He Chose The Child I Chose My Freedom

Caleb Reed got a girl pregnant after a night of heavy drinking. I didn’t know until the girl was six months along. He told me to let her keep the baby, and we could go back to the way we were. I shook my head, my voice clinging to a single, desperate question: “Me, or that child? Choose.” He stood in silence for a long time that day, unable to give me an answer. But after I vanished, he regretted everything.

1 After five years of marriage to Caleb, I never imagined it would end like this. Outside the hospital entrance, Caleb was carefully helping a young, beautiful woman descend the steps. I stood a short distance away, and my eyes locked with Caleb’s, which were filled with soft concern for her. He flinched, his gaze darting away from mine, a flicker of fear replacing the tenderness. The heavily pregnant woman beside him looked my way, and her eyes instantly welled up with calculated tears. After safely settling the girl in the car and murmuring a few final instructions, Caleb finally walked over to me. His stride was measured and calm, utterly devoid of the panic I expected from a man just caught. He reached for my hand, which was cold as ice, and held it tightly in his palm. “Why are you here? Are you feeling unwell, Ellie?” He spoke with practiced care, even reaching up to touch my forehead. I pulled away. “Who is she?” Caleb didn’t answer. Instead, he pulled me into his arms, attempting to soothe me. “She’s no one important, sweetheart. Let’s go home, and I’ll explain everything. Okay?” His soft, low voice, which had comforted me for years, finally broke my composure, and the tears came. I stubbornly pulled my head back, needing to see his eyes, needing the truth. If he said he was innocent, I would believe him. Caleb sighed softly, then gently wiped the tears from my cheeks. “The baby is mine.” The tears froze on my face. I forgot how to breathe. I bit down on my lip until I tasted copper, then wrenched myself free of his embrace, taking a shaky step back. It was only then that a flash of genuine anger crossed Caleb’s features. He quickly pulled me back to his side, his eyes full of anguish. “Eleanor Stone, you can blame me, but you won’t destroy yourself over this.” I didn’t understand why he was still trying to show me his love when he’d done something so unforgivable. In our silent standoff, the girl from the car walked back toward us. “Get back in the car!” Caleb’s voice was ice, devoid of all warmth. The girl—Erica—looked up at him timidly but didn’t move. A fragile determination hardened her tear-filled eyes. “Ms. Stone, it’s not what you think. It was an accident. This baby was an accident.” She managed a bitter, practiced smile. “If I could, I wouldn’t want him either.” My vision blurred with fresh tears. I couldn’t clearly see the expression on Caleb’s face, but I knew him well enough to feel the coldness draining away, replaced by something close to pity. “Enough! Stop talking!” Jealousy, betrayal, and white-hot rage converged inside me, and I screamed. Erica gasped, her body swaying as she nearly lost her balance. Before she could fall, Caleb grabbed her, pulling her close and cradling her in his arms. I stared blankly at the scene. A thought, sudden and reckless, flashed through my mind. I surged forward. Before I could reach her swollen abdomen, a powerful force slammed into me, knocking me sideways. I landed hard on the asphalt. I looked at my scraped palm, then up at Caleb, and let out a chilling, hollow laugh. Caleb stared at his outstretched hand, the one that had just shoved me. He was stunned, frozen in disbelief at what he had done. That day, Caleb abandoned the six-month-pregnant girl and took me home. But I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he and I had no future left. 2 Back home, Caleb owed me an explanation. I sat motionless on the bed for hours while he stood on the balcony of my room, chain-smoking through the entire night. I knew he was performing his penance, trying to wear me down, trying to make me pity him. He always knew my weaknesses. As dawn broke, Caleb turned and walked back inside, coming to my side. “You must be hungry. What do you want? I’ll cook.” I stopped him with a hoarse whisper. “Caleb, we need to talk.” His steps faltered. He stood with his back to me for a long time. He knew my nature. This was something I couldn’t overlook. Even if he’d been drunk, even if his encounter with the girl had been a one-night-stand, I couldn’t forgive it. That’s why he had hidden it. But no one—especially not him—could have predicted that the virtual stranger he met that night would turn up pregnant and, due to a special health condition, unable to terminate the pregnancy. That was how we arrived at this moment. Caleb finally left. He couldn’t face the words I was about to speak. I knew he loved me. We wouldn’t have dated for so long otherwise. He wouldn’t have spoiled me into the woman I was—the one who could pout and cry and expect to be indulged. For the next week, Caleb didn’t come home. Yet, he called Maria, the housekeeper, every day, meticulously asking how I was