Chapter 05: The Bombshell.

SOPHIA

A few weeks later. Liam came home one evening with a pale face and trembling hands.

Words were too hard for him to speak, realizing the fact that Ava had a child for him, a three year old son claiming him to be the father; he couldn't fight over it due to the DNA result which proved positive.

My words stopped. The air seems to vanish from the room as I stare at him trying to process what he was saying.

A child? Liam's child, when was the DNA test conducted without my consent? Liam never told me anything about that, now he claimed to be the father.

I felt like the ground beneath me was crumbling. I had always known that Liam had a past, but I never imagined it would hurt us this way.

Liam stood in the doorway, his eyes filled with a mix of fear and guilt. The silence between us was heavy and suffocating.

I could see the pain in his eyes but my mind was loaded with thoughts that I couldn't assist him.

My hands trembled as I reached for the back of the couch needing something to hold onto.

“Liam what are you saying?”. My voice was barely above a whisper crackling at the weight of my emotions. “Are you saying you believe those lies of having a child with Ava?".

He nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving mine. “Sophia I swear I didn't know, I had no idea she was pregnant”.

"But I told you about this earlier on we could have surpassed this at an early stage but you refused to listen”.

"What do we do now”. He curiously asked.

"I thought you said you know what you're doing and that I should trust you for that”.

"Are u trying to shift the blame on me?”.

"Not really just want you to come up with your plan then will handle it from there”.

“She said she wanted to keep this as a secret so as not to complicate things between us”.

"Now the secrets have been revealed and she's already complicating things, I wonder how you easily accept this”.

“I don't have anything to deny there is already a DNA test that proves positive, I only have this in mind against if she tried laying allegations on me I will carry out a DNA test not knowing she already had a plan for that".

“And you went for a DNA test without my consent, Liam how could you? I don't even know who to trust anymore”.

“Is not what you think, Sophia". He pleaded.

I shook my head trying to clear the fog that had settled in my brain. “She told you this earlier on and now acting on this now, what did she want?”.

Liam ran a hand through his hair, a gesture that told me how lost he felt. “She says she wants us to be a family, Sophia she wants me to be in the child's life to take responsibility”.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips, surprising even me. “A family? She wants you to leave me and be with her? Is that what this is about?”.

Liam took a step towards me, his face etched with desperation “No Sophia that's not what I want, I don't want to leave you. I love you but there is a child involved now-my child and I can't just ignore that.

His words sliced through me, leaving a painful void in my chest. I had known Ava was trouble, but I never imagined she would go this far.

My mind raced with questions, doubts and fears, but there was one thing I needed to know above all else.

“And what about us Liam? What happens to us now? Do you still want to be with me or has Ava changed everything?”.

He reached out, his hands hovering just above my arm before pulling back as if unsure whether he had the right to touch me.

“Sophia nothing has changed between us. I love you and I want to spend my life with you. But I also need to figure out what to do about this child. I need to be there for him somehow”.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, the tears threatening to spill over.

“So, what does that mean? Are you going to be part of their lives? Spend time with Ava and her son? What about me, Liam? Am I supposed to sit here and watch while you play house with your ex?”.

Liam's face crumpled in pain, and for a moment, I saw the man I fell In love with-The man who would move mountains for me.

But that image has been overshadowed by the reality of the situation.

“Sophia, I don't know what to do,”. He admitted, his voice barely audible.

“I’m torn. I want to do the right thing to everyone, but it feels like no matter what I choose someone will get hurt.”

I took a deep breath trying to steady myself. “We have already hurt Liam. This whole situation is tearing us apart, and I don't know if we can come back for this”.

He flinched out my words, but I couldn't stop now. The pain inside me was too intense, and I needed to get it out.

“Do you realize what you are asking of me? To accept that the man I love has a child with another woman? To stand by while you're pulled in their lives? How am I supposed to handle that, Liam? How am I supposed to keep loving you when every time I look at you, I’ll see her?”.

He dropped his head into his hands, his shoulders shaking, “I’m sorry, Sophia. I’m so, so sorry. I never wanted this to happen. I never wanted to hurt you”.

“But you did,” I whispered, tears finally spilling down my cheeks.

“You hurt me more than I ever thought possible. And now….now I don't know if I can fix this”.

The room fell into tense silence as we both struggled with our emotions. I could see the pain in Liam's eyes, the regret and fear but I couldn't push past my own heartache.

The man I loved, the man I thought I knew, was slipping away from me, and I felt powerless to stop it.

And then a thought comes through my mind, a chilling realization that sends shivers down my spine.

What if the child wasn't Liam’s? What if Ava was lying? What if this was just another one of her twisted games to ruin my marriage?.