Her Sweetest Mistake (Amelia) novel Chapter 72

Teacher–Taboo

“Don’t act like you were ever there for me,” I shot back..

She looked stunned. “Excuse me?”

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“You’re never home, Mom!” I yelled. “You’re always working, always with your stupid colleagues, always too busy for me! The only time you ever notice me is when something goes wrong!”

Her lips parted, but I wasn’t done.

“I needed you,” I said, my voice breaking. “I needed you so many times, and you were never there.”

She shook her head. “That is not fair, Ariana. Everything I did was for you-”

“Yeah? Well, guess what? I don’t care!”

I was crying now.

Hot, angry tears.

“If you cared so much,” I whispered, “then maybe Dad should have lived instead of you.”

The words hung in the air.

I regretted them the second they left my mouth.

But it was too late.

Her face twisted in pain.

Then, before I could react-

Slap!

The sound echoed through the house.

My cheek burned.

I gasped, touching my face.

She was breathing heavily, her eyes filled with anger and hurt.

I didn’t wait.

I turned and ran to my room, slamming the door shut behind me, and collapsed onto my bed. My body started shaking with silent sobs. My cheek still stung from the slap, but the pain in my chest was worse.

Everything felt like it was falling apart.

I grabbed my phone with trembling fingers and opened our chat. The same chat that had been one–sided for weeks.

I stared at the empty space where his replies should have been.

Maybe he wouldn’t care.

Maybe he would think I was lying.

But he needed to know.

I typed the words slowly, my hands shaking.

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“I’m pregnant.”

1 hit send and dropped my phone onto the bed, staring at the ceiling

Seconds passed.

Then minutes.

I picked up my phone again.

He had seen it.

The little read receipt mocked me.

But there was no reply.

No call.

No question.

Nothing.

He thought I was lying.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips, but it quickly turned into another sob.

I curled into myself, hugging my knees to my chest.

I was really on my own.

Throughout the summer break, I didn’t leave my room.

The days blurred together.

I refused to see anyone.

My mom knocked on my door every day, but I ignored her.

Daniel came by a few times, asking if I was okay. I never answered.

I didn’t want to talk. I didn’t want to eat.

I just wanted to disappear.

Richard was gone.

And now, my life would never be the same.

44

Richard’s POV:

I spent the entire summer in a rented cabin, far from everything that reminded me of her. I needed space. I needed to clear my head. But no matter how far I ran, Ariana’s presence lingered. She was in every quiet moment, every empty night.

She had sent me messages. A lot of them. I read every single one but never replied. The last time I saw her, I told myself it was over. I convinced myself that she was just another mistake I had to forget. Then, the messages became desperate. She begged me to answer. She sent pictures–ones meant to tempt me, to pull me back in. But I refused to give in.

Now, summer is over, and reality hit me like a slap. School was back in session, but Ariana was nowhere to be

2/4

seen.

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At first, I didn’t think much of it. Maybe she had switched schools, or maybe she just wasn’t ready to face me yet. But then, her absence stretched into days, and I started to notice people whispering. I stopped one of her classmates after class.

“Where’s Ariana?” I asked casually, not wanting to seem to interested.

The girl hesitated, then sighed. “She’s been sick. For weeks now.”

I got to know teachers had even tried visiting her house, but her mother turned them away, claiming she needed rest. That made no sense. If she was just sick, why hide her?

That night, I laid in bed, staring at my phone, my thumb hovering over our last conversation. My stomach twisted as I reread her final message.

“I’m pregnant.”

I had ignored it before, brushed it off as a desperate attempt to get my attention. But now, I couldn’t ignore the uneasy feeling creeping into my chest.

What if she wasn’t lying?

My mind raced back to the last time she was at my house. The last time we were together. The only time we didn’t use protection.

Cold sweat broke out on my forehead.

I needed to see her.

After school the next day, I drove straight to her house. My hands were gripping the wheel so tightly my knuckles turned white. My mind ran in circles, trying to figure out what I’d say.

The moment I reached her front door, I hesitated. But then, before I could talk myself out of it, I knocked. Ariana’s mother answered, her eyes sharp and guarded. I could tell she was prepared to say the same thing she had told the teachers. That Ariana wasn’t well. That she couldn’t see anyone.

“Ma’am, please,” I said before she could close the door. “Just tell her that Mr. Richard came by.”

Her mother frowned, eyeing me suspiciously. “Sure I will.”

I nodded, my throat dry. “Yes. I just… I need to see her.”

Her lips pressed into a tight line. “She’s not taking visitors.”

I sighed, stepping back. “Alright. Just… please let her know I was here.”

I turned, already preparing to leave, but then-

A blur of movement.

A door slamming open.

Footsteps pounding down the stairs. The step came to a halt.

And then–Ariana.

Her hair was a mess, her eyes swollen as if she had been crying for days. And then I saw it.

Her stomach.