doing. Maria tried to console me. “Ma’am, you and Mr. Reed are the most in-love couple I’ve ever seen. Just talk it out. He’s lost so much weight recently.” Maria had been with us for years and had never seen Caleb and me exchange a single cross word. Even his own mother, Anne, who’d been frosty toward me early on, had come to accept me because of how happy Caleb was. My phone rang. It was Caleb’s friend, Marcus. “Ellie, Caleb is completely wasted. Can you come pick him up?” “Tell him to stay there.” I hung up, but the anger in my chest only intensified. I kept seeing the image of Caleb’s back as he walked away—the defeated, slightly slumped line of his shoulders. I couldn’t bring myself to leave him out there alone. After a long internal fight, I grabbed my keys and headed out the door. 3 The door to the private room was slightly ajar. I stood in the hall, not going in. Caleb was indeed drunk, sprawled across the expensive leather couch, completely devoid of his usual corporate composure. Erica, the pregnant girl, stood before him. Marcus sounded embarrassed. “Erica, Ellie wouldn’t come, and Caleb refuses to leave. I had no choice but to call you.” Erica managed a small, soft smile. She took hold of one of Caleb’s arms, trying to help him up. He roughly pushed her away. A few sharp gasps from the men in the room seemed to shock Caleb out of his stupor. He looked at Erica and managed a painful, distorted smile. “Erica Wells, this is all your fault. Ellie is leaving me…” He repeated the phrase, his voice slurring, then started frantically searching for more liquor. Everyone tried to stop him, but he snatched a bottle and began gulping it down recklessly. Suddenly, Erica snatched the bottle from his hand and violently smashed it on the floor. The room fell instantly silent. Even Caleb, in his drunken rage, stared blankly at her. “Caleb Reed, your shouting is going to scare our baby. Get up. I’m tired, and you’re going to take me home.” Caleb, a man who commanded entire boardrooms and was feared throughout the city, had never been ordered around like this by anyone but me. Everyone held their breath, expecting an explosion. But in the thick, suffocating silence, Caleb said nothing. He slowly rose to his feet, picked up his jacket, and silently followed Erica out the door. I was pressed against the wall, hidden in the shadows, and watched the man and woman walk away. I smiled then, a bitter, heartbreaking curve of my lips. I followed their taxi to a high-rise luxury complex. I watched Caleb get out and escort the girl inside. A light flickered on in the middle of the towering building. I sat in my car and watched all night. Caleb never came out. At seven the next morning, he went back in, carrying a bag of breakfast. I stared at that familiar silhouette, the one that had belonged only to me for years. Then, I quietly drove away. 4 I called Caleb back home but didn’t mention divorce. I looked at the man, who looked gaunt, and quickly looked away. “I didn’t pick you up last night. Where did you stay?” Caleb’s fingers trembled almost imperceptibly. After a moment, he said, “I stayed at the office.” I couldn’t pinpoint the feeling inside me. It wasn’t the searing pain of jealousy, but a much deeper, colder sense of disappointment. When did Caleb start lying to me? The man who promised me a lifetime of uncompromising honesty was gone. I didn’t call him out. It felt pointless now. “How many months is she?” Caleb hesitated, as if reluctant to inflict more pain. “Almost seven.” Then, he dropped to one knee in front of me, burying his head deep into my lap. Tears soaked my designer skirt. “Ellie, I’m so sorry. Don’t leave me.” In all our years together, I had never seen Caleb cry. His grief now was harsh and desperate. Watching him, my own heart ached terribly. But I knew I couldn’t afford to soften. “Arrange a meeting. I want to talk to her.” We met at Erica Wells’s apartment. Caleb waited outside. Erica sat, gently stroking her abdomen, her eyes full of intense, maternal anticipation. “That night, the lights were out, and I was so scared. But when I woke up and saw Mr. Reed beside me, I felt a flicker of hope.” Erica smiled as she spoke. She looked up at me, still appearing sweet and fragile. “Ms. Stone, the CEO’s child is almost here. Won’t you grant us your blessing?” Caleb wasn’t here, and the girl was a completely different person. I wasn’t surprised, though. That night outside the bar, Erica had glanced over her shoulder toward the shadows. I knew she had seen me. She slowly stood up and opened a closed door. Inside was a warm, welcoming nursery. “Mr. Reed personally picked out everything in here, and he decorated the room himself. He isn’t without hope for this child.” I desperately tried to maintain the last shred of my composure in the face of Erica’s smug display of Caleb’s fatherly love. But I was pushed over the edge. It wasn’t just an accident; Caleb wanted this child. He hadn’t been indifferent at all. All the strength drained from my body. I braced myself against the dining table, knocking over a glass of water. The sharp crack as the glass shattered on the tile floor was a sound that echoed the fissures appearing in my heart. Caleb heard the noise and rushed in. What he saw was me staggering, and Erica lying on the floor, clutching her stomach and crying out in pain. I will never forget that moment. Caleb’s first choice was no longer me. Erica flashed me a triumphant, knowing look, certain she had won. As Caleb passed me, he hesitated for only a single, agonizing second. Then, he stepped around me, scooped Erica up, and headed for the hospital. 