Ch. Sorry Hayden, I’m Seven Months Pregnant with Another Man’s Baby 61 Sorry Hayden, I’m Seven Months Pregnant with Another Man’s Baby 61

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I’d taken over every household chore years ago, desperate to keep Mom happy. My earliest memories were of dragging a stool to the counter before dawn, making breakfast for everyone while they still slept. 

Mom’s face twisted into something ugly. “Oh, so now you’re too good for this family? Can’t handle a little discipline without sulking in your room-what, are you trying to starve us now?” 

She crossed the room in three angry strides and started pounding on my door. “Lily Evans, get up right now! You’re gonna make yourself late for school!” 

My heart lodged in my throat as her hand reached for the doorknob. “Li-” 

The word died on her lips. Dad and Sam must have seen something shift in her face because they both 

rushed over. 

The room was empty-I wasn’t anywhere to be found. My bed sat perfectly made, the comforter tucked in 

with hospital corners. 

“Lily wasn’t home last night?” Sam’s voice came out small and uncertain. 

“Don’t be ridiculous! It’s freezing out there-where else would she be?” Mom’s response was too fast, too 

sharp. 

Dad was quiet for a beat. “Maybe she’s upset and left for school early.” 

“Don’t we have parent-teacher conferences today? I can duck out of work and head over there.” 

“I’ll go.” Mom reached for her coat. “You can’t afford to miss work. I’ll handle the conference.” 

“Are you sure?” Dad caught her arm, concern creasing his forehead. 

We all knew about Mom’s depression and how crowds overwhelmed her, especially when she faced them 

alone. The panic would close around her throat until she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak. 

I tried to reach out to her, desperate to stop her from doing this for me. “The doctor said I’m doing better, 

remember? Don’t worry about me.” 

Mom yanked her scarf around her neck, muttering to herself. “That girl gets worse every day. When I find her, 

she’s gonna wish she’d never pulled this stunt.” 

Mom rushed out, and the second she reached the ground floor, she spotted a crowd gathered behind the 

building. 

“Somebody jumped. There’s blood everywhere.” 

“Just a kid too. Shame-dying that young.” 

“Police said she’d been dead all night-body was already stiff when they found her. Where the hell were her 

parents?” 

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With every word, Mom’s panic spiked higher. A small dog shot out from between someone’s legs and latched onto her pants, trying to pull her toward the crowd. 

I recognized the puppy immediately-the stray I’d befriended all those times Mom had locked me out. I used to sneak half my breakfast to him whenever I could. 

Mom would kick him away every time, claiming she was allergic to the fur. The puppy kept at it, refusing to 

give up no matter how many times she pushed him off. 

He knew who she was-he was trying to show her where I was. Mom just kept kicking him away, her face 

twisted in disgust. 

I lunged for the puppy, desperate to comfort him, desperate to hold him. The puppy let out a sharp whine and bolted straight to my body, planting himself there and snarling at anyone who got close. 

Mom backed away from the crowd, her lips moving as she whispered reassurance to herself. “It can’t be Lily. 

That girl doesn’t have the spine for something like this.” 

I watched her stumble away from the scene. “I’m not a coward, Mom. I was brave.” 

“Just turn around, Mom. Please. You don’t have to face that crowd-I know how hard it is for you…” 

I followed Mom all the way to school, something fluttering in my chest that felt like equal parts dread and hope. She’d never come to a parent-teacher conference before-not once in all my years at school. 

Dad’s job kept him traveling too much to make most of them either. He’d made it to a handful over the years, but most times I’d sat by myself, watching other kids with both their parents and trying not to feel the weight 

of that emptiness. 

It took Mom forever to find my seat, and when she finally did, her eyes swept the room, growing more 

panicked. I wasn’t there. 

The second Mrs. Baker stepped into the classroom, Mom rushed over. “Where’s Lily? I don’t see her.” 

Mrs. Baker’s expression turned wary. “You’re Lily’s mother? She wasn’t here for attendance this morning. I 

was about to call you.” 

“What’s going on here? We’ve never seen you at a single meeting, and now you show up demanding 

answers?” 

The teacher’s tone made something crack in Mom’s composure. Fear flooded through her, sharp and sudden. 

The image flashed through her mind-the crowd behind the building, the blood. She shoved the thought away 

as hard as she could. 

“This is ridiculous! Is this some kind of sick joke?” 

“She has to be here somewhere! Go get her right now-I’ll deal with her myself!” 

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Mrs. Baker’s expression hardened. “You’re her mother. How do you not know where your own daughter is?” 

“I checked the security footage. Lily never even made it to campus this morning.” 

The certainty in Mrs. Baker’s voice made Mom’s knees buckle. Her hands shook as she fumbled for her phone. 

Before she could even dial, Dad’s name flashed across the screen. She answered, and his voice came through broken and shaking. 

“The police just called. Lily… she jumped. Off our building.” 

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