Something small fell out when my ex swung our daughter’s backpack over his shoulder. When I saw it, I went crazy—my kid shouldn’t have had that! They were already in the car, so I did what any mother would do: I followed them.

Zoey picked at her breakfast as if it were going to bite her. She was very pale and quiet, and her eyes looked like they were made of glass.

She used to enjoy her “Father-Daughter” weekends with Jason. Since they got divorced, it was their special time.

But she’d been acting funny lately, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad had happened on one of their camping trips over the weekend.

When I asked Zoey, “Are you okay?” I put my hand on her shoulder.

She didn’t answer.

Zoey?” I spoke softly. “Talk to me. What’s going on?”

She said, “It’s okay.”

I said, “It doesn’t look good.” “Did… did something happen during one of your trips with your dad?”

As soon as I asked, her whole body stiffened up.

She yelled, “I said it was fine!” “Stop asking me, okay? Just stop!”

She got up from the table and ran out of the kitchen. After a few minutes, her door slammed upstairs.

Jason showed up early and was very happy. He was at least excited about that weekend.

He walked inside and asked, “Where’s my girl?”

“Upstairs. Jason, there’s something off with her. She’s been acting strangely, and she doesn’t look well. Did something happen on one of your camping trips?”

“Uh… no. Just normal camping things. Bugs, rain, annoying neighbors at some of the campsites… The usual.”

“It seems like more than that.”

He waved his hand around like he was getting rid of a fly. “Don’t worry. I’ll talk to her.”

Something about the way he spoke made my chest hurt. Jason didn’t usually ignore what I said about Zoey.

I said, “Jason—” but he was already heading up the stairs.

He called her room and said, “Zoey! Come on, buddy! We’re going to miss the good trail!” “Let’s go!”

After a short time, she came down, walking as if she were on water. I could barely hear her goodbye as she rushed past me and out the front door.

Zoey had put her backpack next to the door last night, and Jason picked it up. Something flew out of the side pocket as he quickly put it on his shoulder.

He called out happily, “See you on Sunday, Rachel,” as he ran after Zoey.

“Wait,” I said as I bent down to get the thing that had dropped from under the chair.

But Jason’s steps kept going away, down the steps and across the porch. I found a thin, hard thing with my fingers. It was under the couch, but I slid it out.

When I looked at the thing in my hand, the world seemed to stop. The test showed that she was pregnant because it had two pink lines.

I came out of my shock when I heard Jason’s truck start up. I sprinted to the front door and jumped down the steps. Jason had already driven off when I yelled and waved my arms.

There was nothing else to do. I ran back inside, quickly got my keys and coat, and got into my car.

What was Zoey’s reason for carrying a good pregnancy test in her bag? I was determined to find out.

***

After fifteen minutes, I was on the highway a few cars behind Jason and had no idea where he was going.

The way he was taking me made no sense. He had told me he and Zoey were going to the state park up north this weekend.

I couldn’t wait for him to leave. He went back into the city instead.

I went with him into a quiet neighborhood in the suburbs. I parked a few yards away from where he parked in front of a simple craftsman house.

When Jason opened Zoey’s door, she walked out with all the energy of someone who was about to be put to death. Jason spoke to her and then put his hand on her shoulder to lead her to the house.

On the steps, she stopped and looked up at Jason. She moved her mouth and shook her head. She didn’t want to go into that house.

However, Jason opened the front door and led her inside.

It didn’t make sense at all. Who lived here? Then why did Jason lie? Why did Zoey look like she was being dragged somewhere she didn’t want to go? What did that pregnancy test have to do with any of this?

I couldn’t just sit there and try to figure it out on my own. I ran across the street after getting out of my car.

I went up the stairs to the porch and knocked on the door. I pushed it open and walked inside because it wasn’t locked.

“Rachel? What the hell—”

“This,” I said, pointing to the test. “It fell out of Zoey’s backpack when you lifted it. A positive test.”

Jason’s face went numb as his jaw dropped. The way Zoey looked at him made her look like an animal that was in a tight spot.

I slowly walked over to Zoey and put her down on the couch.

“Honey, I know this isn’t yours. You haven’t gone through puberty yet, but you need to tell me where you got it.”

She couldn’t hold back tears, and her lips were shaking, but she didn’t say anything.

