The Termination Plot

more weeks until I held my son. I ran a hand over the tight curve, a smile on my face.

Tucked away in the back of his desk drawer, beneath a stack of old tax re

e better of me.

ertificate. A vase

ubbard. Then I looked at the date. It was from a year a

per. It didn't make sense. I was eight months pregnant. This

e warmth of the life inside me. I was pregnant. I had felt h

inst my ribs, a frantic, painful rhythm. This couldn't be real.

m. I needed to hea

nk slate of confusion and fear.

the turns I made. All I could see was that date on the

ide, my swollen belly making the movement awkward. The receptionist tried to

r. Loud, boisterous laughter com

pressed my ear against the cool wood, a decision I woul

ized as Edison, Derek's best friend, said between chuckles. "She wa

It was a cruel, mocking sound that made my ski

rds of love to me every night. "Patience, my friend. The big

. Payout? What wa

th a strange, possessive affection. "That bitch Aleida had to pay

r a special program, that it was a great opportunity. I had

ered. The sound of his voice, so full of contempt, was a physical blow. "

en howled w

ison asked. "Who's the real f

other voice

ng on who the father o

s building, the man I had given my heart to-it was all a sham.

sudden, sharp kick, as i

e I had felt just an hour ago curdled into something

office, a decision formed in the ruins of my

ol of their sick gam

s stiff and robotic. I pulled out my pho

umber for a p

ngly steady. "I need to schedule a