My Best Friend Is Having My Fiancé's Baby
That’s when she told me hers. A secret that cracked my world open.
She was four weeks pregnant. The father was a man she’d never introduced me to.
Chloe’s face was a mess of conflict in the dim lamplight. “Ava,” she whispered, her voice tight, “what do I do? Do I choose the baby’s father, or do I choose the London job?”
The promotion to the London office was the culmination of five years of brutal, relentless work.
But I could see it in her eyes. She couldn’t bear to let go of this man.
My answer was instant, a gut reaction. “Go to London. A career is a hell of a lot more reliable than a man.”
With tears shimmering in her eyes, she pulled out her phone and typed out a five-thousand-word farewell manifesto to him.
Later that night, I found that same manifesto on Leo’s phone.
1
Leo was in the shower, and his phone wouldn’t stop buzzing on the nightstand.
I figured it was just colleagues, early congratulations on the engagement.
I picked it up. Pinned to the top of his messages was a name: Chloe.
My Chloe. The girl I’d shared everything with for twenty-six years, since we were toddlers running naked through sprinklers. Ten minutes ago, we were hugging in my bed.
What could she possibly have to say to Leo that required five consecutive messages?
Leo, you and Ava are getting engaged tomorrow. I guess this is where it ends for us. ~?
As long as you’re happy, what do my tears matter? I’ll be there tomorrow to watch your sacred moment, and then I’m heading to the London office. Goodbye. ~?
I read the messages again and again. It was her, no doubt. The little tilde she always used. The heart emoji at the end of every serious thought.
My hand shook, the phone suddenly heavy. A roaring filled my ears, drowning out the sound of the shower. I couldn’t connect the two images in my head: Leo, the man who adored me, and Chloe, my soulmate, my sister.
So, the baby Chloe was carrying… it was Leo’s.
A crushing weight settled on my chest, hot tears stinging my eyes.
The bathroom door clicked open. I shoved the phone back onto the nightstand, my movements jerky and unnatural.
Leo smiled, his hair damp, his face warm and open. “Have a good chat with Chloe? I bet you two have enough to talk about for three days and three nights, with you changing your status on her.”
The words were a stone in my throat. I couldn’t force the accusation out.
He plugged in the hairdryer. “So, my beautiful fiancée-to-be, are you still willing to do the honors tonight?”
Usually, I loved drying his hair. It was our ritual.
But the thought of his hands, of their shared intimacy, sent a wave of nausea through me.
“My throat’s a little scratchy,” I managed, my voice raspy. “I think I’m just going to sleep, if that’s okay.”
He was all concern, scooping me up in his arms and carrying me to the bedroom.
He tucked me in before glancing at his phone. I watched as his posture stiffened, the muscles in his neck cording.
“Babe, I’m just gonna run out and grab some gum,” he said, his voice strained.
The moment the door closed, I was out of bed, pulling on a pair of sneakers, my heart pounding as I followed him out into the night.
My desperate, silent prayers went unanswered.
Down the block, under the weak glow of a streetlight, I saw them. The world tilted on its axis as Leo pulled Chloe into his arms.
I bit down on my knuckles, the only thing stopping a scream from tearing out of my throat.
Leo’s large hand rested gently on Chloe’s stomach, his voice trembling even from a distance. “Why didn’t you tell me? It’s my baby, too.”
“And what good would that do?” Chloe’s voice was thick with tears. “There’s no future for us. Tomorrow, you’re promising your life to Ava.”
“Are you serious about London?”
“Yes. And I’m not keeping the baby.”
Chloe’s chin was set in a stubborn line, pushing against his chest even as her body betrayed her, leaning into his warmth.
Leo wouldn’t let go, his thumb stroking her cheek, wiping away a tear. “What about me? You’re just going to leave, just throw me away like that? Did you even think about how that would feel?”
“You have Ava. That’s enough. We never should have let this happen.”
“But I love you, Chloe,” he choked out. “You can’t be this cruel. If you leave, you’ll gut me.”
That broke her. A sob escaped Chloe’s lips, and she melted against him, their bodies fitting together perfectly.
They clung to each other, lost in their tragic romance, making me the villain in a story I never even knew I was in.
2
At one in the morning, Leo slid back into bed beside me.
The tear tracks on my face had long since dried, my throat raw.
He wrapped an arm around me, his lips finding my shoulder in a familiar, gentle kiss. “Babe, I’m so nervous,” he murmured into my skin. “The engagement party is tomorrow. It all feels like a dream.”
That night, we were worlds apart in the same bed.
The next morning, my parents were already a whirlwind of activity. Our families had a traditional streak; an engagement party was a big deal, a house filled with neighbors, friends, and relatives. Leo’s family arrived with flowers, platters of food, and cases of wine. He told me to rest, that I looked tired, and then seamlessly took his place beside my parents, playing the perfect son-in-law.
It was Chloe’s parents who pulled me aside, their faces etched with a gravity that made my stomach clench.
“We need to talk to you in your room, sweetie.”
The moment the door closed, Chloe’s mom, a woman who had bandaged my scraped knees and baked my favorite cookies, fell to her knees in front of me.
