It's Time

Goodbye

I hold the phone in my hand, staring at his name, unable to move. How can I possibly have this conversation right now? I feel completely deflated as I glance at Spencer, whose gaze is locked on the road. It's now or never, I guess.

Spencer reaches across the center console, squeezing my leg as I slide my finger across the bottom of the screen. The ringing stops, and the deafening silence engulfs the air around us. I gulp before raising the phone to my ear. "Hi, Cameron."

There is a prolonged suffocating pause that leads me to check if he's still on the line. A part of me is hoping he has hung up. Spencer's quizzical expression intensifies the dread that was already exasperated by today's events.

"You wanted to speak to me, Olivia? I can't imagine what we have to talk about."

I begin to speak, but my words come out jumbled. After everything that has transpired, I don't have the energy for Cameron's very obvious disdain.

Cameron scoffs. "Are you on the run again?"

I briefly lower the phone, attempting to contain my emerging frustration. There is no need to destroy the conversation before it has even begun. Taking a deep breath, I prepare myself for his continued brashness. We haven't even gotten to the hard part.

"Cameron." I pause, carefully considering my words before I speak them. "I found out something that was important to share—"

"Can you just get it out already, Olivia?" His crude demeanor pierces through any strength I've mustered up for this exchange.

"I WAS PREGNANT, CAMERON!" I explode, unable to suppress my emotions any longer.

Spencer gives my thigh another gentle squeeze as I fight the urge to succumb to the tears forming in my eyes for the fourth time today.

"Was?" Cameron softly inquires.

"I... they told us the pregnancy wasn't viable." The midwife's words play incessantly in my head, but I still have difficulty accepting this gut-wrenching reality. Instinctively, my hand finds its way to my stomach.

"Was the baby mine?"

For the first time since answering the call, Cameron doesn't sound angry. His timid voice breaks me as I begin to imagine how tormented he is. Every time he speaks to me, I'm hurting him. As if it's even possible, this entire situation between Cameron and I is now ten times worse.

"Yes." The word is heavy as it leaves my lips. This is the first time I have acknowledged out loud what I've always known to be true. Although we never got a definitive answer, both Spencer and I knew what we didn't want to accept. My baby was Cameron's.

"How long have you known?" His inquisition is less harsh than his previous remarks, but the resentment in his voice is hard to miss.

"I just found out about the baby, Cameron. I know you have no reason to believe anything I say ever again, but I genuinely had no idea." I pause, expecting a snarky response from him. When he doesn't immediately speak, I take the opportunity to continue sharing my side of things. "I injured my ankle while running a few days ago, and when I went to get it checked out, we discovered the pregnancy. I immediately set an appointment for the following day, and that's when I called you. We thought—" I catch Spencer frantically shaking his head 'no' out of my peripheral, causing me to pause my train of thought. "I mean, I knew you'd want to know."

"What I'd want...." Cameron trails off with a humorless laugh. "You really think I would want to get a call from the girl who jilted me telling me that she and the guy she ran off with are planning a family with my baby? Oh, wait, with what would've been my baby? Does it bring you joy to watch me suffer, Olivia? Please explain to me why I would need to know about a baby that no longer exists? You can't even abandon someone correctly." His voice is cold and calculated, causing a shiver up my spine. I've never seen him like this. This isn't the Cameron I know.