The last month had been busy for Delilah. She’d had doctor’s appointments, work, and school. Her home life was no less busy, either. And now they were busy making plans for the future.

Her mother and her had discussed where the baby would sleep. The house only had three bedrooms. Her mother had one, Delilah had the other, and the last room—the biggest bedroom—was divided in two by a hanging sheet that her three younger siblings shared. It made perfect sense that the baby would sleep in Delilah’s room with her.

Even though it was early in her pregnancy, her and her mother had gone into the attic one evening and gotten out baby items. Partly, Delilah was too excited to wait. She looked through bags of tiny clothing, wondering whether her baby would be wearing the pink dresses or the blue pants. She had a long list of names and every day would add or remove one or two.

It’d been hard to focus on school. She was still tired and nauseated every day, though she’d found that eating crackers in the morning helped. She was distracted though, and had had to make a point of going to the library to have the silence to concentrate. At work, Sophie was excited for her and chatted her ear off.

Both her mother and Sophie kept asking her when she’d tell Christian. Sophie was sure that it would mean them getting back together. But Sophie didn’t know the truth of the situation or that Delilah wasn’t sure she even wanted to be with Christian if he was still in the mob.

She was lost in thought as she walked across campus to her next class. She hadn’t seen Christian at school or anywhere else since the day in the hospital, so when she saw him walking toward her, she jumped in surprise. Her hand flew involuntarily to her belly. Luckily, it was too early for her to be showing.

They met eyes and he continued to walk toward her. She was surprised at how different he looked. He’d fully healed from being beaten. That was to be expected, of course. But he looked harder somehow. Like he’d become dangerous. Maybe jumping fully into the mob had that effect on people. He was all business now. And it was the worst kind of business.

She noticed, too, that he had people with him. Two men walked behind him, off to either side. Was this his crew, like that guy Mark had had? Christian’s little thugs there to do his bidding for him when needed?

When he was close enough, she muttered a, “Hi.”

She didn’t think he would stop to say anything, but he did. He nodded once. “Hello. How are you?”

She lifted a shoulder. “Good. You?”

He nodded as a response.

“Glad to see you’re still here. I thought you’d dropped out.” She glanced at the men with him. They looked back at her with emotionless stares.

For just a moment, the hardness faded from his eyes and he looked regretful. Almost like the real him was in there and had escaped for just a moment to look at her. But then, just as fast, the hard mask was back. “I’m just here to withdrawal.”

“Oh.” Her eyes fell. So he was going at this mob thing full force then. “I’m sorry to hear that. I know it was important to you. I guess things are different now.”

“Yeah. Very different.”

“You can’t finish school while you… do your work? You were so close to finishing.”

“I have to go away for a while, so no.”

She studied his face, trying to find him again. “Are you”—she glanced at the men with him again and dropped her voice—“safe?”

He took a long moment to answer. When he did, he was back again. She felt relieved to see the real him until he said, “I’m not sure.”

“What about your mother? Is she doing okay?”

He huffed and the hardness settled over him. “Yeah, I’m sure she’s doing just fine now that she’s with my father again.”

Delilah shook her head as if to clear confusion. “What do you mean?”

“She was in a car accident a few weeks ago.”

“She’s dead?” She whispered the words as if saying them too loudly would make them true.

He nodded slowly. Car accident. Was it really an accident or was this why he was going away? He didn’t seem sad or shaken up by it. He seemed emotionless.

“I’m so sorry to hear that,” she said. “You seem to be taking it well. I didn’t get to know her, but she seemed like a good woman.”

“She was, but that’s what happens in this life. I have to be strong. There’s no room for getting torn up over something I can’t change.”

“But she was your mother. They’re your parents. It’s expected that you would be upset and grieving over their deaths.”

“I’m doing what’s expected of me, what’s been expected of me since birth.”

His words sent a flutter through her stomach. This was further proof that her baby could not be exposed to this life.

“I was stupid to fight it,” he said. “This has always been my path. I’ve never been weak and I can’t live this…”—he waved toward the school—“typical life. It’s fine for you, but this is not for me. I have to take back what was taken from me, and anyone who got in my way before will pay for it. I won’t be as weak as my father was.”

“I’ve never known you to be weak, Christian.”

One of the men with Christian cleared his throat intentionally.

“I have to be going,” Christian said. “Nice to run into you. Good luck with everything.”

He walked off and she stood there for a moment. If only he knew what “everything” included.