“Zoey—”

“It’s mine.”

I heard the voice behind me. I almost fell when I turned around so quickly.

From what looked like the kitchen, a woman walked into the living room. She was wearing yoga pants and a shirt that was too big on her.

He cleared his throat. “This is Sara. My, um. My girlfriend. I’ve been meaning to tell you. It’s, um. It’s still kind of new. Still figuring things out.”

The anger began in my stomach and moved up. “But you’ve been bringing Zoey here? You didn’t think to mention that she’d be spending time with your girlfriend?”

“I wanted to wait until I knew it was serious,” Jason told me.

“She’s pregnant, Jason. That’s not just serious; that’s permanent.”

He turned his attention back to Sara. “I didn’t know… You’re really pregnant?”

Sara smiled and moved toward him. “Really pregnant. Isn’t it great? You’re going to be a Dad.”

When she smiled back, Jason pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. Zoey then got up.

She yelled, “You’re already a Dad!” and clenched her hands together. “Or do I not matter anymore?”

Zoey ran off before anyone could answer her. Her whole body went for the door, and she pushed Jason so hard that he fell.

Adam tried to follow, but Sara quickly reached out and grabbed his arm.

“Let her go.” She told me. “Her mother should handle it. You need to start thinking about us: me and the baby.”

He backed away as if she had burned him. “She’s my daughter.”

Sara said with a little more edge, “But you’re going to have another child soon.” “You can’t keep living in your ex-wife’s back pocket. Or your daughter’s. This is your real life now. You need to be here. With me.”

Then I took a step forward, my hands shaking with anger.

“Being pregnant doesn’t give you the right to pretend Jason only has one child,” I said to Jason’s “not serious, yet pregnant” lady. “And it definitely doesn’t give you permission to push the other one out.”

Sara had her arms crossed over her chest. “Why don’t you go see what your child’s issue is and stay out of our business. I won’t tolerate an interfering ex, got it?”

I turned to Jason instead of taking the bait. “I’ll go talk to her. But this is your mess, Jason. You should be out there, too.”

I left without saying anything else.

Zoey was curled up on the steps of the porch with her arms around her knees. I sat down next to her, not too close that she felt trapped but close enough to comfort her.

“Hey,” I said little by little. “You okay?”

She didn’t answer.

I went in a different direction. “It must be scary, huh? Knowing that you’re going to be a big sister?”

Zoey said in a whisper, “It’s not that.” “She… she said they’d move away, that I’d only be allowed to visit once a year, and only if I was good.”

Something turned in my stomach. “Who said that?”

“Sara.” Zoey was still not looking at me. “Dad left us alone to bond, or something. But she told me we didn’t need to get to know each other. That she was starting her own family, and they’d move away soon.”

I felt angry again, but this time it was stronger. “She said that to you?”

Zoey said “yes.”

She started to cry freely as she said, “I thought if Dad knew she was pregnant, they’d leave sooner.” “So when I found the test in the bathroom last weekend, I took it.”

I put my arm around her. She leaned in right away, as if she had been waiting for clearance. She was shaking all over.

“You should have told me what she said.”

Zoey said, “Sara told me no one would believe me.” “She said that if I said anything to anyone, she’d just say I was lying. She said nobody will believe a child over an adult, and I’d just get in trouble for being bad.”

A low, shaky voice spoke from behind us. “Is that true?”

We both turned. Jason had a pale face as he stood on the porch.

He moved closer, as if he didn’t want to scare Zoey. “Did she really say those things?” “And you didn’t tell me… because you thought you’d get in trouble for lying…”

Zoey gave a shrug as tears ran down her face. They kept going and she couldn’t stop them.

Jason’s face sagged. He looked from Zoey to me, his heart broken over what Sara had done to his daughter.

“I didn’t know she was like this,” he stated. “Sara told me she loved kids, that she couldn’t wait to meet Zoey. That’s why I brought her here…”

I didn’t get weaker. “Well, she showed you who she really is now, Jason. It’s on you to do something about it.”

He got down on his knees next to Zoey.

“You’re my daughter,” he told her. “No one — no one — can replace you. Never. I’m not going anywhere, and I wouldn’t give up my time with you for anything in the world, okay?”

Zoey leaned against him, and he hugged her as if he were trying to make up for all the vows he had broken at once.

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