Abigail held her baby closer as she listened to every word. The story felt unreal, as if two separate lives had collided in a single moment.
Then the doctor asked how she had met Julian, and slowly she told him everything. She described the café where they met, the way he had been charming and attentive, and how easily she had trusted him.
“He never talked about his family,” she said softly. “He never told me who he really was or where he came from.”
She paused before continuing, her voice steady but filled with quiet pain.
“When things became real, he did what he always does, he ran.”
Dr. Pierce listened without interrupting, his hands clasped tightly together. When she finished speaking, he looked at the baby and spoke in a softer tone.
“He has his grandmother’s nose,” he said gently.
Abigail let out a small laugh through her tears, because it was the most human thing she had heard in a long time. It reminded her that despite everything, there was still something real connecting all of them.
Before leaving that evening, the doctor paused at the door and looked back at her.
“You said you have no one,” he said quietly.
Abigail lowered her gaze.
“I thought that was true,” she admitted.