She opens her hand and inside her clenched fist are her contraceptive pills. Well - not her pills - rather the ones I switched them with.
I swallow hard.
Fuck.
How did she find out?
I look into her eyes, meeting her gaze and holding steady.
“I know what you did.” She repeats, her voice shaking at the edges. There is hatred in her eyes.
Or is it fear?
I can’t tell.
I have never seen someone so upset. She is so full of rage that she is frighteningly calm. Like the eye of the storm.
“Nerissa.”
“Don’t bother telling me I’m mistaken.”
I shake my head. “I wasn’t going to. I admit what I did.”
She looks shocked.
“Are you serious?” She shouts, suddenly breaking away from the calm and surging forward with fury. “You won’t even try to tell me you didn’t do it? Are you crazy? What you did is insane. It’s such a devastating break of my trust - how could you do this and calmly admit it without even blinking an eye? You ruined my fucking life!”
She is shaking now - the storm is here. It’s flooding from her eyes and her body in wave after wave of emotion.
I lean forward to hold her, but she shoves me away from herself.
“Don’t you dare touch me.” She growls.
“Nerissa, you need to understand why I did it.”
“Oh - I’d love to hear this - go ahead. Tell me why you made this choice for me - go on.”
I hold her gaze, staying steady, keeping my voice calm.
“Because I love you. And someone as incredible as you would never choose to be with someone like me unless you had a reason. I can’t live without you. You are my entire world. Everything good about me - isyou. I am not even half the man I want to be without you at my side. I need you, Nerissa. I had to make sure I never lost you.”
Her breathing hitches as she fights tears and her uncontrollable anger.
I reach out to her again, taking her hand. She doesn’t move. I rub my thumb over the back of her hand, feeling the smooth warmth of her skin.
“Nerissa, please. I never wanted to hurt you. I did this so that you would let me love you. What I said before - I meant it. I will give you everything. I will give you the world. Can’t you see I did this out of love?”
She’s deathly silent.
“Please, talk to me.” I beg her.
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Say you will marry me.”
“Your family hates me. You lied to me. Got me pregnant, ruined the plans I had for my life. How can you ask me to marry you now? Have you lost your fucking mind?”
“No, little bird. I spoke to my father. I have his blessing.” She glares at me, “There is nothing stopping us from being together. You will be welcomed into my family and our child will have the best of everything.”