His secret

Chapter 52

It's not the baby you have to get rid of, it's him. You have to get rid of him. I have to get rid of him. For this and for every other thing. It's eleven o'clock, the middle of a dark night, and Gia's words are still replaying in my wide-awake brain.

I'm ready, I've thought everything through for several hours now, while Gia Sophia sat beside me, stroking my hair, and even when she left me about two hours ago to head to bed after she made sure I would be okay alone. I reassured her that I would be alright, wanting her to leave me because I knew I had to do something, anything. Today is the day that I learned that I'm not alone anymore. Today I learned that I need to get in shape before the innocent human being inside me arrives. Today the war between my heart and my brain needs to end.

Sitting on the edge of my bed in the same pair of grey sweatpants and hoodie I changed into when we came home from the hospital I pick up the phone and look for his blocked number. My breathing becomes rigid as my hands start trembling. I take a deep breath, forcing the air through my now tight throat and down my lungs. I have to do this. I find the number and click on it then search for the 'unblock' button and click on it too.

'I want to talk,'

I type the text and send it before I can overthink all of it. Then I wait impatiently for an answer. He'll answer, or I hope he will at least. I know for sure he's awake anyway, it's not like him to sleep at this hour. But what if he chooses not to answer? Or what if he does and I hesitate and all of this... a ping from my phone interrupts my thoughts.

'Sunshine? Are you alright?'

Sunshine. The nickname that once made my stomach come alive with butterflies now makes me feel sick. How dare he still call me Sunshine?

'I just need to talk, are you still in Washington?'

The dots appear on the screen then disappear then appear again for a few seconds before his text comes up on my screen.

'Yes, still here, couldn't go back home.'

'Good, meet me in an hour, I'll send the address.'

My hands are shaking even more now than they did when I sent the first text. I'm doing it, there's no backing away now. I enter the address I looked up half an hour ago and send it to him before I pick up my backpack and head downstairs, toward the door. I ordered an uber twenty minutes ago so I couldn't chicken out, so it has to be here any minute now. As I open up the door my thoughts get confirmed, the uber is waiting for me outside the house. I close the door gently behind me, not wanting to make any noise and wake Gia up. Alexis never came home after the hospital today so at least I don't have to worry about him.

When I've locked the door I head to the uber, open the back door, and climb into the car as I pick my phone up and show the address to the driver. "That's about an hour from here, ma'am, and an hour from anywhere else, it's desolated basically," he tells me after taking a quick look at the screen. "I know, that's why I choose it," the driver's gaze lingers on me for a few more seconds through the front mirror before he finally turns to the road and drives away.

"We've arrived," the driver interrupts my shattered thoughts an hour later. I give him his money before getting out of the car. The first and only thing that comes in front of my cloud of vision is the deserted warehouse, the only thing located within the nearest 6 miles.

I start walking towards the entrance in big strides, afraid that if I don't hurry I might change my mind and drive back home with the uber. "Sunshine, is that you?" His voice sends shivers through my spine. I try to catch a glimpse of him but it's too dark. Good thing I looked the place up and brought a flashlight with me. I reach into my bag and pick out the flashlight, I lighten it and place it on the ground before lifting my gaze up, meeting him with my eyes. I stumble backward. He's too near me, and suddenly the air that enters my lungs feels like thorns. "Sunsh..."