“I’m not telling you because I need you to help me. I don’t want…” How do I put this? “I’m not looking for us to have a relationship, Elliot. I’m intending to go ahead with this pregnancy and raise the child alone.”

“But that’s crazy, Trish. You don’t need to be going it alone. I want to be a part of this.” He waves his hand back and forth between us.

God, the man is impossible.

“Elliot, this is going to sound terrible, but…” I pause, wondering if I should stop now. “It wasn’t fair of me to sleep with you… for us to have sex.”

“Why?”

“Because I wasn’t ever going to get together with you. Not properly, as in girlfriend and boyfriend.”

He frowns. “That wasn’t the impression I was under.”

“And I apologize for that, I really do. You’re a nice guy”

“Oh no.” Elliot holds up his palm. “Don’t start down the ‘you’re a nice guy’ path.”

His voice has dropped low and deep. And he’s no longer looking at me like I’m the best thing since sliced bread.

Standing abruptly, Elliot takes a couple of paces away, then turns to glare at me.

“So, why did you decide to have sex with me?”

I shrug. It’s heartless of me, but the truth is so much worse.

“You felt sorry for me,” Elliot states.

Do I tell him yes or do I stay quiet?

He carries on.

“I know everyone in the office thought I was pathetic, the way I kept turning up at your desk with gifts like a besotted teenager.”

“It’s not”

“I ignored them because they could think what they wanted. I thought you were beautiful and clever with a tough outer shell. I wanted you to trust me. I wanted you to like me enough to let me in past this shield you have around you.”

His voice is high-pitched with anger. Tears threaten to fill my eyes. I can’t speak now for the pain in my throat. He knows me far better than I realized.

“I’ll take the test, Trish. And since we’re being so honest, I’ll tell you now – I hope I’m not the father. I hope I can move on with my life and forget all about you.”

He takes a deep breath in, then lets it out with a hiss and walks quickly away.