Two Sides of Us

Chapter 10. Andrew

I leaned against the kitchen island, staring at the half-empty beer bottle in my hand, my head bowed as if the weight of the day was too much to bear. From the living room, the sound of laughter and excited chatter filled the air. Rachel was holding court with her mother, Delphine, my mother, and Lily. They'd been at it for over an hour, fussing over wedding gowns and trying to outdo each other with compliments. Meanwhile, I was here, feeling more disheveled than ever, weighed down by the bombshell Rachel had dropped on everyone just a few days ago.

A baby.

The word echoed in my mind, still foreign and out of place in the life I thought I was leading. Rachel and I had never even discussed kids. It wasn't something that had come up, and honestly, I'd always assumed she didn't want them. She was too focused on the wedding, on appearances, on crafting a life that seemed to revolve more around image than anything real.

I took another swig of beer, the cool liquid doing nothing to ease the turmoil swirling inside me. I hadn't even begun to process the idea of becoming a father, and yet here it was, staring me in the face, changing everything. On one hand, this baby was a person—my child, my responsibility. I knew I couldn't just walk away from that. But on the other hand, I had been planning to leave Rachel. I'd been waiting for the right moment, the right time to break things off. The night in the hospital with Emily had only solidified that for me. I didn't love Rachel anymore. Maybe I never truly had. But now... now there was a baby involved.

I pushed off the island and walked into the living room, sinking into the couch with a heavy sigh. The noise of their conversation surrounded me, but it all felt distant, like I was watching a scene from a movie. My mind was too clouded with thoughts of what my life had become.

"Andrew, what do you think of this dress?" my mom asked, her voice pulling me back to the present. She was beaming, her eyes bright with excitement. "Isn't it beautiful?"

Rachel had insisted I see all the dresses she'd bought to try on. I glanced up, taking in the dress she was wearing. It was nice, I guess. But it was hard to muster up any real enthusiasm.

"Yeah, it's nice," I said, my tone as neutral as I could make it.

My mom frowned, clearly not satisfied with my lackluster response. "Come on, Andrew, be more excited! You only get married once in a lifetime."

If only she knew, I thought bitterly. Instead, I just nodded, not trusting myself to say anything more.

Lily, who had been sitting on the edge of the couch, pointed at the dress with a smile. "That one's my favorite, Rachel. You look amazing in it."

Rachel turned to her, her smile widening. "I think it's the one too."

Everyone else in the room lit up with excitement, but I just sat there, staring blankly at the floor. The idea of this wedding, of this future, felt more suffocating by the second.

Rachel clapped her hands together. "Let's celebrate! I'll make margaritas. What do you think, Lily? Should I make one for you too, just this once?"

I felt my blood pressure spike at the suggestion. My little sister was only seventeen, and the last thing she needed was to be dragged into Rachel's nonsense. But before I could respond, the real reason for my anger hit me like a ton of bricks.

"No," I said sharply, my voice cutting through the room like a knife. Rachel froze, turning to stare at me, and the other women did the same, their expressions a mix of surprise and confusion.

Rachel recovered quickly, her eyes narrowing slightly as if silently begging me not to say anything. But I couldn't stop myself. I wasn't going to let this slide, not this time.