Lahat ng Kabanata ng The One He Let Go: Kabanata 171 - Kabanata 180

Kelly The phone buzzed against my nightstand, the vibrations loud in the silence of the room. I didn’t glance at the screen right away. I was curled up on the couch, knees to my chest, staring at nothing in particular. My mind was a mess. I had barely slept since I saw those two pink lines. The pregnancy test still sat on the bathroom counter, mocking me every time I walked past. My stomach churned at the thought of it. A baby. Anderson’s rejection of Harper played on repeat in my mind. The memory made my chest tighten, but then, another buzz. My gaze moved to the phone, and then I saw the name. Anderson? I stiffened. I should ignore it. I wanted to ignore it. But something in my gut, some strange, unsettling instinct, made me reach for the phone and swipe to answer. I didn’t speak right away, neither did he. For a few long, tense seconds, all I could hear was his breathing. Shallow. Uneven. Something was wrong. “Anderson?” My voice was flat and cold. A pause

KellyThe hospital room was quiet except for the steady beeping of the monitor beside Anderson’s bed. The air smelled sterile, cold, almost suffocating. I stood by the door, arms crossed, watching him. He looked thinner than I remembered, paler too. His once-sharp features were dulled with exhaustion, and his usually piercing blue eyes seemed… tired. Anderson looked at me like he didn’t quite believe I was real. Like if he blinked, I would disappear. “You came,” he rasped. I swallowed, keeping my expression neutral. “You asked me to.” A humorless chuckle left his lips. “Yeah,” he murmured. “I did.” Silence stretched between us. He shifted in the bed, wincing slightly, then ran a trembling hand through his thinning hair. “I don’t know where to start,” he admitted. I didn’t help him. He exhaled heavily. “I hurt you.” His voice was quieter now. “I ruined you. And for what? Ego? Power? I thought I was untouchable. That you’d always be there, no matter what I did.” My j

Kelly I never thought I’d be the one to suggest visiting our father. Few months, I told myself I was done with him. That whatever love I had left had withered the moment I found out about Davis’s father. But as Susan and I sat in her living room, talking about everything, the uncertainty of the future, the idea slipped out before I could stop it. “We should go see him.” Susan blinked, clearly caught off guard. “Who?” I nodded, gripping my wine glass tighter. “Dad. You’ve never met him, Susan. Not really.” A beat of silence stretched between us. “Can I really do this ?” she asked carefully. No. I wasn’t sure of anything anymore. But I nodded anyway. ……We drove to the nursing home. Susan was quiet as we walked down the hall, her arms crossed over her chest. I could feel her nerves, her uncertainty. I felt the same. When we finally reached his room, I hesitated. My fingers hovered over the door handle. “Are you okay?” Susan asked softly. I wasn’t. But I opened t

AdrianThe day had been normal, routine even. I had just gotten home, taken off my tie, and walked into the bathroom to grab a towel. And then, there it was. At first, I didn’t even register what I was looking at. It was just something on the counter, small and white, half-tucked under a tissue like it had been hastily discarded. And then my eyes caught the tiny screen. Pregnancy test: Two pink lines. I froze. The world seemed to tilt slightly, my breath catching in my throat. The word stared back at me, so clear, so undeniable. Kelly was pregnant.Kelly. Was. Pregnant. A rush of emotions slammed into me all at once—shock, disbelief, and then something much bigger, something that swallowed everything else whole. Pure, overwhelming joy.My hand shook as I picked it up, as if touching it would somehow confirm that this was real, that it wasn’t just some trick my mind was playing on me. But it was real. This tiny little test, this small piece of plastic, had just changed everyt

AdrianKelly had been distant. Not in the way where she avoided me outright, but in the way her touches had grown hesitant, her voice quieter. The way she lingered in doorways instead of stepping fully into a room with me. It was subtle, but I felt it. She was getting into her head again, caught in the spiral of doubt and fear. I wasn’t going to let that happen. I leaned against the counter, watching her from the kitchen as she sat curled on the couch, her arms wrapped around her legs. She was staring at nothing, lost in thought. She’d been doing that a lot lately. “Hey,” I said, keeping my voice gentle. “You want tea?” She blinked, like she hadn’t realized I was even there. “Hmm?” “Tea.” I lifted the kettle. “Or coffee. Or hot chocolate, if you’re feeling fancy.” She managed a small smile. “Tea is fine.” I made it for her the way she liked it, just a little honey, no sugar. When I handed her the mug, she took it with a soft “Thanks,” but she still wasn’t really her