Fate at Work: A Love Compelled

I spun around, meeting his gaze. His jaw was set, anger simmering just beneath the surface.

"Can you try not to kill the child, even if you don't want your life," he hissed, his words laced with bitterness. I felt hurt. My cheeks burned with shame and indignation.

"Don, I-"

"Save it," he cut me off before I could say more, releasing me abruptly. "I didn't mean to run into you." I said as I hurriedly reached for his arm, desperate to explain, but he shrugged me off. "Don, please. We need to talk."

His eyes flickered with a mix of emotions, anger, hurt, and something else I couldn't quite place.

"What's there to talk about? You made your choice when you begged me to keep quiet." He said in a cold tone. He's clearly very angry.

"It's not that simple," I said, very much aware of the curious glances from passersby.

Don laughed humorlessly.

"Yes, it's not. But you're making it harder by keeping it secret." He said.

The weight of his words hit me hard. I didn't consider how my request for silence might affect him. I really didn't.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, tears pricking at my eyes. That was the only thing I could manage to say to him but he didn't say a word.

"I didn't mean to do that or to........to hurt you." I added after a while, stuttering a little.

I looked up at him to see that his expression has softened slightly, but there were still traces of anger there. It didn't fully dissipate.

"Yeah, well, you did. And Ray's going to be hurt too, no matter what we do now." He said so softly as if it wasn't an obvious thorn in my flesh. In our flesh.

We stood there, the bustling park fading into the background noise as the reality of our situation hung heavy between us. He was right. Whether we told him then or later, he would still get hurt, so why wait longer? Don sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Look, Jess. We can't avoid this forever. We need to figure out what we're going to do and as fast as we can." He said.

I nodded, relief washing over me at his willingness to talk.

"You're right. Can we go somewhere more private?" I asked immediately. Didn't want to take any chances. (Who knows when he might change his mind?)

Don hesitated for a moment before agreeing. As we walked away from the park, I couldn't help but wonder how this conversation would change everything. The future I'd imagined was slipping away, replaced by an uncertain path filled with difficult decisions and inevitable pain. But as I glanced at Don, I realized that whatever happened, we'd face it together. The road ahead would be challenging, but perhaps, just perhaps, we could find a way through this mess we'd created. I really hoped we did.

We settled on his place since it was closer and the tendency of getting heard was very low. With Tee at my place I didn't want to take any chances.

"You know Tee still has a crush on you right?" I asked in an effort to make conversation. We were walking very slow and none of us had said a word. It was making me more nervous than I already was.

Don laughed a bit. "Yeah, I can tell. Tee's not exactly quiet about it."

"Never has been," I agreed, grateful for the momentary light conversation. But as we approached his apartment, the tension returned.

Don unlocked the door, gesturing for me to enter first. I stepped inside smelling his familiar apartment. . How many times had I been here before, laughing with Ray and Don over beers and movies? Don might not have been a constant guest at my place but I was definitely a constant at his. I sometimes stayed the night even. Now, everything felt different.

"Want a drink?" Don asked.

"Just water," I said, sitting on his couch.

He brought me water and sat across from me. We just looked at each other for a bit.

"So," Don finally said, "what are we going to do, Jess?" He asked.

I took a deep breath. "I don't know. I've been thinking, but nothing seems right." I said

"We can't keep this from Ray anymore. It's not fair." He said. I've heard this from him countless times already.

I know," I said quietly, almost crying. "But how do we tell him? How do we say we betrayed him?"

Don winced. "We didn't plan this, Jess. It just happened. Now we have to deal with it."

I nodded, wiping my eyes. "You're right. We need to tell him. But... what about after? What about the baby?"

Don looked scared but hopeful. "That's up to you. I'll support whatever you choose. But I want to be there. For both of you."

His words hit me hard. I hadn't thought about Don and me raising a kid together. I really didn't think that far. It suddenly got me panicking.

And Ray?" I asked softly.

Don sighed. "He'll be hurt, angry. We might lose him. But we can't lie forever, Jess."

I nodded, knowing that part was right. But then suddenly, a thought hit me. My mind raced, and I felt a surge of determination.

No," I said firmly, the word coming out stronger than I expected surprising both of us. Don looked at me, confusion etched across his face.

"What do you mean, 'no'?" he asked.

I took a deep breath, my heart pounding so hard.

"We're not going to hurt Ray. We can't. I... I've figured out a way to fix this." I said stuttering a little.

Don's eyebrows furrowed, his eyes searching my face. "Jess, what are you talking about?"

I swallowed hard, taking a deep breath. My heart pounding.

"I'll abort the child," I blurted out, the words tumbling from my lips before I could second guess myself. "That way, everything can go back to normal. Ray never has to know, and we won't ruin our friendships. It'll be like... like this never happened." I said at a go but just met with deep silence. Don didn't say anything. Nothing.