Short Story: Silenced

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Silenced

by Nikki Layne

Silenced. That was what Vicky had become. She gone through a lot of ups and downs with her boyfriend, Justian. They had been together for three years. They were between rock bottom and happily ever after depending on the day of the week.

When Vicky and Justian first got together, they were a very happy couple. Many people warned her it was just a honeymoon period, but she didn't listen. She had never been in love before, but she felt like Justian was the one; she loved him.

Vicky and Justian were the perfect match just looking at them together. Vicky was a thin girl who was on the short side, standing at 5'2. She was a beautiful brunette with tanned skin and big, brown eyes. Justian was slender and only a few inches taller than Vicky. He had dirty blonde hair and the brightest blue eyes.

Aside form how Vicky and Justian looked together, you could tell how in love they were. Justian held her hand everywhere they went, opened doors, and pulled out chairs. He was a first-class gentleman. He made Vicky really feel loved. He held her up on a pedestal. Vicky had never experienced a relationship like it before. She couldn't get enough of his love. She felt like a princess.

Justian was a United States Soldier. Six months into their relationship, he deployed to Iraq. Vicky had never dealt with a deployment before of someone she loved. She did her best to remain strong as she helped him prepare. She made sure he had everything he needed and she went with him to wait on the buses that would take him to the nearby Airforce base that would fly him to Iraq. Vicky never cried harder in her life than when she watched the buses pull away.

While Justian was deployed, their relationship was tested in more ways than Vicky would have ever thought possible. At first, Justian called her as much as he possibly could. Vicky heard from him in some way at least once a week, whether by phone, email, or mail.

Four months into the deployment, Justian got to come home for his R&R. During the time he was home, things changed. Justian was a different person. He wanted to try new things and Vicky allowed it; for the most part. She just wanted him to be happy, so she let him try what he wanted. She had hoped it was all a phase and things would go back to normal soon.

It started with Justian wanting to drink. A lot. He was buying bottles of liquor and cases of beer each night. Vicky was guilty of drinking with him. At first she thought it was fun. After a while, though, it got old. Apparently, it got old for Justian too. Then, he decided he wanted to smoke a little marijuana. The drinking and smoking wasn't too terribly bad. Vicky was alright with it. Justian then decided he wanted to try something much harder. He wanted to try ecstasy. He thought it would be a good way to have crazy, intimate fun with Vicky. Vicky knew that her co-worker Juliet had connections for it. So, Vicky got in touch with her. She just wanted Justian to be happy. Justian and Vicky went to pick up the ecstasy. Juliet wanted to do it with them and have a good time. Vicky had no idea how bad of an idea this was until later.

The ecstasy hit Justian pretty quickly. Vicky felt some minor effects of it, but nothing to the extent that Justian was feeling. Justian sat in the middle of Vicky and Juliet on the couch. Vicky could not believe her eyes as her heart began to race and dropped into the pit of her stomach. Justian began rubbing Juliet's leg. The rage Vicky had inside were indescribable. She was at a loss for words. She knew she had become the babysitter for a couple of adults for the night. She drank as much water as she could and ate some crackers to try and find her sobriety. Finally, Vicky was able to find some words.

“Just what did you think you were doing,” Vicky asked Justian?

“What are you talking about,” Justian replied rather confused.

“What? You don't realize what you just did? You just rubbed Juliet's leg! Have you forgotten who your girlfriend is? It's not her, but by all means if you want her to be, I'm sure you'll make a fine pair,” Vicky yelled at him!

“I'm sorry,” he said as he began to cry. “I didn't mean to,” he said.

Vicky went up to bed and cried. She didn't want to witness anything else. She didn't feel like he cared. As far as she was concerned, he had tried to cheat on her right in front of her eyes. She knew it was the drugs, but she still took it hard. She laid in bed all alone and cried herself to sleep that night. She hugged her pillow wishing she had never allowed him to take ecstasy or do any of the other out of the ordinary things she allowed him to do.

She never expected him to do anything like this. She never thought he would make her feel this way. She just hoped that in time she would be able to forgive him. She hoped that it didn't ruin their relationship forever beyond repair.

Vicky woke up the next morning and Juliet was gone. In the back of her mind, she questioned if anything else happened after she went up to bed, but she refused to question it. She felt as thought she knew enough and that anything else would destroy her and their relationship, so she never asked.

The rest of R&R was not the same. Vicky was pretty upset about everything. She refused to sleep in the same bed with Justian until she could forgive him. They fought for the remainder of R&R. The great relationship they once had, was gone. Vicky still loved Justian, but she needed some time to sort everything out and get over it on her own.

R&R ended and Justian went back to finish the rest of his tour in Iraq. Justian and Vicky talked much less this time around. If Vicky asked for Justian to call her, he made it seem like it was too much to ask. He never wanted to get online. It was almost as if Justian wanted to ignore Vicky's existence. Vicky wanted to talk so they could get their relationship back to what it was before the happenings of R&R. Justian just didn't seem like he wanted any part of it.

A couple weeks after Justian went back to Iraq, Vicky found out she had gotten pregnant over R&R. They were expecting. Vicky couldn't have been more excited. Justian seemed happy about it, but still didn't seem the same.

Vicky felt like something was really off with Justian. She had a feeling he had found someone new. She couldn't have been more right. He had another girlfriend on the east coast of the United States. Justian had never even met this girl, but he was telling her how much he loved her. Vicky found all of this out by logging into his email. She spent that night in tears. She couldn't believe he would cheat on her, at least not sober. She felt worthless. She couldn't believe how easily he replaced her without even leaving her. She sobbed until she couldn't sob any longer. Then she sent Justian an email.

Justian,

How could you do this to me? To us? To our family? We're about to have a child and you're off finding sluts online to leave me for! You could have at least had the decency to leave before you went off hooking up with girls online! But I get it. Have fun.

-Vicky

There was a lot more Vicky wanted to say. She just didn't see the point in putting so much effort into an email that may never get a reply. Vicky had other things to worry about, like how she was going to raise a child on her own and what she would tell him or her about Justian.

A couple of months went by before she heard from Justian. She never expected to hear from him again. She checked her email consistently after everything happened hoping to hear from him, but after a couple of weeks she had given up hope. So, when she did finally get an email from him, she was in shock.

Vicky,

I'm really sorry. I don't know why I did what I did. I was stupid. I just hope that maybe one day you can forgive me and we can be a family. How is your pregnancy going? I hope to hear back from you, but if not I understand.

-Justian

Vicky couldn't believe it. She still loved him. So, she of course took him back. Unfortunately, this time around they argued a lot. Justian spent most of his time yelling at Vicky telling her how she did everything wrong and that it was her fault he cheated both times. He said she wasn't being passionate enough and wasn't supplying what he needed. Vicky did all she could to change this. She wanted to be able to make Justian happy. She loved him so much and never wanted to lose him.

