She said she wanted to keep the baby—he nodded and drove her straight to a hospital.

An unexpected invitation to eat ice cream

Surprisingly, Drew changed tactics. "Hey, how about we go out for ice cream?" he suggested, his voice almost playful, as if he was simply trying to wipe away the heaviness between us. The suggestion seemed so harmless, so commonplace - a delicate attempt to conjure up normality in the midst of chaos. But it was precisely this simplicity that made it even more disconcerting. How was something so banal supposed to heal the patchwork of mistrust and broken trust that had piled up between us?

Seduced by normality

I briefly toyed with the idea - the idea of simply returning to us, to the familiar moments of cupcakes, sprinkles and laughter that used to be real. But the sting of his decisions was too deep, the betrayal still unfolding like a wound that wouldn't heal. Could something so sweet really mask the bitterness that burned inside me? For a fleeting moment, my heart wavered, groping for forgiveness - but the pain pulled me back, holding me tightly to the place where trust had once stood.