“Thank you.”
“Understood.”
When I walked out of the hospital, my lawyer was already waiting by the entrance.
He handed me the drafted agreement.
“Mr. Swanson, the agreement specifies that if Ms. Pruitt insists on keeping the baby, custody, visitation rights, child support, and asset division can each be addressed in separate clauses.”
“However, whether to terminate the pregnancy is not something you can decide unilaterally under the law.”
I took the documents. The pages were light, but they felt like they weighed a thousand pounds.
“Then we start with the divorce.”
“The baby, we handle by the book.”
The lawyer nodded.
“Understood.”
When I got home that evening and pushed open the door, I heard a familiar laugh coming from the living room.
Carter Simmons was sitting on the couch. Angela was pouring him hot water.
The second he saw me, he stood up, eyes rimming red, his voice dripping with saccharine softness.
“Hey, bro. You're back.”
“I had way too much to drink last night. I was talking nonsense. Please don't take any of it to heart.”
He took two steps toward me, like he genuinely meant it.
“Angela and I have been messing around like that since we were kids. We just don't have a filter.”
“She's pregnant right now, and you're emotionally sensitive. I get it.”
“I'll watch myself from now on. No more misunderstandings, I promise.”
The words bowed, but every syllable had a blade tucked inside it.
As if all of this was just the husband overreacting.
Angela chimed in right on cue, her tone certain：
“I already told you it was a misunderstanding.”
“From now on we focus on our life together, raise this baby right. That's what matters.”
“You're about to be a father. Stop overthinking everything and getting jealous over nothing.”
I leaned against the entryway, face pale, too tired to even lift my hand.
Carter spotted the hospital paperwork in my hand and let out an exaggerated gasp：
“Bro, why do you look so rough? Don't tell me you went to the hospital for some random checkup and scared yourself.”
“Come on, man. Don't be so sensitive.”
“Angela's got a baby in her belly. You really shouldn't use the kid as leverage in a fight.”
I raised my hand, slow and deliberate, and waved it once.
“Save the act.”
The living room went quiet.
I looked at Angela and spoke, word by word：
“I don't want this baby.”
The expression on Angela's face froze solid.
“What did you just say?”
Before I could answer, the lawyer stepped forward from behind me and held out the documents.
The pages fell open. Black ink, sharp and unmistakable.
《Divorce Agreement》.
The lawyer's voice was steady：
“Ms. Pruitt, this is the divorce agreement drafted by Mr. Swanson. Please review it at your convenience.”
“Regarding the child, the agreement states that should you choose to carry the pregnancy to term, Mr. Swanson will fulfill all obligations required by law.”
“But this marriage, he has decided to end.”