Unfortunately, it was only a matter of time before Justian stopped giving Vicky a chance to change. This time, instead of Justian replacing Vicky with one girl; he had at least ten lined up all over the United States. Vicky was completely distraught. She felt like no matter how hard she tried to make him happy it didn't matter to him. This time she sent him an even shorter email.

Justian,

I know. I'm going back home.

-Vicky

Vicky moved back home to be closer to her family. She knew she'd need some kind of support after she had the baby. She obviously wasn't going to get it from Justian.

Vicky thought about Justian all the time. She was still in love with him. She could never let go of that. She always thought he was the one. She just wished things didn't change like they did over R&R.

She didn't hear from Justian until was back from Iraq for good. Vicky was five months pregnant. It was a boy. She had already picked out his name. Ethan Riley. Justian had claimed he was done cheating and truly wanted to work things out. Vicky believed him. The problem was, they now lived on opposite coasts. Vicky hoped they could work over the phone until she had the baby. There was no way she was going to move again in the middle of her pregnancy.

Finally, Vicky had reached the end of her pregnancy. Her water had broken. The time had come for her to meet her little boy. Unfortunately, the military wouldn't let Justian be there because they weren't married. Vicky sent him a text message letting him know, but she never heard back. She told her mom to continue trying to get ahold of him. Half an hour went by and Vicky's mom came back with a look on her face like something was wrong.

“What's wrong mom,” asked Vicky?

“Nothing. I'll tell you later,” replied her mom.

Vicky had a really quick labor. Forty minutes went by and Ethan Riley was born at 1:09am. He weighed six pounds and was nineteen and half inches long. He was beautiful with dirty blonde hair and fair skin.

“He looks just like Justian, mom,” Vicky said excitedly!

“Yeah,” replied her mom softly.

“Take a picture of him, mom. I want to send a picture to Justian,” said Vicky.

Vicky's mom had taken the picture and Vicky sent it Justian's phone.

“I can't wait until Justian can meet our little boy! I can't believe we made such a sweet, little baby,” Vicky said absolutely beside herself.

“Vicky, we need to talk,” said her mom.

“Okay. What's up,” asked Vicky?

“Justian answered his phone earlier, but not knowingly,” her mom began.

“What do you mean,” Vicky asked puzzled?

“There was a girl moaning in the background. I'm sorry, but I don't think Justian is the guy you think he is,” said her mom.

Vicky held Ethan close to her as she cried. She kissed him on his forehead and prayed he would grow up to be a respectable young man. Vicky sent Justian a text message. She kept it short and sweet.

Have fun. I delivered our son just fine. Not that you care.

Vicky raised Ethan on her own for three months. She didn't hear from Justian once. She mailed him pictures and emailed him videos. Not once did she even get a thank you. She got nothing.

Then one day UPS delivered a box. Vicky wasn't expecting anything. It was a ton of clothes and toys for Ethan. At the bottom of the box was an envelope with “Vicky” written on it. The box was from Justian. The letter was seven pages long. Justian was begging for another chance. He apologized for everything he had done. He had included plane tickets and a check for moving costs for her and Ethan.

Vicky being who she was, accepted. She loved Justian more than he knew. She wanted to be a family with him and their son. She hired movers and was on a plane in under a month.

When Vicky and Ethan got to Washington, things were great. It was like her relationship with Justian went back to how it was before R&R. She couldn't have been happier. She didn't find any signs of him cheating or anything. Over the next three months, she began putting more trust into Justian then she ever thought she would again.

Justian seemed genuinely happy to be with Vicky again. He was extremely sweet and loving towards her. He was also loving being a daddy. He loved the time he got to spend with Ethan when he wasn't working. They were a happy family. Ethan was getting big. Justian and Vicky were beginning to talk about the possibilities of getting married. Vicky couldn't have been happier than when she found out Justian wanted to marry her. Things were going really well. Vicky had almost forgotten everything they had gone through.

Then Justian started drinking and became a bigger monster than ever before. He would drink and tell Vicky how she wasn't good enough. He would break her down and belittle her. He called her fat and told her how all the girls he cheated on her with were by far better looking than her. This became a weekly occurrence at minimum. Vicky hoped it would end soon and he would start to make her feel good about herself again. That's not what happened, though. Instead, things go worse.

Vicky began telling him to please not talk down to her. That was her first mistake. Justian was very angry and pushed her up against the wall.

“I am the boss,” Justian yelled at Vicky! “You don't say a word.”

Justian had never laid a finger on Vicky before. She had no idea where this was coming from. That night she held Ethan closer. She made him promises she knew she would never keep.

“We'll get out of here soon. You won't have to see mommy cry for much longer,” Vicky cried as she rocked her baby boy.

The tears rolled down her face as she dreamed of better days. She remembered when her and Justian were so in love. She remembered when things were truly good. She didn't know if things were ever going to go back to that. She hoped and prayed that they would.

A few weeks later, Justian came home belligerent. He was more drunk than Vicky had ever seen him. He began yelling at Vicky.

“You ruined my life! I had dreams of joining special forces, but now that I have you and a baby I can't,” he yelled at her! “That was the one thing I looked forward to in my career and you took that away from me! I hate you! I hate you and I hate this family!”

Vicky buried her head in her pillows on the bed as she cried. His words hurt her. She couldn't believe this was how he felt. She felt awful. She thought this was what he wanted. She thought he wanted her and wanted to have a family with her.

As Vicky was crying she felt Justian sitting on the bed. He was crying. So, she went to console him. She laid closer to him.

“Everything will be okay,” she tried comforting him.

“Everything will not be okay,” he yelled back! “Leave me alone! I hate you! Get away from me! I hate everything that you are!”

Vicky continued crying and then blurted out words she had no idea what the repercussions would be.

“If you hate me so much, why don't you just kill me,” Vicky asked?

“Fine,” Justian yelled!

Justian got on top of Vicky and chocked her. It felt like hours. She felt helpless as she begged for him to get off of her. She prayed as she tried kicked him off of her. Finally, Justian got off of her. Vicky couldn't even think straight. She ran to the bathroom and locked the door. She called the police while she sat on the floor contemplating suicide. The only thing talking her out of taking her own life was her son, Ethan. Ethan meant everything to her and she never wanted him to grow up not knowing her. She never wanted to be without him.

The police came and Justian went to jail for about a month. After he got out, he started trying to get better. He admitted that Iraq had changed him. He quit drinking entirely and started attending Alcoholics Anonymous. He also got himself counseling to try and really work on himself. As he was doing all of these things, Vicky wondered if he was capable of changing. Vicky was scared of him. She tried not to be because she knew how great he could be too, but she also knew how much of a monster he could be as well.

