He Called Me 'Drama' While Holding Their Secret Baby

I was the last person to find out John had become a father.

Standing just outside the hospital room, I overheard him telling someone, "Keep the baby news quiet. I don't want Ashley flying back and causing drama."

I'd been in love with him for ten whole years. I finally confessed my feelings a year ago.

His response back then was, "When you finish your studies and come home, we'll be together."

How ironic.

This time, I didn't explode like I used to. I didn't confront him or demand answers.

Instead, I booked a flight back overseas and said yes to a marriage proposal from a guy who'd been chasing me for months.

From that moment on, John was dead to me.

"John, hiding this isn't going to work. Ashley's gonna find out if she comes back," a woman by the window said to him.

He was holding a baby, his eyes full of love. But at her words, his face went cold.

"Let her come. If she finds out, I'll deal with it. I just don't want one of her scenes just because she can't handle the truth."

"Besides, everyone knows how obsessed she was with me."

I stood frozen in the doorway.

It was true. I had been obsessed.

If another woman got too close to him, I'd shoo her away.

If he even talked to someone else, I'd question whether he still loved me.

"Yeah, everyone knows what she's like," the woman agreed with a light laugh, before her expression turned serious again. "But what about when you get married? You can't hide that forever, can you?"

John kissed the baby's forehead. "We'll see."

Just then, Jessica walked out of the bathroom.

John immediately put the baby down and rushed to her side, his voice soft with worry. "Jess, be careful."

"Aww, Jess, you're so lucky to have a fiancé who dotes on you like this," the other woman crooned. "No wonder you were okay with having a baby before getting married."

My heart dropped. I felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room.

Jessica was my best friend.

Before I left for school, I'd asked her to keep an eye on John for me.

And now… she was his fiancée.

I never thought something this cliché, something straight out of a bad soap opera, would happen to me.

Suddenly, I didn't know if I should even walk in.

And even if I did—what right did I have to question John?

We were never actually together.

A year ago, all he gave me was a promise: "When you finish your studies and come back, we'll be together."