“YOU WORTHLESS TROLLOP!” his mother screamed some more. “YOU CHEATED NO MY SON AND GOT PREGNANT? NOW YOU WANT TO BABY-TRAP HIM?”

“Baby trap him? Mrs. Castillo, Chris and I have been trying for months. We wanted to surprise you and start our family right away. What do you mean by infertile? That’s impossible!” Amanda shook her head rapidly, not knowing what to do.

Mr. Castillo wiped his mouth with a cloth napkin and stood. “Get out of this house immediately. Never show your face near my son again, or we will get a restraining order,” he threatened quietly.

“Sir! Chris, please. Do something. I don’t understand!” Amanda begged her fiance, but Chris couldn’t move. Suddenly, Mrs. Castillo grabbed Amanda’s hair and started pulling her toward the front door.

“Get out of here now!” the older woman yelled like a banter.

Amanda held onto her hair to prevent more pain, but she repeatedly called out to Chris. It was futile. He was still at the table, looking at his plate and not moving.

“CHRIS!” Amanda shouted finally as the heavy front door slammed.

***

The next few days were a confusing blur. Chris moved out of their shared apartment, leaving the medical results on their kitchen countertop. He also left a Post-it.

“I was concerned and got tested. I’m infertile. Completely. I hope you have a happy life, but it won’t be with me,” he wrote, breaking Amanda’s heart.

That doctor had to be wrong. She was pregnant, and it was 100% Chris’s baby. She hadn’t been with anyone else for many years. How was this possible? And why wouldn’t he talk to me?

Despite her best efforts, Chris refused contact. When she went to his parent’s house, they called the police, who told her to leave or risk being arrested.

“Fine! I’ll leave! I’ll raise this beautiful baby on my own! You’re the one missing out, and when you realize the truth, it’ll be too late!” she screamed towards the mansion and walked away.

Despite what the Castillo family tried to imply, Amanda didn’t need to trap anyone. She might not be from a wealthy family, but she had a great job. Her company had a fantastic maternity leave policy, and the entire team was ready to support her dearly. Her boss loved her, so she wasn’t worried.

“What? No, that was just our plan,” Mrs. Geoffrey chuckled, waving her hand.

The problem was facing an utterly different future without Chris and as a single mom. But if others could do it, she could too.

Therefore, she had the baby, named him Paul, and did her best. It was suffocating doing everything alone at times, but she persevered every day for her son. The only problem was that her baby was a carbon copy of Chris. It was impossible to miss.

“Those idiots,” she whispered after putting him down for a nap. “They don’t know what they’re missing. Let them eat cake in their country clubs while you and I find real happiness.”

***

Chris tried to move on with life. His usually cold parents were highly supportive after he moved out of his shared apartment with Amanda. He was thankful for that. The last thing he ever imagined was Amanda cheating on him. It didn’t seem possible despite irrefutable proof.

But his parents told him everything would be alright soon. And life goes on even when you don’t want it to. He returned to work, found a new apartment for himself, and tried to forget the pain. The future was bleak without Amanda, but his parents tried to cheer him up.

One day, they invited him for dinner, and Ciara was there. Surprisingly, they got along, and she had many interesting things to say. His parents were delighted and encouraged the friendship. Chris didn’t have the fight in him to refuse again.

He started dating Ciara. They were taking things slow, but he didn’t discourage his mother when she talked about a country club wedding. Fine. If this is the life I deserve, I’ll just let them plan everything for me, he thought during his depressing moments.

Amanda was out of his life. He just hoped her baby daddy was a good man.

***

About a year after Paul was born, Amanda was walking down the street, focusing on her cell phone, when she stumbled upon someone.

“I’m so sorry. I wasn’t looking,” she apologized, only to raise her eyes and see Chris. “Oh.”

“Amanda,” he said, swallowing. “Hi.”

“Hello,” she replied awkwardly. “Bye.”

“Wait,” Chris grabbed her hand, but the movement made her drop her phone. “Jeez, I’m sorry.”

He picked it up, and the screen lit. There was a picture of her baby as a screensaver, and his eyes zeroed in on it.

“Give me that,” Amanda snatched it from his hands, finally showing her anger. “You don’t deserve to look at him.”

“Him?” he mumbled, breathless from seeing the image.

“Yes. My son,” she said, lifting her chin. “Mine. Alone.”

Her whole demeanor was surprising. He understood why she would lie about cheating at first, but it had been a while since their split. She didn’t have to pretend anymore.

“I guess it didn’t work out with the father,” Chris commented, wanting to be angry and hurt her somehow.

“Yeah. It didn’t,” she raised her eyebrows. “Bye, Chris.”

And she walked away.

For several days, Chris pondered hard on the situation. He didn’t remember the picture of the baby much, as she had snatched her phone too quickly. But he had stunning blue eyes. Amanda’s eyes were brown. Of course, anyone could be the father.

But her attitude. The way she was accusing him without actually saying anything was highly odd. Was it possible that he had been wrong? That his doctors were wrong?

It didn’t seem likely because he had gone to Ciara’s father’s private clinic. They had all the latest technologies, so the chances of a false result were odd. But… what if?