Justian contacted Vicky by mail. He sent her a letter being extremely apologetic and admitting all of his wrongdoings. He wanted an opportunity to make it all up to her and show her her would be different. Vicky didn't really know what to think. She still loved him. She knew she always would, but she just wasn't sure about giving him another chance. Every second chance she gave him, he broke her heart again. This last time he shattered her whole world. However, she loved him. She wanted to believe he could change. She gave him another chance.

For a few weeks, Justian was great. He was loving, calm, and caring. Vicky struggled still, though. Anytime he would touch her neck, whether with a kiss or a massage, she got scared. She had her guard up. She couldn't help it. The night he choked her, it changed her life forever.

Things went really well for a while. However, then his anger came back. He would pick arguments with Vicky for the littlest things. Vicky just wanted to be with him and wanted to make him happy. So, anything he was upset about, she did her best to change. He even got a bit controlling. He didn't want her talking to anyone. One night he found out she was talking to someone, a female friend. He got extremely angry and said he was leaving. Vicky had begged him to stay. He pushed her against the wall.

Vicky went back to the night he choked her. She got scared. She ran to the other side of the house, knocking chairs down along the way.

“Leave,” she yelled!

“I'm sorry,” he said. “Please. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to.”

“You need to leave. I can't do this again. Leave please,” she said.

“I don't want to, but I will,” he said. “Text me later if you want to talk, but I won't expect you to.”

Vicky texted him later than night.

I still love you. I'm sorry.

Vicky was always sorry. She blamed herself for everything. She felt like every problem that they had was her fault. Justian and her relationship continued on that way. He continued talking down to her, making it so she had zero self-esteem left. She was never good enough for him. She wasn't pretty, smart, thin enough for him. He had really high expectations and she just couldn't fulfill them.

One day Justian had really broken Vicky down. He told her everything that was wrong with her. She did things the wrong way, at the wrong time. She wasn't the type of mother he had imagined for his children. He got mad at her for apologizing. He got even more upset when she cried. He let her know every reason why she wasn't good enough and also made her realize that she never would be.

Vicky stopped. She stopped everything. She stopped talking to Justian. She only replied. She realized that nothing she said or did would change anything. She knew that the arguments would keep coming. She just felt so small in a world so big. She had big dreams for her future with Justian. She loved him, but he had belittled her to the point where she lost her voice. She wouldn't dare say things that would upset him. She gave out very short replies to him.

Justian didn't seem to notice or even seem to care. He just continued to belittle her. However, he stopped getting anything out of Vicky. She cried silently inside of her head. She focused on their son and on herself. She heard what he said, but stopped listening. She lost her voice. It was gone.

Vicky continued living on that way. She decided maybe it was best. Justian and Vicky were together, but they weren't. There was no communication, only one-sided communication from Justian. Vicky didn't talk to anyone except their son. Justian won. She felt like this was everything he aimed to accomplish. She was hurt. She was distraught. She was silenced.

Short Story: Remember, You Are Loved

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Remember, You Are Loved
by Nikki Layne

Some people get lucky in life. They get handed a perfect hand of cards. However, this was not the case for Hailey Rogers. Hailey lived a very complicated life, which began twenty-six years ago. She never had it easy. She had a rough life, but she tried to make it out alive. Unfortunately, that was not the end result.

Hailey was a decently pretty girl. She was a petite girl, only standing at about 5'3 and weighing in at about 120lbs. She had long, brown hair and brown eyes. She was fair-skinned, very rarely tanned. She always thought of herself as plain. She never felt as though there was anything special about her. However, anyone who lived a day in her shoes just might feel the same.

She grew up in a small town in Massachusetts with a family she would have much rather forgotten. Her mother was very rarely around. She lived with her father. The abuse she took from her father growing up was unforgivable. She had memories of his abuse from when she was very young.

It began when she was four or five years old. If she got smart, as any young child would, he would really hurt her. Her father broke four of her fingers when she was six. It was thundering and she said, “What the hell was that?” She was only repeating what she had heard him once say. He then slammed a door against her hand. When she was eight, she got kept home from school for a week. She wasn't sick. Her father got drunk and ended up giving her a black eye. Of course, he didn't want her to tell anyone the truth. So, he kept her home from school until her black eye healed. When she went back to school, she lied to everyone saying she was home sick with the flu.

Her father was always drunk. Most of her memories of him are from when he was drunk. She witnessed many broken windshields, picture frames, and more from his drunken nights. She, however, can't count the times she was abused by his drunken rage. She could look at him wrong and he'd throw her into a wall. She always dreaded going home from school because she never knew if he'd be drunk of not. If he wasn't yet, there was a good chance he would be later. He gave her many bruises, fractured, and broken bones from his drunken rage. She had to repeat the sixth grade because she missed too much school. He gave her many visible bruises that year and he wouldn't allow her to go to school like that.

When Hailey was in the seventh grade, her mother died of cancer. Hailey didn't even know her mother was sick. Nobody told her until it was too late. She never really knew her mother because she was always away on what she thought was business. However, she soon found out that the reason her mother was always gone was for her treatments. She was gone so much to try to get better and yet she still died. Hailey resented her mother for many years. She felt like her mother had wasted her time trying to get better when she could have gotten to know her instead. Hailey knew nothing about her mother. She had quite obviously been battling cancer for quite some time. Hailey couldn't remember when her mother started to not be around much. She thought maybe she was in the first grade when it all began.

From the time Hailey's mother died, she stopped trusting anyone she was related to. Everyone hid her mother's sickness from her. She had no idea what else they would hide from her or what they may even choose to lie to her about. Hailey held a lot of anger surrounding her mother's death.

After Hailey's mother died, things at home with her father got much worse. Not only did he abuse her physically, but emotionally too. He started telling her that her mother never wanted her. He said that her mother drank and smoked marijuana her entire pregnancy with her in hopes she would never be born. This killed Hailey. She wished so much she could have had a relationship with her mother. She wondered if there was any truth in this. So, she began doing some research.

She started by finding her grandmother's phone number. Not only did Hailey not have a relationship with her mother, but she didn't know her mother's family either. She knew her mother's father had died a long time ago, but she knew her mother's name. Natalie Edwards. So, she looked up her phone number and gave her a call.

“Hello,” answered the grandmother?

“H-hi, this is Hailey. Hailey Rogers,” Hailey responded. “I am Naomi's daughter.”

“Daughter? Naomi didn't have a daughter,” replied the grandmother rather shocked.

“Yes, she did. I am her. I am her daughter. She just recently died of cancer, but I won't bother you anymore since you know nothing about me,” Hailey replied before hanging up.

