Ocean

TIFFANY

I was sure I heard her, but I wasn't sure if those words were directed at me.

Abort it?

Abort what? The mission? The table?

“What the hell are you saying? What should I abort?” I asked, my gaze hardening instantly with the kind of resolve I never thought I'd have at that moment.

Stephanie stood up again, her arms crossed over her chest. She pointed slightly toward my stomach, “That mistake.”

I gasped.

My breath caught in my throat, and I quickly placed a hand over my stomach as if that could protect the baby inside.

“What? Protective of it already?” Steph asked. “You have to let it go, Tiff.”

She reached for my hand and gently pulled it away from my stomach.

I stared deep into her eyes, searching for something, anything, that would tell me she was joking.

But I found nothing, her gaze remained steady.

“Steph, I can't…” My voice trailed off.

“You can. You're stronger than you think you are, Tiff.” She squeezed my hand. “You can't allow this baby to ruin your journey.”

“Don't bring a child you'll end up hating into this world. He's innocent too,” she continued, looking at me as though she was doing me a favor.

“Steph, it's not that I don't want to-”

“It's because she can't.” The door opened, and the doctor walked inside.

He stopped when he noticed the tension in the room. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help it. You were raising your voices, so I came to check.”

He moved closer to my bed.

“What do you mean she can't?” Stephanie asked immediately, her nose scrunching as she prepared to argue.

The doctor looked at her, then at me. “Miss Perkins has a weak body frame, and her heart condition makes things more complicated. An abortion at this stage could put her life at serious risk.”

“But she can't keep the child. Don't you understand?” Stephanie stepped closer to him. “There has to be another way. Some medicine she can take?”

“Miss Vance.” The doctor's voice became firmer. “Do you really love your friend?”

Stephanie froze.

For the first time since I woke up, she didn't have an answer.

She glanced at me before lowering her voice. “You know I'm doing this for you, right?”

I frowned.

“Your future is about to take a very dramatic turn, Tiff. Things could go haywire if this pregnancy isn't taken care of.”

“But what if I die during the process?” I snapped. “Then that future is over, Steph!”

I knew I had promised to listen to her, but she was pushing this abortion thing more than she should.

I was the one whose life was in danger. Not hers. Of course she wouldn't understand.

The doctor sighed. “Miss Perkins, based on your current condition, carrying the pregnancy is the safer option. You'll need regular checkups and proper care throughout the pregnancy. If everything goes well, you should be able to give birth safely.”

“So… I'm keeping the baby?” I swallowed.

“For now, that's the safest option.” He nodded.

A strange feeling settled inside me.

Fear.

Excitement.

Confusion.

All of it at once.

I placed my hand over my stomach again. There was nothing to feel yet. My stomach looked exactly the same as it had yesterday.

But there was a baby inside me. My baby.

“Thank you, Doctor Harry.”

He gave me a small smile before excusing himself.

The moment the door closed behind him, the room became quiet.

Stephanie walked toward the window and stood behind the curtains, staring down at the busy streets below.

Car horns, traffic lights, people rushing to work. The whole city was moving like nothing had changed.

But everything had changed for me.

“I guess that's it then,” she said quietly.

I looked at her. “What?”

She turned around. “I'll help you.”

My eyes widened slightly. She walked back toward me and sat on the edge of the chair.

“I'll help you through the pregnancy. I'm always stuck with you anyway, aren't I?” A small smile appeared on her face.

“So fine. Let's do this together. I'll be with you until you deliver safely.”

A warm smile made its way onto my cheeks. For the first time since I woke up, I felt a little less afraid.

I reached for her hand. “Thank you.”

She squeezed it. “Always.”

***

The first few months were harder than I expected. I was constantly tired.

Some mornings, I couldn't even get out of bed without feeling sick. Other days, I barely wanted to eat.

And the worst part was that I couldn't tell anyone.

Not Grandpa.

Not Hazel.

And definitely not Ethan.

If Grandpa found out I was pregnant, he would never allow me to leave with Ethan. He'd find a way to keep me in Manhattan until I gave birth, and the last thing I wanted was to be forced into that marriage.

If Ethan found out, I didn't know what he would think.

So I stayed hidden.

Stephanie told Grandpa that I had gone on a long business trip with her. She made it sound important enough that he wouldn't question why I couldn't come home.

I told Ethan the same thing.

I told him I had joined Stephanie on a business trip to another country because we needed to gather enough money for our elopement.

He believed me.

Every time he called, I pretended everything was fine. I smiled when he told me he missed me.

I told him I missed him too.

And every time the call ended, I placed a hand over my stomach and wondered how long I could keep lying to him.

Months passed. My body slowly began to change.

My clothes became tighter around my waist, and the little bump I had tried to hide became impossible to ignore.

The first time I felt the baby move, I was sitting alone in the bedroom. I froze.

My hand immediately went to my stomach. There it was again; A tiny movement.

I stared down at my stomach with wide eyes. “You're really in there,” I whispered, a smile slowly spread across my face.

For the first time, the pregnancy didn't feel like something that had happened to me. It felt like someone was waiting for me.

My baby.

I didn't know if it was a boy or a girl yet, but I already loved the little person growing inside me.

I started talking to the baby when I was alone.

I'd tell it about Ethan.

I'd tell it about the life we could have if Ethan was its father.

Sometimes I'd even laugh at myself afterward.

I didn't know what kind of mother I'd be but I knew I wanted my child to have a happy life.

Stephanie was there through most of it. She brought me food when I couldn't leave the villa.

She took me to some of my appointments, she helped me choose maternity clothes and whenever I became scared, she reminded me that everything would work out.

Because she was the only person who knew everything, I trusted her more than ever.

But the pregnancy was still lonely.

I couldn't walk outside whenever I wanted, I couldn't visit Ethan, I couldn't sit at the family dinner table, and I couldn't even tell the people I loved that I was carrying a child.

I was living a life that didn't feel like mine.

Then, one morning, I woke up with my stomach much heavier than usual.

I stared at myself in the mirror. I was close.

Soon, I'd finally meet my baby.

And once I did, I could start the life I'd been planning with Ethan. That thought was what kept me going.

The long wait finally ended.

After months of fear, hiding, and waiting, I gave birth to a baby boy.

Ocean.

That was the name I chose for him.

I still remembered the first time they placed him in my arms. He was tiny. So tiny that I was afraid I might hurt him if I held him too tightly.

I stared at his little face, unable to believe that the baby I'd been talking to for months was finally in my arms.

My eyes filled with tears. “Hi, baby,” I whispered.

His tiny fingers curled around mine. I laughed through my tears. “You're real.”

For that moment, nothing else mattered.

Not Ethan.

Not Grandpa.

Not the engagement.

Not the lies.

Just my son in my arms.

I had spent months worrying that this pregnancy would destroy my future but looking at him, I couldn't understand how I had ever called him a mistake.

Still, I knew I couldn't stay hidden forever and I couldn't spend the rest of my life raising him in that villa.

I had to figure out what came next.

A month after giving birth, I sat on a white bench outside the villa. Stephanie sat beside me, my baby boy sleeping peacefully in her arms.

I watched his tiny chest rise and fall. I sighed.

“What's the next step now?” Stephanie looked at me.

“I've given birth already. I definitely can't spend the rest of my life hiding here and looking after him.” I turned toward her.

“What am I supposed to do now?”

“Abandon the baby," she uttered.

She said it so casually, I almost asked if she was drunk.

Abandon my baby?