“Are you absolutely sure about this, Lilian?” Professor Jones asked. His eyes met mine from across the cluttered desk, framed by stacks of research papers.
I nodded, trying to sound confident. “I’ve made up my mind.”
“This is a three-year commitment,” he reminded me, leaning back in his chair. “No contact with the outside world. No family. No friends. You’ll be completely isolated for the duration of the project. There’s no going back once you sign the agreement.”
“I know,” I said, keeping my tone firm.
“And another thing—” He hesitated, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “This is confidential research. The organization has strict policies. That includes... no pregnancies or children during the program. You’d have to terminate any pregnancy before joining.”
The words landed like a blow, but I refused to flinch. Instead, I gave a stiff nod. “Understood.”
Professor Jones studied me for a moment, then handed me the paperwork. “Think carefully before signing. This isn’t an easy path.”
As I left his office, the weight of his words settled over me. My chest tightened, but it wasn’t from his warnings. It was the realization that this project—this grueling, isolating project—felt like freedom.
Freedom from Jayden. Freedom from Scarlet.
At first, I had believed Jayden’s insistence that Scarlet was “like a sister” to him. After all, she was the sister of Scott, Jayden’s best friend who had died in a car accident. Jayden had been driving the night of the crash, and his guilt had tethered him to Scarlet ever since.
“She’s family,” he used to say. “She has no one else. It’s my responsibility.”
I had believed him. I had justified the time they spent together, the way he always prioritized her over me. But now, the memories of their closeness felt like shards of glass piercing through my chest.
The red marks on his body, the way they clung to each other at the police station, the lies he spun with such ease. It all added up to one truth—they had betrayed me.
By the time I reached my apartment, I had made my decision. I would join the research project. And I would no longer carry Jayden’s child.
The clinic was cold and sterile, the fluorescent lights making the walls seem even more impersonal. I sat on the examination table, clutching the edges as I waited for the doctor.
It wasn’t an easy choice, but it was the only one that made sense. Jayden didn’t deserve to be a father. Our child didn’t deserve to be tied to someone who had so blatantly disrespected their mother.
“Are you sure about this?” the doctor asked.
“Yes,” I said firmly, even as a lump formed in my throat.
The procedure was quick, but the aftermath lingered. Two days later, I was still resting in bed, my body aching and my heart hollow. I had told no one, not even Jayden.
The pregnancy test I had once clung to so tightly was now buried deep in the trash.
The shrill ring of my phone jolted me from my thoughts. I groaned, reaching for it on the nightstand. Jayden’s name flashed on the screen.
For a brief moment, hope flickered in my chest. Maybe he had noticed my absence. Maybe he was finally calling to check on me.
“Hello?” I answered, my voice still weak.
“Where are you?” Jayden’s tone was sharp, impatient.
“I’m at the lab,” I lied.
“Good. I need you to get groceries and come home right now,” he ordered. “Scarlet’s here, and she’s hungry. You need to cook dinner.”
I blinked, my chest tightening as his words sank in.
“And don’t take too long,” he added. “We’re starving.”
The line went dead.