She couldn't believe her mother never talked about her. She was beginning to believe what her father had said. Hailey realized she wasn't going to get anywhere with her research. Since her mother never told her own mother that she had a daughter, she really thought what her father told her had the possibility of being true. Hailey decided to not fully believe it, but also not fully rule it out. It was one of those things she knew she would never know for sure.

Hailey sat on her bed in tears after her attempted phone call. She couldn't believe her mother didn't talk about her. She didn't understand it. Even though Hailey didn't know her mother, she still talked about her. She just couldn't believe this. She felt like her mother was ashamed of her. She felt hated. As the tears rolled down her cheek, she had convinced herself that it were true. Her mother never wanted her. She had ruined her mother's life and now her mother was dead. This weighed heavily on Hailey's mind for the rest of her life.

Hailey's grades began dropping throughout middle school and high school. She couldn't seem to concentrate. Her father abused her almost nightly. He broke her down emotionally. He told her she was ugly and called her fat. Hailey believed every word he spoke. She tried not to, but she couldn't help it. She began wearing makeup and dying her hair. She also put herself on a diet. None of this changed her father's words.

Hailey didn't really have any friends. She was very quiet and reserved in school. She didn't want anyone to know anything about her or her life. Plus, there was no way she would ever bring a friend home to her father. With her father constantly being drunk, Hailey didn't want to risk him hurting anyone else. So, she remained the quiet, social outcast. Sometimes she wished she had someone to talk to, someone she could trust. She let her wishes go because she knew that it just wasn't possible with the way her father was.

With everything Hailey dealt with at home, she could barely pass her classes. She literally passed them by the skin of her teeth. The only class she ever passed with flying colors was English. She loved to write. She wrote in her spare time. Poetry was her favorite. It was her way of expressing herself. She would write for hours after school when she was supposed to be doing her homework.

In high school, Hailey decided to try and make friends. She did it the wrong way. She changed her wardrobe and made herself more appealing to the male population. She took her issues with her father and made it her goal to try and find someone to love her. She went through boyfriends like most people go through underwear. She had no idea how much this was hurting her. She had no idea what kind of reputation she had made for herself.

Hailey became the popular girl for all the wrong reasons. She was invited to every party. She drank away her problems at these parties. At one party, she was offered marijuana and cocaine. She tried both. She found her happiness with them both. Hailey always had trouble sleeping and mellowing out from her emotions, but the marijuana made it so this was no longer an issue for her. Cocaine made her happy. Hailey could no longer survive without them. They were her two best friends.

Hailey's father never figured out her habits. He didn't really care what Hailey did as long as she got good grades. Her grades began to slip even more with her newly formed habits. It was her senior year. She was failing everything, including English. Her father made sure she knew exactly how he felt about her once he saw how poorly she was doing.

“You are a waste of space. You can't even do well in school. You're pathetic, a disgrace. You're the child I never wanted. It's no wonder your mother never wanted you. Look at you! You're a fuck up, a nothing, a nobody. That's all you'll ever be. You'll never succeed at anything,” her father screamed at her.

All Hailey could do was cry. There were only five months left in her senior year. She knew she was messing up. She couldn't believe her father's words. He never helped her. He never offered. Of course, he was always too drunk to. He never taught her anything. He didn't teach her about doing well in school, the types of guys to watch out for, or how to make it in the real world. She was pretty much thrown to the wolves in the end.

Hailey realized where she was at in her life. She knew she couldn't depend on her father to help her. So, she decided to clean up her act on her own. She threw away the last bit of marijuana and cocaine she had left. She quit drinking altogether. She began dressing more conservatively. Hailey even got herself into some substance abuse counseling and got a job. Hailey did all the extra work she could to just pass her classes.

She had decided that at the end of the year she was going to move away from her father. All he had done was abuse her and break her down. He didn't do one good thing for her. So, Hailey decided she would leave at the end of the year and never look back.

By the end of the year, she had managed to bring up all of her grades to C's. She was pretty proud of herself. She had also saved up $3,000 by the end of the school year from working as a waitress. She no longer craved the drugs or alcohol. As a whole, Hailey had made a good turnaround.

Hailey took her money and moved to a town two hours away. She didn't tell her father where she was going, she just went. She wanted nothing to do with him and his abuse anymore. She was done. He had destroyed her emotionally and she wanted to finally live a life away from his abuse.

She got herself established in her new town with an apartment and a job. She met a guy at work named Avery. It was love at first sight. They were inseparable once they started dating. Within six months they were living together, talking about babies, and getting married. Hailey had never been so happy in her life. She finally felt like maybe she was getting something good in her life. She couldn't have been happier.

A year into their relationship, they welcomed the birth of their first son. They named him Jayden Allen. He was their little boy. They loved him more than anything. Hailey started staying home and only Avery worked. A year later, they added number two to their family. They had another boy, named Kaleb Bryce.

Then one day Avery made a change for the worst. He became Hailey's father over night. He began putting her down and telling about all the things she was bad at. He stopped having nice things to say. He degraded her every chance he got. Who he had become came out of left field.

Hailey was so in love with him. Over time, she realized she loved him more than he loved her. She hoped and prayed he would change. She wanted the sweet guy she knew he could be back. She was willing to do anything to get back to that point.

Unfortunately, Avery wouldn't hear anything about the things he was doing. In his eyes he was perfect, there was nothing wrong with him. Nobody could convince him any different. He would constantly yell at Hailey and push her around. It was almost as if he was letting her know he was boss. He was right and she was wrong, no matter what. Hailey took it. She tried changing what he complained about. She tried to make him happy, but nothing made him happy. Nothing.

“You're getting fat,” Avery said. “You need a diet and a serious workout plan.”

Hailey sobbed as she got down on herself when she looked in the mirror. She just nodded her head.

Hailey got up every morning and ran. She only ate fruits and vegetables, but in very minimal portions. She was trying to make him happy. She lost the weight he was unhappy about. It took her about four months, but she did it and she kept it off.

“The house is not being cleaned to my standards,” Avery said.

Hailey was a stay at home mom. They had two little boys under two years old. Avery didn't seem to understand this. Hailey had also begun working online to help with in between paychecks. All Avery seemed to care about was the house not being clean enough. Hailey wanted him to be happy, so she became a cleaning freak. She spent that weekend cleaning the house from head to toe. She spent every night cleaning up after the kids as well as working online. She got very little sleep, but she did everything Avery wanted so he couldn't complain anymore.

Avery always had something to complain about. If it wasn't one thing, it was another. He really broke her down. Every night ended with Hailey in tears. She stopped crying in front of Avery when he said she was acting like a baby. She didn't get any emotional support from him at all. He felt as though since he worked to maintain the house and bills that was all he had to do. Hailey paid the bills, cleaned the house, and did all the duties of a stay-at-home mom.

One month she was looking over their cell phone bill only to see Avery was texting and calling one unknown number quite a bit. Hailey was pretty certain he was cheating on her. However, to be certain; she called the number.

