowd bustling around me like a storm of colors and noise. Ethan was already there, seated with his usual calm but something softer in his eyes when he saw me.
I sat down, clutching my bag like a lifeline.
"Thanks for coming," he said, voice steady.
"Yeah… I guess we have things to clear up."
He nodded, and after a breath, he asked quietly, "Talia… why did you run?"
Because I'm scared. Because I don't know how to ask for help. Because I don't want to be abandoned again.
"I didn't know how to tell you," I confessed, voice cracking. "I'm pregnant. With twins."
His eyes widened, then softened. "Why didn't you tell me?"
I looked away, ashamed. "I wasn't sure you'd want to stay if you knew."
"Why wouldn't I?" His gaze was intense. "Talia, you're the only thing I want."
Tears blurred my vision. The weight in my chest started to lift ever so slightly.
"I'm scared, Ethan. Scared you'll leave when you see the real me."
He reached across the table, taking my hand in his. "I'm not going anywhere."
---
We talked for hours about fears, hopes, the future.
It wasn't perfect, but it was real.
And maybe, just maybe, it was the beginning of something that could heal us both.
That night, as I lay in bed, I traced the outline of my growing belly in the dark. The silence in my room was thick, almost suffocating, but this time, it wasn't just fear or loneliness, it was a fragile thread of hope.
Maybe Ethan wasn't just a stranger I'd met at a bar. Maybe he was the man who could hold me when the world got heavy.
But the truth? I still hadn't told him everything.
The past,'the secrets I buried deep,:still lingered in shadows.
Could I ever truly be free from them?
As sleep finally pulled me under, I whispered into the night, "I want to try".