“That shit show could hardly be considered a quick fuck. I wouldn’t really call two sloppy, mediocre pumps the definition of ‘making love’.”

Fuck. I was going to be sick.

I started pacing, pulling at my hair while she remained serene and calm on my front lawn. She was looking at me as if I was the crazy one.

“Everly, what the fuck do you think happened? We were drunk, and I thought you were Alexis.”

“At first,” she snapped. I was stunned into silence when Everly straightened, expression resolute. “You thought I was Alexis at first. Then, when you realised it was me, you still kept going. You kept making love to me.”

How do I keep fucking up my life? It’s never-ending. Maybe I am cursed?

“Everly,” I stressed. “I may have processed for a split second that it was you, but you aren’t Alexis, and will never be my Alexis. I cut that shit and left. Don’t make the worst night of my life more than what it was. You fucking took advantage of me, and I’m going to tell Alexis exactly how it happened.”

“While you’re at it, you can also tell her that I’m pregnant… with your baby.”

Instantly, all my fight fell away. My thoughts fell away. My whole world just fell away.

How could one statement, a measly couple of words decimate me so completely? My mind ignited in a rapid-fire sequence.

I was already in hell, but now I was truly committed to an eternity in purgatory.

“You’re a fucking liar. I didn’t even finish.”

“You’re old enough to know that pre-cum can impregnate a woman just as well. You’re the father, Owen. I’ve slept with no one else.”

“I want a paternity test.”

“I’m three weeks along, so it’s too early right now. But when we reach that threshold, I’ll be more than happy to oblige. Mum works at a DNA clinic a couple of hours away, so we can have this expedited while keeping it quiet.”

My scalp was screaming from my fingers ripping at my roots as I subconsciously tried to pull those new poisonous revelations straight from my skull.

What have I done?

“So when do you plan on telling Alexis?” Her words cut through my psyche like a whip. Her serpent tongue calling my wife’s name—I couldn’t take it.

“Keep your fucking mouth shut, Everly.”

“You have a week, Owen. She deserves to know.”

“Oh, so now you want to play all innocent. Like you’re her friend? You’re disgusting.”

Everly paused, her features morphing in fake sympathy. “I know it’s a lot to process right now, so I will give you a week.”

My eyes closed tight with defeat. “I hate myself,” I murmured beneath my breath.

“What?”

“I hate you,” I said louder.

“What about the baby?”