The afternoon sun was beginning to dip behind the buildings, casting long shadows across the quiet street. Angelina had just finished her errands, her mind already drifting toward a peaceful evening at home. She wasn’t prepared for what was waiting at her doorstep—both literally and figuratively.
She spotted Shayla before she even reached her front gate. Shayla stood there, hugging her arms tightly against her chest, eyes red and swollen like she’d been crying for hours. Angelina’s first instinct was irritation. She hadn’t spoken to Shayla in weeks—ever since the last ugly argument over Anthony. But there was something different this time… Shayla looked shaken.
“Shayla… what are you doing here?” Angelina asked cautiously, unlocking the gate.
Shayla’s lips trembled as if the words were stuck in her throat. Her voice finally broke through, barely more than a whisper:
“Angelina… I didn’t know who else to come to. I—” She took a deep breath, her hands trembling uncontrollably. “I’m pregnant.”
Angelina froze. Her heartbeat slammed in her ears like thunder. “You… what?” she asked, the word nearly catching in her throat.
Tears began spilling down Shayla’s cheeks again. “I found out two days ago… I didn’t want to believe it. I took another test this morning—three, actually—and they all said the same thing.”
Angelina’s chest tightened. Her mind raced—flashes of Anthony, the fights, the betrayal, the confusion. Her mouth went dry, but her voice came out sharp. “And I’m supposed to do what with this information, Shayla?”
Shayla shook her head quickly. “I’m not here to start another fight. I just… I don’t know what to do. Anthony doesn’t even know yet.” Her voice cracked, and her knees seemed to give way as she leaned against the gatepost.
Angelina wanted to stay cold, wanted to push her away. But something about the raw desperation in Shayla’s face pierced through her defenses. She stepped forward, gripping the edge of the gate. “Shayla, do you have any idea what this means? Do you know how this will change everything?”
Shayla nodded miserably. “I know. And I’m scared. I’m scared of what Anthony will say, I’m scared of how everyone will look at me… and I’m scared because I don’t even know if I can do this.”
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The only sound was Shayla’s muffled sobbing and the distant hum of traffic. Angelina felt her throat burn. Against her will, a single tear slid down her cheek. She wasn’t crying for Shayla alone—she was crying for the mess they were all tangled in, for the trust that had been shattered, and for the innocence that was now gone forever.
Shayla’s voice was barely audible when she whispered, “I didn’t mean for this to happen, Angelina. I never thought…” She stopped herself, choking on the words.
Angelina swallowed hard. “You’re right,” she said quietly, her voice trembling. “Everything is different now. Whether you wanted this or not… there’s no going back.”
And in that moment, they both knew—nothing in their lives would ever be the same again. The tension between Angelina and Shayla hung in the air like thick smoke. After Shayla’s trembling confession — “I’m pregnant” — Angelina had barely managed to keep her composure. But as soon as Shayla left her gate, something inside Angelina snapped. She couldn’t sit with this information. She couldn’t breathe knowing Anthony was out there, living as if nothing had changed, while she had just been blindsided by the truth.
Within minutes, Angelina was in her car, her hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles turned white. She drove faster than she should have, every streetlight blurring past. By the time she reached Anthony’s house, her chest felt like it might explode Anthony opened the door in casual clothes, holding a drink in his hand. “Angelina? What the hell—”
“Don’t ‘Angelina’ me,” she snapped, shoving the door open wider and stepping inside. “We need to talk. Now.”
Anthony frowned. “What’s going on?”
Angelina’s eyes burned with fury. “Shayla came to me today.”
Anthony stiffened instantly. “And?”
“And she told me she’s pregnant.”
The color drained from Anthony’s face. He set the drink down slowly, his mouth opening and closing like he couldn’t find the right words. “She— She told you before she told me?”
Angelina’s voice broke, part rage, part hurt. “Don’t you dare make this about the order of who she told. The point is, you’ve been lying, Anthony! I’ve asked you over and over if there was anything else I needed to know, and you said no. Meanwhile, this—” she gestured wildly, “—was happening right under my nose!”
Anthony ran a hand over his face, pacing. “I didn’t know. I swear to God, I didn’t know.”
“That’s not the point!” Angelina cried, tears now streaming down her cheeks. “The point is, you chose her. You made decisions that led to this. And now—now there’s a baby involved.” Her voice cracked so badly it almost came out as a sob.
Before Anthony could respond, the front door opened again. Both of them turned, stunned, as Shayla stepped inside. She froze, realizing she’d just walked into a hurricane. “I—Anthony, I came to—”
“Perfect,” Angelina spat, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Why don’t we all just sit down and talk about it like one big happy family?”
Shayla’s eyes darted between them, fear and shame written all over her face. “I didn’t mean for you to find out like this,” she said softly to Anthony.
Anthony’s jaw tightened. “So it’s true?”
Shayla nodded, tears welling again. “I took the tests. I’m… I’m sure.”
The silence that followed was deafening. Angelina’s breathing was uneven, Anthony was staring at the floor like it might give him answers, and Shayla was twisting her hands together like she was holding onto the last shred of courage she had.
Finally, Angelina whispered, her voice breaking completely: “Do you even realize what you’ve done to all of us? This isn’t just about you two anymore. This is about a life. This is about the trust you shattered.”
Anthony looked up, his eyes glistening. “I’m sorry,” he said — but it was the kind of sorry that wasn’t enough. It couldn’t be enough.
And in that living room, with three hearts breaking at once, they all understood one truth: no matter what choices were made from this moment on, none of them would walk away untouched
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