After spending whole shifts on her feet, she came home exhausted, with her lower back aching. But she needed the money for rent and groceries, so she kept at it. One regular customer came into the diner almost every day on his lunch break.
He was a handsome young man. He’d order coffee and a sandwich, eat quietly, and keep stealing glances at the new waitress. Maggie noticed him too, and every time she brought his order over, she felt herself blush a little. That was how they got to talking. His name was Ethan.
He worked as a manager at a travel agency next door. He still lived with his parents, both ordinary bank employees in a perfectly average suburban household. Ethan had a smooth way about him. He flirted with Maggie, showered her with compliments, and one day showed up with a bouquet of daisies.
“These are for my one-of-a-kind Maggie. Pretty flowers for a pretty girl. I can’t stop thinking about you.
Would you go to the movies with me? I already bought two tickets.” Maggie happily said yes, her heart pounding.
That was the start of their whirlwind romance. Ethan walked her home, picked her up after long shifts, and one night stayed over. Maggie was floating on air, convinced they were building a future together.
She quietly assumed marriage would come soon enough, especially since he brought it up often. Then one day her whole world shifted. Maggie realized she was pregnant, bought a test at the drugstore, and stared in shock at the two pink lines.
They hadn’t really talked seriously about kids yet, and there had been no engagement. That same evening, she told Ethan the truth and watched his face carefully. He went quiet, his expression hardening.
It was obvious this was not part of his plan. Maggie felt the sting immediately. “Aren’t you happy? This is our baby. Part of both of us.
We probably need to stop putting things off and make this official before I start showing.” Ethan mumbled, “Maybe. It’s just… fast. I thought you were on the pill. I’ll talk to my parents and figure out what to do.”
After that conversation, he all but vanished. He stopped answering calls and quit coming into the diner for lunch. Maggie was beside herself, crying and trying to make sense of it. What had changed? Had he really just panicked?
One of the other waitresses finally gave her the answer. “Maggie, don’t take this the wrong way, but I saw your guy at the mall the other day. He was walking arm in arm with some dressed-up girl, talking real cozy, and when he saw me, he turned his face away like he didn’t know me.
I can’t swear to it, but it sure looked like he’d moved on.” Maggie cried so hard she could barely breathe. “How could he do that?
Why would he do this to me? Maybe there’s some explanation. Maybe she’s family. I need to know for sure.”
Maggie asked to leave work early and waited outside Ethan’s office. After two hours, she finally saw him come out. And he wasn’t alone… The same polished, expensive-looking woman was holding his arm.
She opened the door of a luxury SUV. Ethan slid into the passenger seat, and the two of them kissed. Maggie felt the blood drain from her face. Forgetting all pride, she rushed to the car, pounding on the window.
“You liar! You coward! What about me?
