Save Her by Abigail Osborne (novel books to read .txt) 📗

daily struggle to get by. But now, she was thinking about it. She had money, a home and a stable relationship. Why shouldn’t she bring a child into the world? What better way to heal the wound of neglect by giving her child everything she never had? Her child would want for nothing. Her child.

When she got back to their flat, Flora was practically bouncing off the walls with happiness. Her face was flushed and her eyes sparkled.

‘I’m engaged!’ she shouted thrusting her hand in Sophie’s face. A large diamond ring glinted in the sunlight. Before Sophie could congratulate her, Flora had flung her arms around Sophie, holding her so fiercely she could barely breathe. She relaxed into the embrace and took comfort from her friend’s warm body wrapped around her. Tears welled up and she let them fall. Let Flora think she was crying with happiness at her engagement. Not at the awful decision she was about to make. Flora pulled back with matching tears in her eyes. She wiped away Sophie’s tears.

‘Sophie, I’m so happy, and it is all down to you. You knew Sam was right for me from the start. Now we are going to be a proper family. You and Greg, me and Sam. It is going to be perfect.’

Greg had taken Sophie out for dinner that same night. She took it as a good sign. She thought that he was going to apologise for his knee-jerk reaction and they would talk properly about this. She could not have been more wrong.

‘Have you booked an appointment yet? I’ve been thinking it over and if you do decide to keep it, you’ll have to move away. I don’t want to risk anyone looking at it and thinking it’s mine.’ He talked to her as if discussing the finer details of a contract at work. Not the most life-changing decision she could ever make. To end the life of a baby or not. Her baby. His words poured cold water on the fledging idea she had had to raise the baby alone with Flora’s help until Greg changed his mind. Surely once he’d seen the baby, he’d change his mind. She should have realised that Greg would have thought everything through. Ever the businessman.

She was reminded of a night, early on in their relationship, when Greg had had a bit too much to drink and admitted that his father had gotten a girl pregnant. When she refused to terminate or move away he bought the building she was living in and had her evicted. Alistair had used every tool at his disposal to make her life hell until she had no choice but to take his handout and leave the area, never to return. This must be what Greg was planning.

‘Don’t you care about me at all? How can you talk about this so callously? I thought you loved me? Why aren’t you more upset about this?’

Greg shushed her. ‘Calm down. Of course I love you. But I love the real you. The one that is driven and career-focused. I do not want a housewife whose only conversation is about children. If you continue to act like a different version of Sophie then I will act like a different version of Greg. Only the real Sophie gets my love and devotion.’

He took her hand in his. ‘Look, if you stop with this baby nonsense and be my Sophie again. I’ll marry you right now.’ He stroked her hand gently. ‘We are the dream team. We are good for each other. Together we can take on the world. I want to marry you and have you as my wife. We don’t need children. We are better than that. I don’t want children. Ever. Is that something you can accept?’

Sophie thought about the alternative. She would have the baby, be driven from Manchester and would most likely turn to drink like her mother with nothing and no one to support her. She would not be able to see Flora. If she did see her it would not be the same, knowing that Flora was married to Sam and living the life she used to have, that they no longer lived next door to each other. She had spent most of her life seeing Flora every day. Could she picture a life without seeing Flora all the time? Or worse, Flora might choose to leave with her, and they would try and raise the baby together. But then Flora would not be with Sam. Could she really risk the happiness of her best friend? She thought of the way Flora’s eyes danced as pure, unadulterated happiness poured from her. Sophie knew if she were to have this baby, that unequivocal happiness would be tarnished. After everything Flora had been through, she did not deserve that.

‘I mean, look at your mother. She turned into an alcoholic. Do you really want to take that risk?’

‘Okay.’

Greg’s handsome face lit up. He moved around the table and got down on one knee, pulling a small black box from his pocket. The other diners in the restaurant clapped and cheered as Greg swept her into his arms and kissed her when she said yes to his proposal. Just as she did with Flora, she let Greg think her tears were of joy. Not devastation and grief. She reasoned with herself that she could always try and change his mind. Okay, she just wouldn’t have this baby. That didn’t mean she couldn’t have one in the future.

Greg organised everything. He came to each hospital appointment, whether to support her or make sure she followed through with the termination she wasn’t sure. But she was glad he was there. She had gone numb inside, unable or unwilling to acknowledge the gravity of what she was doing. Greg was on first name terms with her doctor, so she sat there mutely. She signed the consent form shoved into her hands. The words ‘dilation’ and