Chapter 34

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Shattered

The house was unnervingly quiet, a stillness that echoed in the spacious rooms as Jeff sat at the table, barely touching his food

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The house was unnervingly quiet, a stillness that echoed in the spacious rooms as Jeff sat at the table, barely touching his food. His body had been betraying him for days now. Waves of nausea hit him at the most unexpected times, and the constant fatigue made it difficult to concentrate. He’d chalked it up to the nearing of his heat—his usual symptoms creeping in earlier than expected.

Mile stood in the next room, his voice a low hum as he spoke on the phone. Jeff could hear snippets of the conversation but was too focused on the churning in his stomach to pay attention. The smell of the food in front of him was making him dizzy, and he pressed his palm to his temple, feeling the room tilt.

Not again.

"Mile…" His voice barely escaped his lips as the world around him started to blur. The spinning intensified, and he felt himself losing balance, the edges of his vision darkening. He tried to call out again, but this time it was too late. His body gave in, collapsing onto the cold, hard floor.

---

The next thing Jeff was aware of was the sterile scent of the hospital. The soft beep of machines, the faint hum of people moving around outside the room. His body felt heavy, his mind foggy. He opened his eyes slowly, the bright light making him wince.

Mile was nowhere to be seen.

A quiet knock echoed in the room before the door creaked open. A doctor entered, followed by a nurse. They smiled warmly at him, unaware of the storm that was about to hit.

Mile stood in the hallway, pacing anxiously, his heart pounding in his chest. He hated hospitals. Hated the uncertainty, the waiting. But Jeff had fainted, and he couldn’t take any chances. His mind raced through endless possibilities, but none prepared him for what he was about to hear.

The door to Jeff’s room opened, and the doctor stepped out. "Mr. Mile?"

He turned, his anxiety gnawing at him. "Yes, that’s me."

"Could you come with me, please? There’s some news I need to share with you."

Mile followed her into a private room, his hands trembling. His mind raced—was Jeff sick? Was it worse than just a heat cycle? He couldn’t handle the unknown.

Once inside, the doctor sat down, a warm smile on her face, completely at odds with the tension knotting in Mile’s stomach.

"You’ll want to inform his husband," she began. "It’s wonderful news."

Mile’s heart froze. "Husband? What do you mean?"

The doctor looked confused for a moment. " he don’t have a husband? Then his boyfriend perhaps?"

Mile stared, his body suddenly cold, his voice strangled. "he … he don’t. He don’t have one."

The doctor’s smile faltered slightly, and then she seemed to understand something. She continued, her tone soft, cautious. "Well… either way, congratulations are in order. Jeff is four weeks pregnant."

The world seemed to stop.

Pregnant.

Jeff was pregnant.

4 weeks pregnant?

That's means

It was Bible’s.

The realization hit him like a punch to the gut. Every breath became harder, like the air was being sucked from his lungs. His knees wobbled, and he grabbed the edge of the table for support. How? How could this have happened? How could he not have known?

"You’re saying… Jeff is…?" His voice cracked, disbelief laced with horror.

"Yes, four weeks along," the doctor said, oblivious to the turmoil in Mile’s eyes. "It’s early, but everything looks healthy so far. You’ll want to start planning for care, and of course, he’ll need rest—"

Mile cut her off, his voice harsh. "Is there any… possibility for abortion?"

The doctor’s eyes widened in shock. "What?"

Mile’s face twisted with anger and pain. "I don’t… we don’t want this child. The father… he’s a terrible person. He doesn’t care about Jeff. This child will only…"

Before Mile could finish, a nurse rushed in. "Doctor, there’s an emergency. A woman is in labor."

The doctor shot Mile a stunned look but quickly excused herself, leaving him alone in the room, shaking. He felt like he was going to be sick. His heart pounded so loudly in his ears that it drowned out everything else. The walls seemed to close in around him, suffocating him with the weight of the truth.

Pregnant. Jeff was carrying Bible’s child.

How could this be happening? Bible, the man he despised, the man who had manipulated and used Jeff, had now left him with something they couldn’t escape—a child. A constant reminder of Bible’s betrayal.

Mile’s hands trembled uncontrollably as he tried to make sense of it all. How could Jeff bear Bible’s child? How could he allow that? Rage mixed with despair, swirling in his chest until it was impossible to contain. The thought of Jeff having to carry Bible's child—the child of a man who had done nothing but use and manipulate him—was too much to bear.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, pulling him momentarily out of his spiraling thoughts. It was his mother.

"What happened, dear? We heard Jeff fainted. Is he okay?"

Mile’s throat tightened, and for a moment, he couldn’t speak. What could he say? That everything was fine? That Jeff had just fainted because of his heat? The lie felt bitter on his tongue, but the truth was too raw, too painful.

"He’s fine, Mom," Mile choked out. "It’s just his heat coming… you know how it is."

There was silence on the other end before his mother responded softly, "Alright, dear. Take care of him."

When the call ended, Mile was left standing in the empty room, tears welling up in his eyes. The weight of everything crashing down on him at once. The secrets, the lies, the future he never wanted but was now forced to face.

Silent tears fell as he leaned against the cold wall, his body wracked with sobs. His heart shattered into a thousand pieces, each one piercing deeper into his soul.

How could he ever explain this to Jeff?

How could he let Jeff live with the knowledge that he was carrying Bible’s child?

And how could he ever look into Jeff’s eyes again, knowing the truth would break them both?





 

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