I ignored her, but she taunted me relentlessly, "I heard you planned to visit your grandma today? Too bad, one call from me and he came running. Guess why?"
She shoved the medical report in my face, "I'm pregnant with Josh's child. He's overjoyed!"
A buzzing filled my head, drowning out everything else. My mother had died during childbirth and my father, who adored her, despised me for it. My childhood memories were filled with his drunken curses, calling me a jinx who had killed my mother.
The trauma left me terrified of motherhood. Before agreeing to be with Josh, I had made it clear I never wanted children.
The next day, he underwent a vasectomy without hesitation, "Natalie, having you is all I'll ever need."
I didn't know when he reversed it—perhaps he had planned this all along. I thought I had steeled myself, but the bitterness was unbearable.
I turned to leave, unwilling to hear another word, but Tatiana grabbed my arm, her nails digging into my skin. I instinctively shook her off and she let out a dramatic cry as she fell backward.