I had backed several feet away from the table, unable to fight, unable to fly. Instead, I froze, staring at her, parsing the truth I’d known in my heart.

“You lied.”

She sat, swinging her legs over the edge of the table, her face wild. “I didn’t. I swear, Luke.”

My head slowly, absently, shook its assent without my telling it to. “It’s always the same. The same line, the same story, but with new, painful ways to hurt me. You came back here to trap me, to lie to me. To take advantage of me because you knew I would help you because I always do. I always do. But this time is different. This time, when I walk away, I’m not coming back.”

Wendy’s face bent, cracked open, and the tears fell. Genuine though they might have been, I had no sympathy.

“Luke, please.”

“Please what?” I shot. “Save you? Take on another responsibility that’s not mine?”

She shook her head. A sob racked through her as she looked at her hands, resting open in her lap.

“I’m not doing this,” I breathed. “I’m not fucking doing it, Wendy. Stay away from me and my family. Stay away from Tess. This is over. Over.”

She jumped at the sting of the word, at the jab of my finger in her direction. I turned on my heel, reaching for the doorknob, overwhelmed by the desire to run as hard and fast and far as I could until I collapsed.

I cursed her, cataloged every betrayal, built a wall with every painful memory, not expecting her to speak, not anticipating the depth of honesty in her words when she did.

“I didn’t know what else to do,” she whispered, the words broken.

My hand stilled.

“When I found out, I-I went to Chad. He told me to have an abortion. Dumped me when I refused. Kicked me out. Blocked my number. But I couldn’t. I … I tried, made it to my appointment, and then … I just couldn’t do it, Luke. But I don’t know how to take care of it either, how to provide. I want to give this baby the life I didn’t have. I wanted its parents to love each other, to raise it with love. And I knew you were the only one I could come to. I knew you would take care of me.”

I turned, fuming over her as she took my hand.

Her eyes were on our hands as she traced the lines of my fingers. “I thought you still loved me, thought I could get you back for good this time. This baby should have been yours. I came to you because you are the only man in the world I want to father my child. And I’m sorry I lied to you—” The words died in a sob. “I d-didn’t know what else to do. I love you, Luke. And I f-fucked up. Now … now all I can think about is this baby and how I’m going to take care of it.” She pressed her palm to the flat of her stomach, her head bowed. “I have no job. I have no insurance. I have no means and no support. Only you.”