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

Silent path

The path was bathed in golden light that fell through the branches and cast flickering shadows across the ground. The distant laughter of others seemed to come from a world we had long since left - light, carefree, unscathed. Drew walked beside me, and although our steps were in sync, it felt like we were walking on separate paths. The words that floated unspoken between us were heavy like fog, dense and suffocating. I felt how every second of silence tore something inside me - because it was not a comfort, but an echo of what had been lost.

Resolution for answers

I gathered myself with each step, breathing deeper as if trying to force courage into my lungs. My heart pounded like a steady drumbeat, reminding me of my goal - today I would finally get the truth out of Drew. For too long everything had been lost in doubt and innuendo, for too long he had obscured the answers. I clenched my fists, feeling the coldness of my own resolve. Somewhere behind all the silence, behind the half-truths and his look, there had to be a meaning. And I was ready to find it - even if the truth would break me.