After the Fact. -Ethan winters x Fem reader-

July 25th

The front door slammed hard enough to rattle the windows.

For a moment, Ethan just stood there staring at the spot where you'd been standing seconds ago. The ultrasound picture was still sitting on the kitchen table, untouched. A blurry little shape that somehow represented an entire future. His future. Your future. A baby neither of you had planned for.

He let out a long breath and dragged both hands down his face.

The silence felt wrong.

Usually after arguments, you were still around somewhere. Maybe upstairs muttering under your breath. Maybe angrily cleaning something that didn't need cleaning. Maybe stealing one of his hoodies because apparently being furious didn't stop you from being cold.

But now there was nothing.

Just an empty kitchen, a half-full coffee mug, and a chair shoved back from the table where you'd stood up.

"I don't want to be pregnant."

The words echoed in his head.

At first, they had hurt.

Now all he could hear was what came after.

"I just got you back."

Ethan closed his eyes.

Shit.

The realization hit him all at once.

You weren't scared of the baby.

You weren't rejecting the future.

You were terrified of losing him again.

His chest tightened painfully. Of course you were. How had he missed that? He'd spent the entire argument defending himself when you had practically been begging him to understand what was actually scaring you.

The sound of the front door opening pulled him from his thoughts.

Ethan looked up to see Mia standing in the doorway holding Rose's tiny jacket. The park trip clearly hadn't lasted long.

Rose immediately waddled into the kitchen.

"Dada."

Ethan forced a smile. "Hey, bug."

She wrapped her arms around his leg while Mia crossed hers.

Uh oh.

That was never a good sign.

"Where'd she go?"

Ethan rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know."

Mia stared at him.

"You let my pregnant sister leave upset and you don't know where she went?"

Ethan winced.

When she said it like that, it sounded bad.

Really bad.

"Okay, don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Make it sound bad."

Mia blinked.

"Ethan."

He sighed.

"Okay, yeah. Never mind. It sounds bad."

Rose looked between them and nodded seriously.

"Bad."

Neither of them acknowledged her.

Mia dropped into one of the kitchen chairs and her eyes immediately landed on the ultrasound picture. She stared at it for a moment before looking back at Ethan.