Chapter Three: He Might Change

The hospital carried the familiar scent of antiseptic mixed with the faint sweetness of flowers that had been sitting in water for too many days.

Mia sat quietly in a plastic chair outside the examination room with her hands folded tightly in her lap. Her eyes remained fixed on the scuffed tip of one shoe because looking anywhere else made the room feel even colder. The walls were painfully white, and the fluorescent lights overhead were so bright that they made everything seem unnaturally clean.

Every sound echoed through the corridor.

She could hear nurses walking briskly from one room to another, patients speaking in hushed voices behind curtains that never quite closed properly, and the occasional ring of a telephone from somewhere down the hall.

She had not told anyone she was coming.

If she were being honest with herself, she had not even fully admitted why she had come. She had woken that morning feeling she could not explain. It had settled deep inside her and refused to leave, quietly insisting that something had changed.

The nurse returned with a gentle smile.

"You can look now," she said softly.

Mia felt her heartbeat quicken.

She lowered her eyes to the test resting on the counter.

Two clear lines stared back at her.

Her fingers curled tightly around the edge of the counter as though she suddenly needed something solid to keep herself standing.

"Oh..." The word slipped from her lips almost soundlessly.

It was little more than a breath.

The nurse continued speaking, offering congratulations and explaining what would happen next. She mentioned appointments, estimated dates, and prenatal care, but very little of it reached Mia.

The pounding of her own heartbeat drowned everything else.

Without thinking, she placed one hand over her lower abdomen.

The gesture came naturally, as though her body understood something her mind was still struggling to accept.

She was pregnant.

The truth felt too extraordinary to believe. It filled her with equal measures of wonder and fear.

She remained seated for several minutes after the nurse left, trying to absorb the news. Nothing around her had changed, yet everything inside her suddenly felt different.

By the time she stepped outside, the afternoon sun flooded the pavement with golden light.

The brightness made her squint.

Cars moved steadily through the streets while impatient drivers leaned on their horns. People hurried past without sparing her a second glance. A young mother laughed as she chased after her little boy, who had broken free and was running along the pavement.

The world continued exactly as it always had.

Only Mia's world had changed.

She stood outside the hospital entrance with one hand resting protectively against her stomach.

The first person she thought about was Allen.

She had not meant to think about him.

His name simply appeared in her mind before she could stop it.

Perhaps this baby would change everything.

Perhaps this child would remind him of the life they had built together.

Perhaps he would look at her again with the warmth he once carried in his eyes.

Hope rose inside her before she had the chance to question it.

She quickly hailed a taxi before doubt could catch up.

"Please take me to Hale Tower," she said as she climbed into the back seat.

The journey across the city felt unusually long.

Every traffic light seemed determined to hold them in place.

Every delay tightened the anxious knot inside her chest.

She rehearsed countless ways to tell him. She imagined walking into his office with a smile.

She imagined placing his hand over her stomach.

She imagined watching his face soften with surprise and happiness.

One by one, every version of the conversation dissolved before she reached the building.

Perhaps she did not need the perfect words. Perhaps seeing her would be enough.

When the taxi stopped outside Hale Tower, she paid the driver and stepped onto the pavement.

The afternoon heat wrapped itself around her as people hurried in every direction.

She drew a slow breath before entering the building.

The lift carried her silently toward the executive floor.

Mirrored walls reflected her image from every angle.

She looked the same as she morning. Only she knew that everything had changed.

When the lift doors opened, she walked confidently through the polished hallway toward Allen's office.

The sound of her heels echoed softly against the marble floor.

His assistant looked up in surprise.

"Mrs Hale," she said. "Mr Hale is in a meeting."

"I know," Mia replied politely.

She continued walking before the assistant could stop her.

Allen's office door stood slightly open.

Before she reached it, she heard laughter.

It was not polite laughter exchanged during business meetings.

Her steps slowed; she reminded herself not to jump to conclusions.

She had done enough of that over the years.

Then she looked through the doorway.

Allen stood beside his desk with his jacket removed, and the sleeves of his shirt rolled neatly to his elbows.

He looked relaxed.

It was the most comfortable she had seen him in weeks.

The woman from the restaurant sat casually on the edge of his desk with one elegant leg crossed over the other.

She looked entirely at ease.

For a brief moment, Mia could not move.

Allen reached toward the woman and gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

The movement was slow.

It was the sort of gesture that belonged between people who shared an easy familiarity.

Everything around Mia seemed to disappear.

The room narrowed until all she could see was his hand resting briefly against another woman's face.

The woman noticed Mia first.

"Oh," she said quietly.

Allen turned around. "Mia." He sounded surprised.

She remained silent.

"I wasn't expecting you," he said after a moment.

His voice carried the calm confidence of someone who believed he owed no explanation.

Mia stepped fully into the office.

Without thinking, one hand settled protectively over her stomach.

Part of her wanted him to notice, part of her still hoped he would ask why she had come.

The woman shifted awkwardly. "I should leave."

"No," Allen replied evenly. "Everything is fine."

Everything is fine.

The words struck Mia harder than they should have.

Her eyes moved slowly between the two of them.

She noticed how naturally they stood together.

She noticed how relaxed Allen looked.

Most of all, she noticed that none of it seemed unusual to him.

She forced herself to speak calmly. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

Allen looked at her before a faint smile touched his lips.

"I don't see why that's any of your concern."

His answer caught her off guard.

Mia lowered her eyes briefly before meeting his gaze again.

"I understand," she said quietly.

Allen leaned casually against the edge of his desk.

There was no trace of guilt in his expression.

He simply looked impatient for the conversation to end.

Her fingers tightened gently over her stomach.

She thought about the tiny life growing inside her.

Perhaps one day he would realise what he had thrown away.

The woman cleared her throat. "Allen, I really think I should leave."

He nodded. "Go ahead."

The woman walked past Mia without another word.

Mia watched her leave and remained standing until the office door closed behind her.

Silence settled over the room.

Allen looked at her without warmth or concern.

"You could have called before coming here," he said.

His voice was calm, almost casual.

Mia looked at him for a long moment. "So I could have avoided seeing this?"

Allen shrugged. "I didn't think you would come."

Her eyes wandered across the office.

She looked at his desk. The space another woman had occupied so comfortably only moments before.

Everything felt strangely familiar, yet none of it belonged to her anymore.

"You really don't care," she said softly.

Allen offered no answer. His silence told her everything she needed to know.

Mia nodded once.

She turned quietly and walked out of the office.

Her footsteps remained slow and steady as she crossed the hallway toward the lift.

When the doors closed behind her, she leaned her forehead against the cool metal wall.

Her hand rested gently over her stomach.

"I have you now," she whispered. "I promise never to let you down."

The lift began its descent.

Although the weight of Allen's indifference pressed heavily against her heart, she refused to let it crush her.

For the first time, she understood that she could no longer wait for him to choose her.

If she wanted a future worth living, she would have to choose herself.