Dumped, Pregnant, and Done With His Games

My boyfriend, Javon Hickman, and my best friend, Abbie Cote, get into a car accident on their way to see me, leaving Javon with amnesia. After looking at the couple's suite and our honeymoon itinerary, Javon decides Abbie is the woman he is proposing to. "The second I lay eyes on Abbie, I know she's the one," he insists. Our friends try to set him straight. "Dude, Abilene's your girlfriend! You said you'd marry her when she got pregnant! You seriously don't remember?" Javon turns to scan me, his gaze full of contempt. "My taste isn't that bad. Why would I ever date her? You guys are pulling my leg, right?" Heartbroken by his coldness, I sprint out of the hospital room, only to hear our friends showering him with praise from inside. "Javon, brilliant move! You get to score with your dream woman and drop the dead weight all in one shot. Genius!" Javon lets out a snicker. "If you idiots hadn't gotten the wrong contact three years ago, I wouldn't have been forced to stick with her in the first place. Besides, Abilene's pregnant. She won't walk away. Once I've had my fun, I'll just win her back." My heart sinks at those words. His memory loss is a total act. And he actually thinks he can just come crawling back whenever he's done playing around. Gently touching my belly, I book an abortion right then and there. I'm done waiting. Chapter 1 Right after getting discharged from the hospital, my boyfriend, Javon Hickman, put together a proposal for my best friend, Abbie Cote. He had prepared everything, from fireworks and candles to roses and a ring. He had once promised me a proposal just like this. He said he wanted the whole world to witness how much he loved me. Now, he was giving that exact profession of love to someone else. Abbie cast a fleeting glance in my direction. A second later, my phone buzzed with a text from her. "Abilene, please don't overthink this. Once Javon gets his memory back, I'm sure he'll remember that you're the one he loves." I stared at the man whose eyes were overflowing with devotion. Would he, though? Everything happening right now was exactly what Javon wanted. If I weren't carrying his baby, he'd probably wish this "amnesia" lasted forever. Seeing Abbie nod, Javon couldn't hide the pure joy in his eyes. He reached for her hand and slipped the diamond ring onto her finger. "Abbie, not even death will part us." Tears of emotion welled up in her eyes. Truth was, when they went out on a date a while back, I followed them because I was worried about his condition. I ended up watching Javon—who used to call amusement parks childish—happily put on matching headbands and take goofy photos with Abbie. When he came home that night, he had a faint, lingering smile on his face. I knew this day would come. The way someone looked at the person they loved could never be hidden. Neither could the way they looked at someone they didn't. Javon's actions were just too obvious. I didn't even need to look to know the answer. A bitter smile touched my lips. Javon whispered something in Abbie's ear before leading her away. As he passed me, he shoved a few bills into my hand with casual elegance. "You're Abbie's friend, right? Could you help us clean the place up? I'm taking her home now." Abbie followed behind him, her eyes darting away nervously, though she said nothing. I watched their retreating figures. Lowering myself to the ground, I began picking up the rose petals one by one. Javon had put a lot of effort into today. He had once heard me say that I wanted a shower of falling petals when he proposed. So today, he hired a fleet of drones just to rain down flowers. He gave his romance to someone else but left me to clean up the wreckage. Only after I finished clearing the mess and turned to leave did I notice another text from Abbie. "Abilene, Javon only mistook me for you because he's sick. The moment he recovers his memory, I'll bring him straight back to you. Just give him a little more time." I didn't reply. My attention was caught by Javon's latest post on Instagram. "If this is a dream, I hope I never wake up." The attached photo showed their fingers intertwined inside a Ferris wheel, with a giant electronic billboard displaying their picture together in the background. I tapped on the image and zoomed in on the diamond ring on Abbie's finger. That was the ring Javon had bought for me. When I accidentally stumbled upon the ring box back then, I thought he was finally going to propose. I spent two hours every day doing my makeup and picking out outfits, dropping hint after hint. He brushed it off every time, and I assumed he was just keeping it a secret. It turned out that the ring was never meant for me in the first place. I liked his post. A second later, the post vanished. A heavy pressure settled over my chest before twisting into a sharp, excruciating pain deep inside me. I doubled over, trying desperately to suppress it. I couldn't tell if it was my body hurting everywhere or if my heart was simply breaking. Once the pain subsided, I scheduled an appointment for an abortion. If being with me felt like such a chore to Javon, then there was no point