Don’t you have any decency at all?” Ethan jumped out, pale and flustered, and tried to steer her away from the vehicle. “I’m sorry. This is just how it worked out. Olivia is my fiancée now. My parents made it clear they wouldn’t accept us. You need to go, Maggie. It’s over.”
Maggie froze. Then she pulled herself together and slapped him across the face. “I’m carrying your child. What exactly do you expect me to do now? Do you even care?”
He shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t know. Go to a clinic. End the pregnancy. People do it every day. Please, Maggie, don’t make a scene. Just go.”
At that moment, the wealthy fiancée stepped out of the SUV. Looking Maggie up and down, she said coolly, “Can someone explain who this is?”
“Ethan, why is this woman yelling at you?” He gave Maggie a shove and answered quickly, “It’s nothing. She’s mistaken me for someone else.”
Olivia stepped closer and said in an icy voice, “He’s with me. That’s not changing. So if I were you, I’d stay out of my way. My father has connections.”
“Get lost,” Maggie shot back. The couple drove off, splashing dirty water all over her as they went. She stood there in the parking lot, unable to move.
It all felt unreal. She never made it back to work that day. She simply didn’t have it in her. For a full week she stayed shut up in her room, crying and trying to figure out what to do. More than once she thought about ending the pregnancy and making the whole problem disappear.
But she was terrified. What if something went wrong and she could never have children again? And beyond that—how could she live with herself? In one of those dark days, her neighbor Kevin knocked on her door.
He’d come by to borrow some stomach medicine for his little boy. One look at Maggie and he stopped cold. Without much ceremony, he all but marched her into his apartment.
His wife, Irene, took one look and started making tea. Together they sat Maggie down, calmed her as best they could, and listened while she poured out the whole story. She needed to tell somebody or she was going to come apart.
When she finished, Kevin shook his head. “Well. Ethan’s a real piece of work. No question there. So what are you going to do?”
Maggie shrugged helplessly. “I’ve already missed a week of work, so I’m probably fired. I wasn’t even on the books. I guess I’ll pack up and go back to my granddad’s place.
I just don’t know how I’m supposed to face him. Show up pregnant, broke, and ashamed. I don’t even know how I’d support myself. Honestly, I feel trapped.”
Kevin scratched his head. “Going back home won’t solve much. What are you going to do there? Wait tables at the one diner in town? Hang on—you told me once you’ve got a license and you’re a good driver. Come work at our cab company. We’re short on drivers.
The owner, Arman, watches everything like a hawk. But if you work hard, you can make decent money. Enough to save up for the baby and get through maternity leave. Just one thing—don’t tell him you’re pregnant. I won’t say a word either.
If he finds out, he won’t hire you.” Maggie wiped her eyes and looked at him gratefully. “Thank you, Kevin. Honestly, that sounds like my dream job…”