5 Caleb didn’t look back as he left. I stood there for a long time, slowly accepting the fact that he had abandoned me. I followed them to the hospital. When I arrived, Anne and George Reed, Caleb’s parents, were already there. Everyone knew but me. I was the last to be told. When she saw me, Anne Reed slapped me across the face. “If anything happens to my grandson, you will have hell to pay!” Caleb immediately stepped in front of me, shielding my entire body with his own. Seeing this, his mother grew even angrier. “Caleb! Protect her all you want, but she just tried to hurt your son!” Caleb laughed, a tight, low sound of repressed defiance. “So what? If he’s gone, he’s gone.” If they hadn’t secretly decided to keep the child, Ellie wouldn’t be in pain now. No one knew that when he saw Erica fall, his first reaction was a wave of relief. He was filled with regret about the accidental pregnancy. The doctor emerged from the room, confirming the baby was safe. The Reeds rushed inside, fussing over Erica. She, however, kept looking at Caleb in the doorway, her expression utterly helpless and pitiful. She dared to manipulate me, and I would not let her win. I turned my swollen, red cheek toward Caleb. “I can’t stay here.” He let me lead him away. As we walked out, I glanced back at Erica in the hospital bed and returned her confident smile with one of my own. For now, Caleb still chose me. Even if it was a choice I no longer wanted. In the days that followed, while Caleb believed I was slowly accepting the existence of the child, I was quietly preparing for my departure. I packed my belongings and finalized the divorce papers. I was waiting for one day. Erica’s due date. She wanted me to approve of their little family? I would grant her wish. 6 Lately, I’d been experiencing a strange, persistent discomfort in my lower abdomen. I went to the hospital to get checked out—and ran into them. I rescheduled my appointment and went through the checks. When the results came back, I laughed through my tears. The child Caleb and I had tried to conceive for five years was finally here. And the timing couldn’t have been worse. I stood in the hospital corridor, the positive test results clutched in my hand, staring blankly at the tiny new life inside me. I knew I should terminate the pregnancy, but I couldn’t bear to lose it. The thought was more painful than leaving Caleb. I looked up and instantly saw Caleb and Erica emerging from her final prenatal check-up. In recent weeks, neither of us had mentioned Erica. He interpreted my silence as consent. “Mr. Reed, our baby is perfectly healthy. I’m so happy.” Caleb’s voice was unreadable, but the subtle lift of his eyebrow betrayed his good mood. “Yes, you’re taking very good care of him.” They discussed the baby, neither noticing I had stopped directly in front of them. The moment Caleb saw me, he immediately dropped Erica’s hand, putting a rigid distance between them. The silence stretched. I broke it first. “What a coincidence. I’m in a hurry. I’ll see you both later.” Caleb reached out frantically, grabbing my arm, not letting me leave. “Ellie, let me explain.” I calmly slipped my arm free. I wasn’t angry, just detached. “I’m not angry. I understand this is your responsibility, Caleb.” Erica’s eyes lit up immediately. “Ms. Stone, do you truly agree to let the baby stay?” After the last time we clashed, I had no patience left for her facade. “Ms. Wells, your child is due in a few days. Does my agreement even matter?” Erica instantly burst into fragile tears. “I… I was forced.” It was too late for excuses. Ignoring Caleb’s attempts to follow, I turned and walked back to the doctor’s office. Someone had just helped me make a very difficult decision. 7 Erica went into labor at four in the morning. Caleb was immediately called away. As he was leaving, he whispered in my ear: “Ellie, once this baby is born, we can go back to how things were. I promise.” He knew I was awake. He also knew that the presence of this stranger’s child meant we could never truly go back. I kept my eyes closed, offering no response. But just as he reached the door, I called out to him. I pressed him for the final answer: “Caleb Reed, me or that child? Choose.” When I saw the pained and conflicted look on his face, I shook my head, already knowing the answer, and urged him to go. As I lay back down, Caleb said softly, “Wait for me. I’ll come back, and I’ll fix everything.” I don’t need you to fix it, I thought. I’ll do it myself. After he left, I placed a signed divorce agreement and a USB drive on the bedside table. Without a single word of farewell, I left the house I had once cherished.