3. One Chance. That’s All You Get.

Serena’s Point of View

“Serena… can you hear me?”

Rowen’s voice was the first thing I heard as the darkness slowly faded and I tried to open my eyes.

I shut my eyes again as tightly as possible.

I wished I could shut my ears too, so I wouldn’t have to listen to his voice. 

But I couldn’t move my hands the way I wanted. My whole body felt heavy, utterly exhausted. My head ached painfully.

Then came the faint smell of antiseptic.

I must be in a hospital.

“…Serena?” Rowen called again.

My fingers tightened slightly against the sheets.

I turned my face away and opened my eyes.

Even that small movement made my head spin. I felt like I might throw up.

“Serena, please… look at me.” This time, his voice dropped into a plea.

But I didn’t want to look at him.

Not after what I had seen. Not after what I knew.

“Serena, I’m sorry…” His voice broke. “I’m so, so sorry… I know I messed up. I know I terribly hurt you. But please… don’t shut me out like this.”

Silence.

I stared at the wall, letting his words fall into nothing.

“I made a mistake,” he continued, sounding desperate. “It didn’t mean anything. I swear it didn’t mean anything. It was just…”

“Rowen.”

I didn’t raise my voice, but it was sharp enough.

He froze.

“I’ve seen more than enough.”

A long pause filled the room.

“I don’t want to hear anything from you. Leave me alone.”

That was all.

I didn’t even want to breath same air as him.

“Baby…”

“Don’t call me that.”

Hearing that word from him made my stomach churn.

For a moment, he fell silent.

When he spoke again, he sounded defeated.

“Please… don’t do this… don’t let us end like this.”

Us?

I almost laughed.

“There is no ‘us’ anymore.”

My gaze remained fixed on the white wall.

He let out a heavy sigh.

“I made a mistake, but it won’t change one thing.”

“I love you. I have always loved you. I always will.”

Love.

Coming from a man like him, even that beautiful word felt empty and meaningless.

“I was confused. I was under pressure. Michela…”

“I said leave me alone.” This time, I didn’t even try to control my voice.

Silence fell again.

Heavy. Uncomfortable.

I wanted him to leave.

But I didn’t have the energy to argue anymore.

Then…

A knock on the door.

A doctor walked in, followed by a nurse.

“Good. You’re awake,” he said, glancing at the chart. “How are you feeling?”

“Dizzy… tired,” I answered faintly.

“That’s expected,” he nodded. “Your blood pressure is low.”

“However…” he paused, looking at Rowen briefly before turning back to me.

“There’s something you should know.”

A sudden tightness formed in my chest.

“What is it?” Rowen asked quickly.

The doctor paused for a moment.

“You’re pregnant.”

The world went silent.

Completely.

Pregnant?

After all the mornings I spent crying on the bathroom floor with a test stick in my hand…After all the nights I lay awake alone in our bed when Rowen didn’t come home…After all the humiliation…After all the heartbreak.

Now?

After I had decided to walk away?

“…Serena?” Rowen’s voice trembled.

I didn’t look at him.

Was I dreaming? How could this even be real?

I was visiting a gynecologist just this morning, thinking I couldn’t get pregnant. 

“You’re around three weeks,” the doctor continued softly. “It’s early, but everything seems normal so far. You’ll need proper rest and good nutrition. We can arrange a scan in two weeks.”

Three weeks?

My hand moved to my belly unconsciously.

You had been with me for three weeks… without me even knowing.

“Thank you,” I heard Rowen say as he spoke to the doctor.

They exchanged a few more words, but I didn’t process any of them.

My mind was frozen on one thought.

There was a life growing inside me.

The one thing I had wanted so desperately. The one thing I thought I couldn’t have.

And now…

It was here.

At the worst possible time.

After the doctor left, Rowen stepped closer to the bed.

His voice had changed.

Hope. Desperation.

Both.

“We’re having a baby…” he whispered.

I closed my eyes.

We…

A baby…

Didn’t I just say there was no “us” anymore?

“This is… this is our chance to have a new life,” Rowen continued. “I’ll fix everything. I promise.”

I opened my eyes slowly.

Still not looking at him.

“When was the last time you kept your promise?”

My voice was calm. Flat.

He took a deep breath.

“I know… I failed,” he said quickly. “But I swear… this time I will keep it. With my life. For you… for us… for all three of us…”

I finally turned my head and looked at him.

This man, who was once the most handsome in my eyes… Now, all I could see was that naked man in the hotel room.

“I knew something was wrong… for months,” I said quietly.

“Still… I wanted to trust you…”

“Until today… I trusted you. I loved you more than you can even imagine…”

“But do you think I can ever do that again?”

“Serena… please…” he begged. “Just one chance… just one…”

I had never heard him this desperate before.

“For the sake of our baby?”

I let out a slow breath.

I hated him. I hated the version of myself who trusted him.

Still…

I knew better than anyone what it felt like to grow up without parents.

“I’m not doing this for you,” I said.

My voice was steady. Clear.

“I am not forgiving you. There is no going back to what we had.”

“Don’t misunderstand me.”

His expression faltered.

“Serena…” he whispered, as if trying to hold on to the last lifeline.

I looked at him steadily.

No warmth. No softness. Only distance.

"I'm not doing this for you," I said. "Just for the sake of this child, I'm willing to hear what you have to say."

“You have just one chance… Just one…Choose your words carefully and speak. ”

"Because if you disappoint me again,  you will never see this child."

“Or me…”

Silence filled the room.

And for the first time in all the seven years I knew him, 

Rowen looked truly afraid.