in waiting for him anymore. Chapter 2 After scheduling the hospital appointment for the following day, I went straight home. The moment I pushed the door open, I saw Javon standing outside my bedroom, staring fixedly inside. Only when he noticed me did he calmly look away. For a second, I thought the familiar surroundings had triggered something and brought back memories of our time here. When I first moved to Jolmere after graduation to build a life for myself, all I could afford was a tiny room. The day after Javon visited my 100-square-foot rented room and saw how I was living, he moved me out. He brought me to this place, personally arranging every gift he had ever given me around the apartment. Back when we were together, Javon acted as if he wanted to give me the world. It wasn't just money transfers or expensive presents. He made so many handmade gifts too—a scrapbook, a sketchpad, and a handwritten diary of our relationship. Back then, I genuinely believed he loved me. Looking back now, he only gave me those things because he had mistaken me for someone else. My heart throbbed with a pain so severe it felt as if someone were violently pounding on it. Javon had been staring at the second-anniversary gift he made for me. It was a glass bottle filled with colored sand he had layered by hand. He told me the pair of swans inside represented our love. Our initials were written right beside them. I used to wonder why Javon used initials instead of our names. Now, I finally understood. The "A" could have stood for Abilene or Abbie. Javon said, "I noticed I've been paying the rent here every year, so I came to check it out. This is the place I rented for Abbie." His eyes swept over me again. "But why are you here?" Abbie cut in with a rushed explanation, "Abilene didn't have a place to stay in the city, so I let her crash with me. I mean, the room was just sitting empty anyway. Right?" She looked at me, pleading with her eyes for me to play along. What Abbie said was true, except the roles were reversed. When she first moved to Jolmere without enough money for rent, I was the one who took her in. I had no desire to respond. I walked straight into my room and shut the door behind me. Through the frame, a harsh, agitated voice carried inside. "Abbie, this is the kind of roommate you live with? You let her stay here for free, and she still gives you an attitude?" Abbie's voice was soft as she tried to soothe him. "It's not like that. Abilene's probably just in a bad mood." I couldn't make out what they said after that. I doubled over, barely managing to suppress the wave of nausea churning in my stomach. As I bit my lip, a cold sweat broke out across my body. In my dazed state, memories of how Javon and I first met came rushing back. Shortly after we exchanged contact info, his parents died in an accident. During the period when Javon was at his most emotionally vulnerable, he would send 30 texts a minute, threatening to jump from the roof if I replied a second too late. Every single day, I sent him encouraging messages and stayed up until 2:00 am to keep him company. He once told me that if I hadn't pulled him back, he might not have held on. Javon always called me his savior, saying he was only alive today because I was there for him. But the truth was, he saved me too. After Mom got divorced and moved abroad, Dad blamed her passion for painting for abandoning our family. He destroyed all my prize-winning artwork and easel and even watched me constantly to make sure I never touched a paintbrush again. Suffocated by the growing weight of it all, I was ready to leap into the river and end it when Javon's relentless messages distracted me. It was his need for me that held onto my lifeline, giving me a reason to keep living. I just never expected that those late-night conversations only happened because he had the wrong woman all along. Chapter 3 Before I passed out, I thought I saw Javon rushing toward me. When I opened my eyes, I was already in the hospital. "You fainted and hit the cabinet earlier," the nurse said when she saw me waking up. "If your friends hadn't found you so quickly, that amount of bleeding could've been dangerous. Also, do you know that you're pregnant? You collapsed like that. Where's the father? He hasn't come to see you." The wound on my forehead throbbed with a dull pain as I stiffly changed the subject. "Where are my friends?" "They left right after paying the bill." The last flicker of hope in my heart evaporated into nothing. I had passed out once before, and Javon was the one who found me. I was washing dishes at home when a sudden drop in blood sugar made me faint. I collapsed straight onto the shattered porcelain. By then, his severe emotional dependence on me had improved, but he said he had a sudden, unexplainable sense of dread. After calling me over a dozen times with no answer, he dialed emergency services directly. That was how I was discovered and rushed to the hospital, barely missing going into shock from severe blood loss. When I woke up and asked how he knew, he claimed it was telepathy. Still uneasy, Javon had driven nearly 200 miles that day to take me for a thorough