“Hello,” said a woman's voice.

“Who is this,” asked Hailey.

“Ashley. Who is this,” asked the other woman?

“My name is Hailey. What is your relationship with Avery Callahan,” asked Hailey fighting back tears?

“He's my boyfriend,” replied the woman.

Hailey hung up the phone. When Avery got home that night Hailey questioned him.

“Who is Ashley,” asked Hailey?

“Who,” replied Avery?

“Don't play stupid, Avery. Just tell me the truth,” said Hailey.

Avery got extremely angry. He got up from the table, grabbed Hailey, and threw her against the wall. He grabbed her by the throat.

“If you ever accuse me of cheating again, I will kill you,” Avery screamed at Hailey.

Hailey was more scared than she had ever been. She loved Avery. This wasn't the first time he had put his hands on her, though. There had been a few other incidents.

Hailey began thinking about her life that night. Her mother never wanted her. Her father hated her. Avery cheated on her. She was unlovable. All she cared about were her children. She just didn't know if she could stick around anymore. She clung to them like glue that night. She knew they were the only ones who loved her unconditionally. She loved them more than life itself. Literally.

Hailey had one friend. Her name was Anna. She was her best friend, but she only knew her online. They had been talking online for about five years. Hailey called Anna and asked her if she could take the kids for her. Hailey had a plan in her head, but she wanted to be sure her kids were taken care of.

“Hey Hailey,” said Anna.

“Hi,” sobbed Hailey.

“What's wrong? Why are you crying,” asked Anna.

“I don't really want to talk about it, but I was wondering if I could bring my kids to you,” said Hailey.

“Of course,” said Anna.

That night, Hailey loved her kids more than anything. She hugged them tighter. She even slept in their room that night. The next day, she drove them to New Jersey to be with Anna. Hailey sobbed as she was leaving.

“I love you, boys. Please don't ever forget that. I have always loved you and I always will. You're good boys. Just don't ever grow up to be like your dad,” Hailey sobbed.

“Anna, I can never thank you enough. I love you like a sister,” said Hailey.

“What's going,” asked Anna.

“I can't explain,” said Hailey.

Hailey got in her car and drove away. She drove back home after picking up a bottle of vodka.

She went into the bedroom and drank her vodka. She thought about her entire life. She let it all flash before her eyes one last time. Then she slit her wrists with a butcher knife. She couldn't take any more pain. She watched herself bleed as she had a conversation with God. She prayed to God for her boys. She prayed they would be loved. She prayed they knew how much she loved them. She knew what she was doing was against everything God deemed as acceptable. She felt like she had no other choice. Then she hung herself for Avery to find.

When Hailey died, God spoke to her. God spoke to her boys. God spoke to Avery.

“Remember, you are loved,” He said to them.

Hailey went to Heaven. God felt like her time on Earth was hell. He wanted to show her how much He loved her. He made certain her boys never forgot her. He made certain Avery never forgot her.

Avery came home and found Hailey in the bedroom. He fell to his knees. He blamed himself. He laid there and cried. He took Hailey's death as a sign he needed to change. However, he knew it was too late because the woman who loved him more than he could ever comprehend was gone. She had gone to a better place. She had gone to be loved.

Short Story: Tragic Love

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Tragic Love

by Nikki Layne

She loved him. That much was a fact. However, the pain from past few years weighed heavily on her heart; the lies, the deceit, and the infidelity. There was no forgetting what he had done. She tried. She tried to block it out; pretend it never happened.

Her name was Taylor Blair. She was a smart, beautiful, and talented girl. The only thing that held her back was her unrequited love for Jordan. Everyone told her she could do better. She knew she could as well. However, that didn’t matter to her. She loved Jordan. She left once, but Jordan was all she could think about. She knew that regardless of the things he did that he was her one true love.

They had been together for three years. Taylor was working at a coffee shop when they had met. It was the middle of winter and Jordan was getting ready to go on his yearly ice fishing trip. It was love at first sight. They had an immediate connection as Taylor handed him his gingerbread latte. He left his phone number written on the back of his receipt with his tip before leaving.

That night Taylor stared at the phone number. She considered whether it would be unorthodox for her to call him the same night she got the phone number. She decided it might be considered rude if she didn’t call. So, she called him. They talked for two hours that night and made plans to grab lunch the next day from the diner across from the coffee shop.

Taylor and Jordan spent as much time together as they could over the next two weeks before his fishing trip. Taylor had work and Jordan was preparing for his trip around his work schedule. At times it got difficult to see each other, but they managed. The last four days leading up to Jordan’s trip, Taylor stayed with him.

Then Jordan was gone for three months. Those three months seemed like an eternity. Jordan and Taylor wrote letters to each other, but depending on where Jordan was at the time he didn’t get his mail for weeks. Then one day Jordan’s letters diminished. For the last month and half Jordan was gone, Taylor only got one letter. Taylor continued writing to him twice a week.

When Jordan returned Taylor could sense that something was different. She tried asking him about it, but he tried to act as if everything was just as it was before he left. Taylor was not naïve enough to believe that everything was as normal as Jordan wanted to make her believe.

One night while they were out to dinner, Jordan got a phone call. He excused himself. He didn’t come back for forty-five minutes. Taylor was left to sit alone while he took his phone call. She wasn’t an impatient person, but she felt as though forty-minutes was much too long. She stepped outside for a moment to ask him how much longer he thought he would be only to find that his car was no longer there.

He had left her there. She couldn’t believe it. She went back inside and decided she would have a few drinks before calling a friend to come and get her. She ordered three Amaretto Paradise’s. Then she called Alexis, her roommate to come and get her.

Three days had gone by and there was still no word from Jordan. The hurt that Taylor felt was indescribable. She thought he was amazing.

Finally, Taylor’s phone rang. It was Jordan. He apologized for what had happened. He said it was a work emergency and he ended up having to go out of town immediately. Taylor was unsure whether or not she should believe him. She decided she would because he had never lied to her before.

That night Taylor went over to Jordan’s to watch some movies and spend the night. His phone rang again while they were watching a movie. Taylor tried not to show she was irritated, but she was because of what had happened a few nights ago at dinner. This time the phone call only lasted ten minutes. She was thankful for that much.

Jordan had decided to order a pizza. When the delivery guy had shown up, Jordan had left his phone on the coffee table. Taylor didn’t want to snoop, but something just didn’t seem right. She knew she didn’t have a lot of time. There was a phone number he had been exchanging text messages with quite a bit. Taylor quickly wrote the number down and put his phone down.

The next day Taylor decided to give the phone number a call. It was a girl. Taylor asked the voice, “What is your relationship status with Jordan Michaels?” “I am his girlfriend”, replied the voice. “Who is this?” “I am his girlfriend”, replied Taylor. Taylor then asked, “What is your name?” “Eve”, replied the voice. Taylor hung up.

