The hours stretched into an agonizing silence, and Taenus' heart thudded anxiously in her chest as she checked her phone for the hundredth time. The candles flickered, their light now dimming as the warmth of her excitement faded with each passing minute. The food on the table, carefully selected to make the evening special, now felt like an afterthought. Her mind raced, thoughts swirling in a storm of uncertainty.
When the door finally opened, Taenus jumped, her heart leaping into her throat. She quickly stood up, forcing a smile to her face, her voice trembling with anticipation.
"Eunseok," she began, "I've got a surprise for you. I went to the doctor today… and…"
But her words were cut off when she saw his face. His eyes were dark, his expression hard, and his body language distant. The warmth she had been hoping for was absent.
"Taenus," he said flatly, "What is this?"
She looked at him, trying to read his expression, her excitement turning into confusion. "I— I thought you'd be happy. I'm pregnant, Eunseok. We're going to have a baby." She reached out, her hands trembling as she grabbed his, her eyes shining with hope. "Isn't this amazing? I know things are tough, but we'll figure it out together. We can make it work. I just want us to be a family."
Eunseok's face darkened even more, his grip pulling away from hers. "No. This is… this is not what I wanted," he spat, his voice rising in frustration. "We don't need this shit, Taenus. You think I'm ready for a baby? You think I can just—" He cut himself off with a harsh laugh, his anger palpable in the air.
Taenus froze, her heart sinking into her stomach. "What… what are you saying?" Her voice quivered as she tried to hold onto the hope that this was just a moment of frustration, that he would calm down and realize how important this was.
"I'm saying that this isn't my problem," Eunseok said, his voice colder than she had ever heard it. "I can't take care of this. I'm not ready. I'm not going to change everything for this—" He gestured wildly at her stomach. "This mistake."
Taenus' chest tightened, and the words she had been dying to hear suddenly felt like daggers in her heart. Her breath caught in her throat, the reality crashing down on her. She had thought that this was a moment of joy, a turning point in their relationship. But now, everything she had dreamed of seemed to crumble before her eyes.
"Eunseok, please," she whispered, her voice small, barely a sound. "I thought we could do this together. I need you."
He shook his head, his jaw clenched as he turned away from her. "I can't do this, Taenus. I'm done." His words were final, leaving no room for discussion. He walked toward the door, his footsteps heavy against the silence of the room. "Take care of it yourself."
Before she could respond, he was gone, the door slamming shut behind him with a deafening thud.
Taenus stood there, her body trembling, her mind numb. The tears she had been holding back for so long finally began to spill, her sobs breaking through the silence of the empty room. The surprise she had prepared for Eunseok, the future she had dreamed of, all of it was shattered in an instant.
She sank to the floor, her back pressed against the wall as the weight of his words crashed down on her. Alone. Alone with the child she had wanted to share with him.
Everything she had believed in—the love, the hope, the future—was gone.
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