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

Curious glances on the rise

A woman who had just left the clinic glanced at us, but her gaze lingered a moment too long. I immediately felt my pulse quicken. Was it just curiosity - or had she suspected something? Next to me, Drew stirred, as if he had finally noticed my growing unease. This stranger's gaze felt like it had made the invisible between us visible - all the tension, the fear, the mistrust. I looked at Drew, and for a moment I recognized in his eyes the same unease that was raging inside me. This was no longer a simple conversation. This was about something much bigger.

The longing for truth

The silence became unbearable. "Drew, tell me what's really going on!" I blurted out, my voice quivering under the pressure. The interior of the car seemed to be getting smaller by the second, the air was getting thicker, heavier. Finally he turned to me, his face expressionless, his eyes impenetrable. "Nina," he began, but the words hung in the air, unfinished, frightening. I felt panic and confusion rising inside me. "I need to know, please," I whispered pleadingly, but his silence settled over me like a cage from which there was no escape.