Taylor drove to Jordan’s house and waited in her car until he got home. When Jordan pulled up, Taylor asked for an explanation about who Eve was. He tensed up and got scared. All he could get out was, “I’m sorry.” Taylor was furious and in tears. She asked, “Am I not good enough for you?” “You have to cheat because I’m not enough for you?” Jordan explained that he had met Eve on his ice fishing trip. “You weren’t there, she was”, he said. “It won’t happen again”, Jordan swore. “Please don’t leave me.” Taylor decided she would give him another chance. Her feelings were too strong for him. “Everyone makes mistakes and this is a big one”, said Taylor. “Don’t let it happen again.”

Taylor then had to leave to go to work. That night all she could think about was Jordan and Eve. She couldn’t believe he had cheated on her. She remained faithful and true while he was gone on his trip. She never thought he would cheat on her. She knew their relationship was very fresh at the time, but she still never thought he would make it that disposable.

Over the next five months their relationship seemed to get better. Taylor started to trust Jordan a little more. Taylor had moved in with Jordan. Their relationship was really taking off in the right direction. Taylor was really happy. She couldn’t picture her life without Jordan.

Then one night, Taylor got off work two hours early because business was slow. She was fine with that. She was really tired as it was. So, she went home. She had expected to spend some time with Jordan and then fall into bed early. However, Taylor had no idea what turn of events she was about to encounter.

Taylor walked into the house and upstairs to change into her pajamas only to find Jordan in bed with her ex-roommate, Alexis. She could not believe her eyes. Taylor was stunned. She drove to her mother’s house and spent the next three weeks there.

Over the course of those three weeks, she got voicemail after voicemail from Jordan. He had no idea that she had walked in on him. He kept wondering where she was and when she was coming home. She couldn’t find the words to say to him, so she didn’t call him back.

Finally, Jordan showed up at Taylor’s work. Taylor was filled with rage just with seeing him over the counter. She had already taken her break, so there was no option for her to sit down with him. They were also quite busy. She was thankful for this because she still wasn’t ready to talk to Jordan. Jordan could tell Taylor was upset. He had guilt, but didn’t know what she knew or what she saw.

One week after Jordan came into the coffee shop, Taylor decided to go home. She walked in silently and slouched into a chair in the living room. She sat there quietly with tears rolling down her cheek until Jordan realized she was there. He walked into the living room from the kitchen in shock to see Taylor sitting there.

Jordan sat down on the couch. He asked, “Where have you been?” “Why won’t you return my phone calls?” “ALEXIS”, Taylor exclaimed! “MY EX-ROOMMATE AND BEST FRIEND FOR THE LAST THIRTEEN YEARS”, she continued! Jordan bowed his head down in shame. He now knew what had happened and why Taylor hadn’t come around in a month.

“I’m sorry”, he said. “You’re sorry”, she questioned? “Just like you were sorry with Eve and you vowed it would never happen again”, she said. “All you do is cheat and hurt me.” “What did I ever do to deserve this kind of treatment”, she asked. “Am I really that bad?”

Jordan didn’t know what to say. He knew how wrong he was. He knew Taylor deserved much better. He felt awful for the kind of pain he was causing her. “I don’t know what to say”, he said. “I love you and I don’t know why I keep treating you this way.” Taylor sighed as she cried. She loved him too much to let him go, but she was so hurt. She had no idea what to do. Everything inside her said she should go, but her heart forced her to stay.

“I will stay with you”, she said. She knew she was stupid for saying that. “But things have to change”, she said. Taylor continued, “No more lies and no more cheating. I want honesty and faithfulness. I’m not asking that much, just the same as I give you.” He nodded his head. He wasn’t sure how to stop cheating on her. He loved the affection he got from every woman he came across. He knew it would require a lot of work on his part.

Unfortunately, the cheating never stopped. The lies got bigger and more frequent. Taylor still loved Jordan. She appreciated every moment she had with him. Over the past four years he had been with countless women. Jordan knew no boundaries. He had romanced Taylor’s friends, her cousin, two of her co-workers, and numerous other women. Taylor found out every time. Jordan knew how much he was hurting Taylor. Part of him felt bad, but the other part knew that no matter what he did, Taylor would never leave him.

Taylor went through her days knowing what Jordan was up to. She knew there was no stopping him. It got to the point where she just accepted it. She knew she was back burner to his affairs. It was a sad truth, but there was nothing she could do.

Three years into their relationship, Jordan proved how little boundaries he had. He romanced Jordan’s mother. It took a while for Taylor to find out this time. It took a friend, Rachel, to tell Taylor that her mother’s car was outside the house every day she was at work. Confused, Taylor dug deeper into the situation. She called her mother’s job only to find out she was on vacation. Taylor and Jordan were on a shared cell phone plan. So, she went home and went over the cell phone bill with a fine tooth comb. He had been calling and texting her mom nonstop for the past three weeks. She could not believe it.

Jordan got home at his usual time. As he walked in, Taylor was walking out. Her car was packed full with all of her belongings. “What’s going on”, he asked. “What’s going on is I am leaving”, she said. “You can’t stop cheating and you hold no boundaries, and that includes my mother”, she said. He started begging her not go. “Please! I’m begging you! Don’t leave! Things will be different! I promise!” Jordan was frantic, but there was nothing he could do to stop her. Taylor drove away and spent the next five months living with her dad on the other side of the state.

At first, Jordan called Taylor five or six times a day begging for her to come back. Finally, he realized she wasn’t coming back. She ignored all of his phone calls and deleted every voicemail. Jordan was a free man to do as he had pleased, not that he hadn’t been living to those standards during the entirety of his relationship with Taylor.

Taylor began working for his dad as a receptionist. She was making good money and was happy to be spending time with her dad. Since he lived across the state, she never saw him much since her parent’s divorce. She was enjoying life, but she still missed Jordan. She thought about him all the time. She ended most nights in tears. She always wondered if she had made the right decision. She knew what he was doing now that they weren’t together. She was emotionally hurt from their relationship. There was no interest for a future relationship with anyone. She didn’t trust any man after what she had gone through with Jordan.

Taylor began missing Jordan more. She thought it would get better with time. However, still five months after her leaving she missed him and loved him more than anything. She had no idea why. She couldn’t explain, nor justify it. It just was. That was the only explanation she could come up with.

Finally, Taylor decided to send Jordan a very long e-mail. She let him know how she felt. She didn’t hide the hurt and pain she was continuing to feel. However, she also let him know that she missed him and still loved him. Three days went by before she received a reply.