medical checkup. Later that afternoon, Abbie came to visit me. "Abilene, how are you feeling? Why was there so much blood yesterday?" Her face was filled with genuine concern. For a moment, she reminded me of the woman who, after hearing that I was going to the city for college, had changed her own college choices just to follow me. I shook my head. "It's nothing. I'm fine." Javon stood leaning against the doorframe, watching me. His expression was cold, making it impossible to tell what was going through his mind. Suddenly, he spoke up, "If you're fine, shouldn't you reimburse me for the medical expenses first?" Looking at the icy detachment on his face, I froze. Nothing remained in my eyes except deep bitterness. "Right." As I pulled out my phone to transfer the money back, Abbie placed a hand over mine to stop me. "There's no need, Abilene. You can just treat me to that spicy barbecue restaurant after you're discharged." I nodded. "Alright, let's do it today." I had already scheduled the abortion for later this afternoon, so today would be my final indulgence. Abbie and I were both from Sylverton, and neither of us could live without spicy food. Yet I overestimated what my pregnant body could handle. The moment I took a single bite, the harsh chili pepper made me cough violently. Then, I heard Javon's voice. "Abbie, drink some water." I reached out instinctively, only for my hand to freeze in midair when I realized he wasn't talking to me. Javon handed the drink to Abbie, whose face was equally flushed from coughing. Catching my movement out of the corner of his eye, he frowned, and his expression turned grim. I wanted to explain that I had simply misheard him, but before I could utter a word, a violent wave of nausea surged up my throat. I scrambled up and bolted toward the restroom. When I walked out, Javon was standing a short distance away with his arms crossed over his chest. Chapter 4 Seeing how pale my face was, Javon frowned imperceptibly. I turned my head away, intending to pretend I hadn't seen him, but he suddenly spoke up, "How are you feeling? Abbie said you're pregnant. A gynecologist I know happens to have an opening." I forced myself to stay calm. "I'm fine." He stepped back to give me space. As I neared the corner, Javon suddenly called out to me again, "Pregnant women shouldn't take medication, but if you have a cold, warm lemon and honey can help." My heart skipped a beat. The heavy nasal tone in my voice was indeed an early sign of a cold. Javon had actually noticed. There was a period back then when I coughed frequently, and Javon had told me that warm lemon and honey could relieve a cough. He said he had tried it himself and that it worked better than any medication. As he walked past me, Javon paused once more. His looming shadow cast an overwhelming pressure over me. "By the way, can you move out?" He held out a card, his tone entirely detached. "I don't want Abbie living with someone like you." It wasn't a request. It was an ultimatum. The disgust in his voice felt like a sharp blade piercing right through me. Since I was leaving tomorrow anyway, I replied, "Okay." Then, I walked past Javon and the card in his hand. A contemptuous grunt seemed to escape his throat as he turned and walked away. After settling the bill, I headed back, only to hear Javon still complaining in Abbie's ear. Fearing that I might refuse to move out, he seemed eager to move out with her instead. "Abbie, let's move you out from there. I don't like your friend. When I handed you the drink earlier, she reached for it. Her nickname is Abby, which sounds exactly like your name, so she actually thought I was calling her." Javon's voice was laced with disgust. "It's pathetic how hard she's trying to copy you." I squeezed my palms tight, my hand freezing on the doorknob. Abbie remained silent for a moment. "Javon, actually, Abilene is your real…" But when she met Javon's affectionate gaze, the words on the tip of her tongue suddenly changed. "I'll consider it." I didn't step back inside. I went straight back to the apartment, packed up my important belongings, and shipped them out. Everything else was tossed into the dumpster outside. With everything arranged, I lay down alone on the ice-cold operating table. … Abbie was feeling restless too. An uneasy flutter lingered in her chest over the past few days as she tried to check in on me. When she pushed the door open, however, all she found was an empty room. Javon froze when he realized I had already packed up and gone. He hadn't expected me to act so quickly. He was just about to complain to a friend about the uncomfortable sense of guilt he felt being with Abbie right under my nose when a message with a photo popped up on his phone. "Javon, I saw Abilene at the OB-GYN department today. Why did she go into an abortion operating room? Did she find out that you're only faking your amnesia?" Staring at his friend's message, Javon bolted to his feet. The photo was indeed taken right outside an abortion operating room. Once the reality set in, all strength drained from Javon's body, and he collapsed onto the floor. A sharp, violent pain suddenly stabbed through his heart.