“Mrs. Evans, please, get up,” I pleaded, rushing to help her.
Her husband, a man I called Uncle Mark, had been a second father to me. They both had.
“What is it?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
Her words were choked with sobs. “Ava, I know what we’re about to ask is unforgivably unfair, but Chloe… she’s our only daughter. We can’t stand to see her like this, completely shattered.”
She looked up at me, her eyes begging. “Could you… could you find it in your heart to step aside? To let her and Leo be together?”
I stumbled back, the room seeming to shrink around me. I couldn’t draw a full breath.
Uncle Mark spoke, his voice heavy with regret. “Chloe was wrong, we know that. But you can’t plan who you fall in love with. She’s stubborn, and now with the baby… we’re terrified she’s going to do something reckless.”
A cold dread spread through me. My face felt like a mask. “So… you’ve known? You’ve known about them this whole time?”
Growing up, with my parents working long hours, I basically lived at their house. They treated me like a second daughter. Every gift they bought for Chloe, they bought one for me, too. Our friendship was a twenty-six-year-old monument, something I thought was indestructible.
And I was the only one who didn’t know it was built on a lie.
Mrs. Evans clutched my hand. “Blame me, Ava. Don’t blame Chloe. You know how much she truly loves you, how much she treasures your friendship.”
She squeezed my hand tighter. “If she knew you broke up with Leo to make way for her, the guilt would destroy her. Please, for my sake… don’t let her know we told you. Just let it be your decision. Please?”
I stared at her, my mind numb, before slowly pulling my hand from her grasp.
“Okay,” I heard myself say. “I’ll do it.”
She burst into tears of relief, whispering, “I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry,” over and over.
When I walked out of the room, I saw Chloe and Leo standing at opposite ends of the living room. She was laughing, playing a game with the neighborhood kids, handing out cupcakes I had baked. “These are from the beautiful bride-to-be, Ava! Make sure you tell her congratulations later, okay?”
Leo’s gaze was fixed on her. It was tender, possessive, a look of profound, unbreakable connection.
It all clicked into place. Every anniversary, when he’d insist I invite Chloe along, I thought he was just being inclusive. The three tickets he’d always buy for the amusement park. The extra skincare set he’d tell me to pick up for her. It wasn’t thoughtfulness. It was guilt.
They’d been lying to me for six years. Six years out of the seven we’d been together.
My mind flashed back to high school. Chloe, getting a month of detention for punching a boy who made a crude joke about me. Chloe, after my first big fight with Leo in college, getting on a nineteen-hour Greyhound bus just to show up at my dorm and take me out for drinks.
Now I had to wonder. After she’d tucked a drunk me into bed, had she met up with him? Had they connected under the stars, bonding over their shared love for me, a love that twisted into something else entirely?
Every memory of her loyalty, every act of love, now felt like a dose of expertly administered poison.
3
Seeing me by the doorway, Chloe immediately broke away from the kids and rushed over, her face a perfect mask of concern.
“Hey, you look pale. Did you catch a chill last night?” She fussed over me, smoothing the fabric of my dress. “This crimson dress looks incredible on you. Leo must have saved a galaxy in a past life to deserve you.”
I looked down at the silk, then at her. “You’re the one who helped me pick it. You said it would go perfectly with the ‘modern romance’ theme. Just like yours.”
She was wearing a blush pink dress, a shade that complemented mine but somehow matched the classic lines of Leo’s charcoal suit even better.
She beamed. “See? My taste is impeccable. As long as you have me, you’re set.”
Was she picking a dress for her best friend, the maid of honor? Or was she dressing for a role she secretly wished was her own? My brain couldn’t process it anymore.
Leo appeared with two glasses of water, handing one to each of us. “You’ve been standing for a while. Stay hydrated.”
Chloe playfully nudged him. “Look at you, so considerate. I guess I can see why my Ava fell for you.”
“Of course,” he said, his eyes flicking to her for a split second. “She’s my fiancée now.”
I noticed the water in my glass was icy cold. Chloe’s had no condensation; it was room temperature.
He was so damn thoughtful.
My fingers tightened around the glass. I was the star of this farce, and all I wanted to do was run.
Leo must have sensed my mood shift. “What’s wrong?” he murmured, his voice low. “Nervous?”
“Just woke up too early, I guess,” I lied.
Chloe took my hand, pulling me toward my bedroom. “Come on, let me touch up your makeup. It’s your big day. You have to be flawless.”
In the mirror, I watched her meticulously fill in my brows, her touch gentle and practiced. I remembered the summer after high school graduation, the two of us trying to teach ourselves makeup in this very room, ending up looking like circus clowns. We were too embarrassed to go home, so we spent the whole day at the mall, pooling our last three dollars to share a single corn dog.
We could never go back there.
I tilted my head back, meeting her eyes in the reflection. “Chloe, are you keeping any secrets from me?”
The hand holding the eyebrow pencil faltered for a fraction of a second.
“Yes,” she said.
I held my breath.
“I’ve already scoped out a place with male dancers,” she declared, her voice mischievous. “I plan on going quietly. Once you’re a married woman, you’ll have to live vicariously through me!”
