Emma's fingers trembled as she stared at her phone screen, her heart pounding with frustration. She had spent the last five minutes drafting and redrafting the perfect message to Alex. But now that she had finally sent it, the response made her blood boil.
Emma: We need to talk. It's important.
Seen.
No reply.
Her stomach twisted as she watched the screen, willing the typing bubbles to appear. When they finally did, her breath hitched.
Alex: What do you want?
She swallowed her pride and typed quickly.
Emma: I'm pregnant.
A long pause.
Then, finally, his response.
Alex: Are you joking?
She clenched her jaw and forced herself to stay calm.
Emma: Why would I joke about something like this?
Another agonizing moment passed before his next text came through.
Alex: That's not my problem. Get rid of it.
Her heart stopped. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard. Was he serious?
Emma: Excuse me?
Alex: You heard me. Don't text me again.
She let out a sharp breath and quickly typed.
Emma: You are such a disgusting excuse for a human being. You didn't seem to have a problem that night in your car when you—
His response came almost instantly.
Alex: You're just another desperate slut looking for a payday. Find another idiot to pin your bastard on. Get off my phone!
Her stomach dropped. A wave of heat rushed to her face as anger and humiliation crashed over her like a tidal wave. Her fingers tightened around the phone as she typed furiously, but before she could send her scathing reply, the screen blurred. Tears had welled up in her eyes, spilling over before she could stop them.
Ava's voice jolted her. "Emma? What's wrong?"
Emma sniffled, pressing the heels of her palms against her eyes to stop the tears. "It's Alex. He—" She broke off, her voice cracking.
Ava was beside her in an instant, snatching the phone from her hands. She skimmed through the messages, her lips pressing into a thin line. "That absolute prick!" she exploded. "How dare he?!"
Emma let out a shaky breath, her shoulders trembling. "I don't know why I expected anything different. I mean, I should have known he'd react this way. It was just a one night stand"
Ava's gaze softened, and she wrapped an arm around Emma's shoulders. "You don't deserve this. He's a coward. A pathetic, spineless coward."
Emma let out a hollow laugh. "right?"
Ava studied her for a moment before speaking again. "How did you even get involved with that lowlife?"
Emma exhaled deeply, sinking into the couch. "It was a mistake. A big, stupid, reckless mistake."
Ava pulled her legs up onto the couch, leaning in. "Start from the beginning."
Emma wiped her face with the back of her hand and sighed. "It was valentine's day. I was at Club Rumors with you and the girls. Remember?"
Ava nodded. "Vaguely. I drank way too much that night."
Emma huffed a small laugh before continuing. "I went to get another drink, and that's when I saw him. He was leaning against the bar, looking like some kind of movie villain, black shirt, sleeves rolled up, tattoos peeking out. He had this confident smirk, like he owned the damn place."
Ava groaned. "Of course he did. Can I see his picture"
They both chuckled and Emma showed Ava his picture, Ava screamed. "He's fucking hot!"
"Yeah" Emma nodded. "I ignored him at first, but then he sent the bartender over with a drink for me. I should've said no, but I was already tipsy, and I thought, why not? So I took it."
Ava rolled her eyes. "Classic move."
Emma continued, her voice growing softer. "He came over, started talking. His voice was smooth, and he had this way of making me feel like I was the only woman in the room. We talked, we danced, we laughed... and before I knew it, we were outside, making out like teenagers in the parking lot."
Ava groaned. "Emma."
Emma held up her hands. "I know, I know. But I wasn't thinking straight. And then he asked me to come to his car."
Ava's brows shot up. "Oh no."
Emma swallowed, her eyes clouding with regret. "Oh yes. One thing led to another, and the next thing I knew, I was waking up in his car the next morning, my dress halfway up my thighs and his jacket thrown over me."
Ava shook her head in disbelief. "And then?"
Emma scoffed. "Then? He looked at me, smirked, and said something really awkward that I can never forget, that's what made me conclude he was toxic, 'That was fun, babe. It's time for you to go.'"
Ava's mouth dropped open. "You're joking."
Emma let out a bitter laugh. "Nope. And like an idiot, I took his number. But surprise, surprise, he ignored my calls after the first call, ignored my texts, he never called. Never texted. Just disappeared like it never happened. I do see his WhatsApp status anyway."
Ava clenched her fists. "That absolute…"
Emma cut in. "I know. I was angry, but I moved on. Or at least, I thought I did. Until now."
Ava stared at her. "And now he has the audacity to act like you don't exist? To call you names?"
Emma looked down, her voice barely a whisper. "I just... I don't know what to do, Ava."
Ava sighed and pulled Emma into a hug. "You're not alone in this, okay? We'll figure it out. And we sure as hell don't need Alex."
Emma nodded against her shoulder, fresh tears threatening to spill. "What if he's the actual father?"
"Then I would advise you to ignore what that prophetess said and abort the baby he called bastard"
She pulled away, took a deep breath, and grabbed her phone. "I'd just text Michael, hopefully he won't be as mean as Alex. We still talk, but all he wants to do is get down with me again but I told him we needed to define the relationship first, since then, he just responds with syllables."
"I wonder why you're attracted to toxic men"
"Not intentional, they're hot!"
The both girls busted into laughter.
Emma nodded, determination hardening in her chest. "Yeah. It's time to get the father of my child"