Dodged a Lifetime Disaster
The day before our wedding, Luke Murray got wasted.
On the ride home, he looked right at me and slurred, "Cassie, don't bring the kid to the ceremony. Arya can't know I'm the dad."
I hit the brakes. Hard. He smacked into the seatback, halfway sobering up.
When he finally realized it was me, he just... froze. Then he said real slow, "Guess you heard. Wedding's off—for now. Cassie doesn't want marriage, but the kid's mine, so I gotta step up. She's your bestie, right? You probably feel bad she's doing this alone. So once he's in school, I'll come back and marry you."
I let out a sharp, bitter laugh. "...That's fine. I don't mind."
He didn't say a word when we got home—just grabbed his suitcase and left.
I wiped the last tear off my face, sat on the bed, and just stared at nothing.
Then my phone lit up. My childhood friend's voice cracked on the other end. "Arya, don't marry him. Please."
I didn't say anything for a sec.
"Okay."