Chapter 5. Tough Choices

Shawn stared at Cheryl, feeling the weight of his decision press down on him. He knew what he had to do, but deep down, he wanted to make a different choice, one that would benefit them all. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

He sighed and brushed his hands through his hair, feeling the tension build. "Let's talk when you're calm," he said, hoping that they could find a way out of this situation together.

But Cheryl wasn't done. "We have nothing to talk about, Boss," she said, her anger palpable. "I will never kill my child. And it's fine if you don't want to take responsibility, we'll do fine without you."

Shawn's heart sank. He knew that this was going to be a difficult conversation, but he hadn't expected it to be this hard. He struggled to find the right words to say, to make Cheryl understand that he wasn't shirking his responsibilities.

"Cheryl, I..." he started, but she cut him off.

"Leave, Boss," Cheryl said, almost in a whisper.

Shawn felt his frustration and helplessness boil over. He wanted to make things right, but he didn't know how. With a heavy heart.

*

*

Cheryl walked into the living room of her apartment to find her best friend, Abby, watching a movie.

She asked to leave the hospital immediately Shawn left, she didn’t want to face him again that day.

Abby stood up immediately upon seeing Cheryl, but the look on Cheryl's face made Abby pause.

"Hey sweet!" Abby said, her tone cheerful. But Cheryl wasn't looking good. "Hey," Cheryl replied, her voice quiet. Abby raised her chin and stared at Cheryl intently. "You good?" she asked, her brow creased in concern.

Cheryl shook her head, unable to hold back the tears that had been threatening to spill. "I'm not, Abby," she said, her voice breaking.

"Jesus. Come here," Abby said, placing Cheryl's head on her bosom. "Hey, it's gonna be fine. I promise," she said, patting Cheryl softly.

"He doesn't want us, Abby," Cheryl said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"What?" Abby asked, raising Cheryl's face to look at her. "Who's us? And who's he?"

"My and my child," Cheryl said curtly, walking away from Abby to sit on the couch and holding a pillow to herself. She had stopped crying, but her eyes were still swollen.

"What?!" Abby asked, her eyes widening in disbelief. "The one-night stand? I conceived, Abby," Cheryl said, her voice choked with emotion. She felt betrayed, lost, and confused.

"No, no, no," Abby said, closing her mouth in disbelief. "How is that even possible?"

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that the jerk wants me to abort my child!" Cheryl said in an almost choked voice. She was feeling tearful again.

"What?! Is he crazy?! I'll go and…" Abby said, making to leave, but Cheryl stopped her.

"It doesn't matter, does it?" Cheryl said.

"You're not making sense right now, Cheryl. How could he say such a terrible thing?! If he doesn't want to get married to you, at least he should take responsibility for the child."

"Well…" Cheryl started painfully. "Chase will always be Chase," she completed, while her best friend just stared at her.

"I can't believe you, Cheryl. Your dumb love for him won't let you come to your senses. He's going to move on to the next girl tomorrow and forget you! And don't even think of going back to that company," Abby seethed.

"I won't leave, Abby," Cheryl said, as Abby gave her a disbelieving look.

"Try me," Abby glared at her and went to her room. Cheryl sighed. She knew Abby was doing all of this for her, but she and Shawn could still talk. She was too mad at him back at the hospital to talk responsibly. Yes, they just needed to talk and settle things.

*

*

The Next Morning.

Abby's voice rang through the quiet living room like an alarm, jolting Cheryl out of her sleep. "Fuck!" she exclaimed, and Cheryl knew immediately that something was wrong. Without hesitation, she rose from her bed and made her way to the living room where Abby was staring intently at the television.

"What is it Abby?" Cheryl asked, her heart racing with anticipation. Abby didn't answer, but instead shook her head in disbelief. Cheryl followed her gaze to the TV and immediately saw what had upset her friend so much.

It was Shawn, the famous actress and her heartthrob, making headlines for all the wrong reasons. The screen showed a picture of him and an actress, their faces locked in a passionate embrace. Cheryl gasped, realizing the gravity of the situation.

The shock of it all made Cheryl's legs give out, and she would have fallen if Abby hadn't caught her in time. Abby turned off the TV and turned her full attention to Cheryl, who was dazed and confused.

"Cheryl," Abby called softly, trying to bring her friend back to reality. But Cheryl didn't seem to hear her. "We'll be fine," Abby continued, trying to reassure her. "I'm here, remember?" Still, Cheryl remained unresponsive.

"He wanted to kill my child for this?" Cheryl muttered bitterly to herself, shaking her head in disbelief. Abby looked at her with concern, not sure what to say or do to help her friend.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, interrupting the silence in the room. Abby sighed in frustration obviously pissed at the intruder and made her way to the door, leaving Cheryl to her thoughts.

*

*

Abby opened the door and Shawn walked in almost immediately. But he did not acknowledge her presence; instead, he hurriedly scanned the room for Cheryl, the person he was hoping to see. When he realized that the woman who had opened the door was not Cheryl, he looked around the room frantically until his eyes finally landed on her sitting on the couch like a deranged woman.

"Cheryl," he called out softly as he rushed towards her and knelt beside her.

"What do you think you're doing?" Abby asked with so much venom in her voice.

Shawn ignored her and stared intently at Cheryl. "I can explain," he said with a pleading eye. Cheryl forced a smile and said, "You don't need to Boss. We don't have anything to do with each other, remember?"

"What?" Shawn asked, confused.

"You are carrying my child," Cheryl said.

"No," Cheryl shook her head. "You killed him, remember?" she said.

"But I..."

"I thought we could talk, reason things out, and come to a compromise because of our child," Cheryl said in tears. "But that's not going to happen." Cheryl shook her head as tears streamed down her cheek.

Shawn's heart broke at Cheryl's tears. He had done some thinking the previous night while he was in the bosom of another woman. He couldn't get his mind off Cheryl. After their encounter at the hospital, he had wanted to lash out his frustration on something. So he had visited a bar and somehow ended up in the bed of one of his past flings while in his drunken state. Some paparazzi that were after the actress had caught them on camera. Shawn regretted going to the club; he regretted asking Cherly for an abortion. He regretted everything. He promised himself that night that he was going to make things right.

"Go away, Boss. I don't want to see you ever again," Cheryl said.

"Please, Cheryl, listen..."

"Go!" Cheryl said in tears.

"You better leave," Abby said in contempt, her anger growing by the minute.

Shawn stood up slowly and turned around. "I'll be back. I won't give up on you or our child, Cheryl," he said and walked away.

Abby rushed towards her best friend immediately Shawn left. "You don't believe him, do you?" she asked frantically.

"I'm leaving the city, Abby," Cheryl said.

"Leave? How?"

"I can't stay here any longer. I can't take it any longer, Abby," Cheryl said in tears while Abby watched her for a while.

"Right. Do what you want. Go as far away as possible from that jerk, where he won't hurt you," Abby rubbed her cheeks while Cheryl nodded.

Cheryl felt like her life was falling apart. She had never thought that she would end up in such a complicated situation. She had always known that getting involved with Shawn, her boss, was a mistake, but she couldn't help herself. She had fallen for him, and now, she was paying the price.

As she packed her bags, she realized that she had to do what was best for her and her unborn child. She had to leave the city and start anew, far away from Shawn and his complicated life. She had to move on and forget about him, no matter how hard it was. She was determined to do whatever it took to give her child a good life, even if it meant leaving everything she knew behind.