Her reply was from his e-mail address, but the writer was no Jordan. It was his mother. The night Taylor had left him, he went out back and took his own life with his Benelli M4 12-gauge. He had left a note stating how he felt like a failure as a boyfriend and as a person overall. He loved Taylor, but couldn’t love her in the way he knew he should have. She mattered more to him than his own life, even if he had a funny way of showing it.

Taylor had no idea how to respond. She loved Jordan, but she felt as though he did not love her back because of the things he had done. She couldn’t believe nobody had made an attempt to tell her. Taylor always felt as though in time she and Jordan would work things out. Now her dreams of that ever happening were crushed and there was no turning back the hands of time.

Taylor drove back across the state to Jordan’s gravesite. After, she went back to her dad’s. She did all that she could to try and pick up the pieces of her life. She felt as though her whole life had been shattered. She had trouble carrying on throughout her days. She missed Jordan more than anything.

Taylor turned to alcohol and drugs to cope. She started with small amounts, but she needed more to forget the pain she was feeling. Ultimately, Jordan ended up overdosing on Xanax. She went into cardiac arrest and there was no chance of revival. Two lives were gone out of love. The tragic love story between Taylor and Jordan had ended. They were both at rest. Taylor had left her family and friends to live on with the pain she had lived with for so long.

Short Story: Caught Dead Living a Lie

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Caught Dead Living a Lie

by Nikki Layne

My entire life was a lie, but it wasn’t until I was twelve years old that I started to figure out. Certain aspects of my life never made sense. Why did my “parents” wait until they were almost sixty to have me? Why were my “siblings” almost twenty years older than me? Why did this “friend of the family” come and spend time with just me one day each month? Why did she stop coming? Why did I spend every other weekend at my “brother’s” house? These were all questions that started to brew inside my head.

When I was twelve, I got very nosy. I was rummaging through a dresser that was down in the basement when I came across a dusty photo album. In this album there were pictures of a baby girl with my “brother” and the “friend of the family.” Puzzled, I brought the album upstairs to my bedroom to analyze it better. He was married and so was she, but not to each other. They each had kids, but all boys. Who was this baby girl? Why was this album hidden?

The baby girl was me. Why was I with them alone in pictures that made it look like we were a family? Were they my real parents? Was everything I was ever told a lie? The questions started rolling in. I knew that if I had been lied to for the past twelve years that there was no way I would get any truth from them now. I had to research it all on my own.

I knew her name, the “friend of the family”, my potential real mother. She had stopped coming to visit six months ago. I knew she lived somewhere in southern California while I lived in Arizona. I went over by the telephone where a list of important numbers was always kept written on a steno pad. Her name was there, Julie Thompson.

It was 3:30pm. Nobody would be home until at least 5:30pm. I had two hours to attempt this phone call. So, I took a deep breath and gave it a shot. I dialed the number. I hung up. I was too scared. What was I supposed to say? I knew I had to do this. I needed to know who I really was and some truth about my life. It was obvious I had been living a lie for as long as I could remember.

The phone rang. I answered. It was Julie. I was at a loss for words. I somehow managed murmur, “Are you my mother?” There was a long stretch of silence. “Yes”, she replied. I had no idea what to say. I was shocked and confused. Why was I lied to for so long and lead to believe that someone else was my mother? “Why am I just now finding this out”, I asked? “The better question is how”, she replied. I told her about the album in the basement.

“Who are Marilyn and Paul” I asked? “Your grandparents”, she answered. “How about Todd”, I asked. I could hear her crying and breathing heavily over the phone. I felt bad, but these are things I needed to know. I had no idea who else I could turn to for these answers. It was obvious the Fletcher’s would only lie to me. “Todd is your father”, she said.

I couldn’t believe it. My “parents” were my grandparents. The “friend of the family” was my mother. My “brother” was my father. “Alright”, I said. “Who are Sandra, Brenda, and Laura really to me”, I asked? “They are Todd’s sisters, your aunts.” I was amazed. I couldn’t believe it. Nobody was who I thought they were. This changed who I was. I was not who I thought I was for twelve years.

“Why was I lied to”, I asked. “What happened between you and Todd?” “Todd and I should have never been together. We were too young and had no idea what we were doing. His parents took you and raised you as if you were theirs. Everyone thought it would be best for you if you never found out, but you’re obviously too smart to be fooled”, Julie said. “So this is what you and Todd wanted”, I asked. “You wanted me to grow up living a lie?” I could tell Julie was having trouble answering my questions. “It wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted you. I just had no money to fight it. I was fighting a losing battle. If I didn’t agree to the Fletcher’s terms I would have never saw you. I wanted to be in your life, so I took what I could get”, she said.

I was in shock. I didn’t quite know how to handle this. I glanced at the clock. It was 5:26pm. I heard the garage door. “I have to go”, I said. “Someone just got home.” Julie hung up. She didn’t say goodbye. There was just dead air left on the phone. I hung up the phone and ran up to my bedroom to hide the photo album.

That night I stayed in my bedroom most of the night. I cried quite a bit. It was a lot for a kid my age to take in. I was in the middle of enjoying being a kid when an atomic bomb of lies exploded and revealed the truth. This weighed on my mind for the next two weeks.

Then one night I overheard Marilyn and Paul talking. Someone had died. That’s all I could really hear. I didn’t know who, when, or how. At dinner Marilyn announced it. “Julie Thompson is dead.” My eyes got big as I burst into tears and stormed up to my bedroom.

Two weeks ago I find out this woman is my mother and now she is dead! I couldn’t believe it. I would never have the opportunity to get to know her as my mother. I hated the world. I hated the Fletchers. Maybe if they never lied to me none of this would have ever happened.

Marilyn came upstairs to check on me. She knocked once and then came in. “Are you okay”, she asked? “How did she die”, I asked? “She committed suicide”, she answered. Suicide! I couldn’t believe it. She gave me all of my answers and then killed herself. “Why”, I asked? “Does anyone know?” “Not yet”, Marilyn said. “It’s still undergoing investigation.” The phone rang, so Marilyn went downstairs to answer it.

These people were not my family. They lied to me. They forced me to live a lie. They made it impossible for me to ever know my mother. I decided I was done with them and I was going to run away. Sure, I was only twelve. However, living on the streets was better than living with them. I wanted to know about my mother. Luckily, I had $109.57 in my piggy bank and $150 from my birthday and Christmas. That gave me $159.57. I knew it wasn’t a lot, but I knew it would get me somewhere other than here. I packed one backpack of clothes and also put the photo album inside. That night, I was gone with the wind.

I decided to take a Greyhound bus from Waverly, Arizona to Ashtyre, California. Ashtyre is where Julie lived. I wanted to investigate what had happened for myself. I had ripped her address and phone number out of the steno pad.