She threw her head back and laughed, a bright, carefree sound that extinguished the last flicker of warmth in my heart.
Even now, she wouldn’t tell me the truth.
Outside, a string of firecrackers went off, signaling that the formal part of the party was about to begin.
My parents flanked Leo and me, with Chloe standing proudly by my side.
My dad beamed. “Time flies. In the blink of an eye, Ava’s getting engaged, and Chloe’s career is taking off. I still remember Chloe swearing that whoever married our Ava, she’d have to drink him under the table first. Hahaha.”
Chloe laughed along. “That’s right! Our Ava is the best person in the world. Even you, Leo, don’t fully deserve her!”
Her eyes glinted with purpose. “And today, I’m making good on that promise. Leo, if you can outdrink me, then and only then can you have Ava’s hand!”
She grabbed a bottle of vodka from the table, poured a generous amount into a small bowl, and raised it, her eyes locked with Leo’s.
His brow furrowed in alarm.
The relatives, oblivious, started cheering.
“That’s a real best friend for you! You’ve gotta drink, Leo!”
“Chloe can hold her liquor! She could take down five of you. That’s what you get for stealing her best friend!”
I glanced at her parents. Their eyes were glistening with tears, pained by their daughter’s desperate, bravado-fueled performance.
“I’ll go first!” she announced, bringing the bowl to her lips.
In the second before the vodka touched her mouth, I snatched it from her hand and downed the entire thing in one go.
The fiery liquid scorched my throat.
A stunned silence fell over the room.
Leo’s hand, which had been reaching out to stop Chloe, froze in mid-air. He knew. He knew she couldn’t drink, not with a baby inside her.
A wave of relief washed over his face. He turned to me, his voice soft with concern. “Ava, why would you drink so much?”
He then looked at Chloe. “Chloe, maybe you should sit this one out. You don’t want to miss the main course.”
She grabbed my arm. “Babe, I can handle it. Don’t underestimate me.”
I couldn’t pretend anymore. Making an excuse, I fled to the bathroom.
4
In the bathroom, I forced my fingers down my throat, heaving until nothing but bitter bile came up.
I splashed my face with cold water, took a deep breath, and decided it was time. I would go out there and call the whole thing off.
But when I opened the door, the living room was nearly empty. Only my parents sat on the sofa, their faces grim.
A sense of foreboding washed over me. “Mom? Dad? Where did everyone go?”
“Chloe fainted,” my mom said, her voice tight. “Her parents rushed her to the hospital.”
My dad added, “And Leo vanished. He’s not answering his phone. We’re running out of time.”
“She didn’t even drink that much,” my mom fretted. “How could she just collapse?”
But I knew. It was the baby.
Without another word to my parents, I ran out of the house and hailed a cab, my heart a cold, hard knot in my chest.
I found them on the second floor, in the obstetrics and gynecology wing. Chloe was sitting on Leo’s lap in the sterile hallway, tears streaming down her face.
“I’ve already scheduled the abortion,” she was saying, her voice ragged. “I’ll have it done, and then I’ll leave. You need to go back. You need to finish the ceremony with Ava.”
Her father’s voice was a furious whisper. “That’s insane! Your body can’t handle that!”
Her mother was crouched on the floor in front of her, stroking her daughter’s face. “My sweet girl, you can’t. You already had a threatened miscarriage. Please don’t do this. I’m so scared it will hurt you, that something will go wrong—”
Leo’s face was ashen. He held Chloe tight, his voice pleading. “Chloe, please. Let’s keep this baby. Please?”
“He’s a part of me, but he’s a part of you, too. Don’t you want to watch him grow up? Because I do.”
“I can’t risk this procedure. I can’t. Please, just come home with us.”
His words only made her cry harder, shaking her head violently.
A memory surfaced, sharp and clear. A week ago, I was working late when I got a frantic call that Chloe was in the hospital. I’d run out of the office so fast I lost a shoe, arriving breathless at her room to find Leo already there, spoon-feeding her warm soup.
At the time, all I could think about was Chloe’s health. I never questioned why Leo was so panicked, so attentive. I was just grateful he was there to take care of her for me. I didn’t even notice the small, fresh cut on his lip, like someone had bitten him in a moment of pain or passion.
That must have been the first scare. The time she almost lost the baby she had told no one but him about.
The pain in my chest was so sharp it was hard to breathe. I closed my eyes.
Chloe stood up, clutching a medical report, her resolve hardening. “Dad, Mom. I can’t do this to Ava.” She turned to Leo. “Go. Find Ava. Tell her a friend called me away. I have to do this. I have to go to London and start over.”
Just then, a nurse called out from a doorway. “Chloe Evans, we’re ready for you.”
As Chloe turned to walk away, I started toward them, my steps slow and deliberate.
My voice was quiet, but it cut through the hallway’s tense silence. “Excuse me, Nurse. I’m sorry, but we’re canceling the procedure.”
I turned my gaze to Leo. “I’ve already returned all the engagement gifts. The guests have been sent home.”
“Our engagement is over. You’re free.”
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