His unfinished sentence hung in the stale apartment air.
I did not look back. I gripped the frayed nylon handle of my suitcase and walked straight out the front door. The heavy wood slammed shut behind me, cutting off the sight of Andre clutching his bruised knee.
My phone speaker still blasted the tinny, desperate audio of his nineteen-year-old voice.
I dragged my luggage down the hallway carpet. My knuckles ached from the tight grip. I hit the call button, stepped into the empty elevator, and jammed my finger against the close doors icon.
The metal panels slid together. The recording finally looped back to the beginning. I hit the power button, plunging the small metal box into absolute silence.
Four hours later, the sharp scent of rubbing alcohol filled the back examination room of a private obstetrics clinic.
"Six weeks, Q," Delphine said.
She stood by the metal counter, holding a printed lab report under the harsh fluorescent lights. She wore her white coat over a pair of silk pajamas, having driven straight to her clinic the second I called her from the sidewalk.
"The blood test confirms it," she continued, her voice tight with suppressed anger. "Your gas station stick was entirely accurate. You are pregnant."
I sat on the edge of the padded examination table. The crinkling paper beneath my jeans sounded unnaturally loud.
"Six weeks," I repeated, staring at the floor tiles. "That puts conception right at the end of October."
Delphine slapped the folder onto the steel counter. The sharp smack echoed off the tiled walls.
"Late October," Delphine snapped, turning to face me. "He was already taking Renata to those fake late-night client dinners. He was already paying for her luxury car leases out of your joint account."
I kept my eyes fixed on the floor. A cold numbness spread through my chest, freezing the lingering nausea I had fought all day.
"He slept with me the night of our anniversary," I said, my voice hollow. "He brought home a dozen white roses. He told me he wanted to try again. I actually believed him."
"That bastard planted this while he was already actively building a life with his mistress." Delphine marched over to the table and shoved the printed lab report into my hands. "Take this to your lawyer tomorrow morning."
I looked down at the black ink on the white page. The numbers and medical jargon blurred together.
"Drag him back to court," Delphine urged, pointing a sharp fingernail at the paper. "Show the judge this report. Expose the timeline. Strip him of the apartment, the LLC, the savings accounts. Leave him completely penniless."
"I signed the divorce papers," I told her.
"Under false pretenses!" Delphine countered, throwing her hands up. "He hid his assets and forced you out. Add an unborn child to the mix, and his legal team will choke. You can take everything from him."
I traced the edge of the paper with my thumb.
"I should have left him two years ago," I said softly.
Delphine crossed her arms, her expression hardening. "When you got the London transfer."
"I had the offer letter right in my hand," I said, lifting my chin to meet her gaze. "Director of European Accounts. A corner office. A full relocation package."
"And he threw a tantrum," Delphine added, her jaw tight.
"He cried on the kitchen floor," I corrected. "He gripped my knees. He swore we were finally ready to start a real family. He told me the house needed a mother, not a corporate ghost."
"So you ripped up the contract."
"I ripped it up and threw it in the kitchen trash," I said, the memory tasting like ash in my mouth. "That was his third chance. The final one."
"Then make him pay for it now," Delphine insisted. She leaned closer, her eyes flashing. "Use this baby to ruin him, Q. He owes you that much."
I looked at the lab report one last time.
Then, I folded the thick paper in half.
"No," I said.
"Quianna, he stole your house!"
"I gave it to him," I replied, folding the paper a second time until it was a small, tight square. "I paid the down payment, and I walked away."
"Why are you hiding it?" Delphine demanded, stepping into my line of sight.
I unzipped my leather wallet. I bypassed the cash slot and shoved the folded medical report deep into the back compartment, hiding it securely behind an expired gym card.
"Because this child has nothing to do with him anymore," I told her, snapping the wallet shut. "If I use this pregnancy to take his money, I tie myself to Andre Verlowe for another eighteen years. He will demand visitation. He will bring Renata to the custody hearings."
"You can fight that," she argued.
"I don't want to fight him anymore, Del," I said, sliding off the examination table. "I want a clean break. I refuse to use my child as a bargaining chip against a man who replaces people like cheap furniture."
Delphine stared at me for a long time. The anger in her eyes slowly melted into a deep, heavy exhaustion.
She rubbed her temples and let out a long sigh.
"You are too stubborn for your own good," she muttered.
"I just want to sleep," I said.
Delphine gestured toward the hallway. "Take the sofa in my private office. I have extra blankets in the closet. We will figure out your permanent living situation tomorrow."
"Thank you, Del."
I dragged my suitcase down the dark corridor and pushed open the door to her office. The room was quiet, illuminated only by the amber glow of the streetlights filtering through the blinds.
I left my bag by the door and collapsed onto the leather sofa. I did not bother taking off my coat. The exhaustion hit my bones like physical weights, pulling me down into the cushions.
I closed my eyes.
A sharp buzz vibrated against my hip.
My phone screen flared to life, cutting through the shadows of the dark office.
I pulled the device from my pocket, squinting against the sudden brightness.
A new email sat at the top of my lock screen, marked with the red flag of high importance from corporate HR.
The subject line read: REQUIRED - Private Meeting at 9:00 AM, Top Floor CEO Office.
I swiped the notification open, scanning the brief, demanding text, my eyes landing on the single word listed in the sender's signature block.
Castellane.