It was a long trip by bus. I slept for most of it. If I was awake I was afraid I would cry. I didn’t want anyone to know I was running away, much less what I was dealing with. Finally, I arrived in Ashtyre. I stopped inside the corner store outside the bus station and grabbed a map. This was the only way I was going to find the house she lived in. I was looking for 265 Woodbury Lane. From looking at the map, it turned out I was only three blocks away. I walked there.

There was crime tape everywhere. “Kid, you wanna get away from that house”, said a lady from across the street. “It’s a murder scene.” “A MURDER SCENE”, I exclaimed! “Yes”, she replied. She handed me a newspaper. There was a story about it right on the front page. Julie was stabbed to death. The suspect in question was Todd. I couldn’t believe it. “Where is the police station”, I asked the woman. “I can give you a ride”, she offered. I knew not to get in cars with strangers, but I also wasn’t supposed to run away from home. I had to get there as fast as I could.

I ran into the police station after thanking the lady for the ride. “I want to talk to someone about Julie Thompson”, I said. An officer took me into an office. I told him my whole story about how she was my real mother, but I had just found out. I told him I had come here to find out what happened after I found out she was dead. I told him about how Marilyn said she committed suicide. “This was no suicide”, he said. “I know that now”, I replied. “What happened”, I asked. “I hate having to tell you this”, he said. “I feel bad, but you deserve to know”, he said. “It seems like you’ve had it pretty rough.” I nodded my head waiting on him to continue on and tell me. “We got a phone call from a neighbor saying they heard screams and cries for help from your mother’s house.” “Once we had gotten there, she was lying in a pool of her own blood”, he said. “She had signs of being strangled and was stabbed four times.” “The suspect left his wallet behind, but we are still trying to locate him.” “There was no license in his wallet, just credit cards”, he said. “Todd Fletcher”, I asked? Confused, the officer nodded his head yes. “How did you know”, he asked? I handed him the newspaper article and told him about the lady who gave me a ride to the police station.

Before I could say another word, I heard gun shots. The officer was killed. It was Todd. He came over to me and put his hands around my throat. He said, “Come with me and follow my lead and there will be no problems.” “NO”, I screamed! Darkness was all I saw. Todd had shot me. Three people dead trying to cover up the lie of my life. Three. And now one is in a prison cell serving three life sentences on three counts of murder.

I never got to find out who I was or who I was supposed to be. My life ended before I could get anymore answers. I was on the path of answers and I was cut short. You never know who you can trust. Your own father could kill you in a blind rage to protect the truth. The only person you can trust in life is yourself. 

Short Story: Nothing Left to Say

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Nothing Left to Say

by Nikki Layne

There was nothing left to say. His decision was made. She knew he was wrong and she knew what she could do about it, but she wanted to protect her children from the monster he had become; had always been. 

Becca was pregnant. Aaron was the father. They had only dated for a short time, but they had plans to get married. Aaron loved Becca's son, Gavin; or at least he acted as though he did. Aaron was constantly talking about wanting a child of his own and giving Gavin a brother or sister. Then it all changed.

It was 4:15pm. Aaron had just gotten home from work. He went into the bathroom to wash his hands only to find a pregnancy test. He came out to ask Becca for an explanation. "What is this?” asked Aaron. "It's a pregnancy test", replied Becca. "I'm pregnant", she said. Aaron was in shock. It wasn't the good, excited shock that Becca had expected. It seemed like he was scared, as if he had just hit a brick wall in some plan with no way out.

The next few days were very different between Becca and Aaron. Becca went to her first prenatal appointment, but Aaron made no attempt to be there. She came home with sonogram pictures and paperwork stating that she was six weeks pregnant. It was as if Aaron just couldn’t be bothered. Aaron spent the next couple nights going out to the bars with his buddies from work. Becca was left home alone. Becca always went out with the guys. However, now that she was pregnant it seemed that had changed. Everything had changed. Nothing was the same.

She could sense that nothing would ever be the same between her and Aaron again. She couldn’t quite figure out why he was reacting this way to the pregnancy. He still acted normal around Gavin. He had only built a brick wall between him and Becca, and it was because of the pregnancy.

Becca wasn’t happy and neither was Aaron, obviously. Becca was faced with a serious decision. Was she supposed to stay and wait it out to see if Aaron ever came around? Or was it time they went their separate ways? Becca chose the latter. She didn’t want her son to see her unhappy and she didn’t want to stay with someone she was unhappy with because of a new baby. She felt this was the better decision.

As she started moving her things out, Aaron started to ask questions. He wondered where she was going, and with who. He didn’t try to stop her. He was just full of questions. He didn’t seem to care either way whether she stayed or went. After her last items were moved out, she placed the keys on the kitchen table and didn’t give it a second thought. She closed the door behind her and decided that was a closed chapter of her life. Well, semi-closed.

Becca was still pregnant. She had no idea what she was going to do. She was happy to be pregnant, but not under the given circumstances. She was angry that Aaron had acted in such a way that forced her to leave him while she was pregnant with his child. However, she knew there was nothing she could do about that. It was time she thought about Gavin and the new baby.

That night, Becca checked her e-mail as usual only to find an email from Aaron. He had said that he would pay for the termination of the pregnancy with all costs made payable to the doctor of her choice. Becca was infuriated. She could not believe that Aaron wanted her to get an abortion. Becca was a Christian and believed that a baby was a gift, not a choice. She wrote back her refusal. All it came down to was that Aaron didn’t want this baby, nor did he want to be obliged to him or her financially. Becca informed him that his name would not be associated with the baby and he was free to live his life without any obligations to a child he helped to create. It ended there.

There was nothing left to say. Becca would go on to be the single mom of two young children, both under the age of two once the second was born. She was hurt and scared with no support. She knew she had to pull herself up and make this work. She loved her son, Gavin. She just hoped that under the given circumstances she could love the one she was carrying the same.

Nine months later, Becca delivered another boy. She named him Gabriel. A phone call came into the delivery room. It was a female’s voice. The voice asked, “Are you up for a visitor?” Becca, said, “Sure”, even though she was unsure of the voice. The girl, she didn’t know. However, the man she was with was Aaron. Apparently, Aaron had gotten married in the short time they had been broken up for. They walked in, took a glance at Becca and the baby. Aaron then walked back out.

Aaron hasn’t showed back up in fifteen years. Gabriel is fifteen now. Over the years Becca could not believe Aaron had showed up at the hospital just to walk back out and never look back. Gabriel never asked about his dad, which so far Becca was thankful for. She was unsure of what she would say.

Gabriel was always a good kid, an honors student, and quarterback for his high school football team. He had everything going for him. Then a phone call came in. It was Aaron. Gabriel answered. Gabriel apparently knew more than he let on. He responded to Aaron with, “There is nothing left to say.” He hung up. From that moment on Aaron did not matter to Gabriel or Becca. There was no explanation needed. There was nothing left to say. Literally.