“You’re…what?”

I was in a state of total shock.

“I’m pregnant.”

I sat back, sure that she was screwing with me.

“This is a joke, right?” I asked. “You’re messing with me. Come on.”

The color drained out of her face. Her mouth opened slightly.

“That…wasn’t the way I expected you to take this,” Heather said softly, her disappointment clear in her voice.

“Then—you’re being serious?”

“Of course, I’m being serious,” she snapped, her tone sharp enough to attract the attention of a pair of servers who were standing nearby.

I shot them a hard look, letting them know this wasn’t a conversation to be listened in on. They quickly turned their attention away.

I said nothing, instead sitting back in my seat and staring off into the middle distance. I didn’t know what to say.

“Justin,” Heather said earnestly. “Say something—anything.”

“How…how far along are you?”

“About eight weeks, I think,” she said. “I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow, so I’ll know for sure then.”

“I see,” I said. I did the quick math. It meant that she’d gotten pregnant pretty soon after we met up again for the show. I couldn’t believe it.

“Justin, come on. Tell me what you’re thinking right now,” Heather said, her voice soft and pleading. “I need to know how you feel about all this.”

But I didn’t know what to say. It was bizarre—I ran my own business worth billions of dollars, employed thousands of people, and frequently worked out deals with fortunes on the line. But here I was, reduced to total mental blankness by Heather with only two words.

“Justin. Say something, please.”

I knew I needed to reassure her, to tell that I wasn’t mad, that everything was going to be okay.

But that’s not what I did.

“I—I need to meet with a client tonight,” I said, spitting out what was possibly the worst, most transparent lie of my entire life. “Forgot he was coming in tonight. He’s, um, an old-fashioned kind of guy, wants to hang out with just another guy. You know how it is. And I’m going out of town tomorrow for a couple of days at least, so it’s probably best for you and Faye to stay at your place.”

Heather said nothing, a look of total shock on her face. I had to guess she was so dumbstruck by the lie that she didn’t even know what to say.

“Finish up here,” I said. “I’ve got the bill taken care of. And I’ll arrange for you for a ride back to your place. I’ll—I’ll be in touch. Talk to you soon.”

I hurried out of the seat, glancing back just long enough to catch sight of the look of total shock on Heather’s face, her eyes heavy with tears that were seconds away from pouring.

I rushed out of the restaurant, the evening air cool on my face. Once outside, I fired off a quick text letting my driver know that I was going to need a pickup at my place, and for him to tell me when Heather and Faye were gone.

I was still reeling from how bad my lie was. And even worse than that, it was a cowardly lie. I’d lied in order to get away as fast as possible from the woman who was pregnant with my baby.

I put all of that out of my head as quickly as I could as I walked around the block. I shoved my hands into my pockets as I tried to figure out what I was going to do next.

Out of nowhere, the idea of paying her off flashed into my head, like an option offered by the devil who sits on your shoulder. It wouldn’t be hard—I could easily pay her a yearly stipend of a hundred thousand dollars or so, maybe more. On top of that, I’d offer her and Faye and the new baby health insurance, a savings account, and even a college fund.

Maybe I could even buy them a nice big house somewhere outside of the city.

I came back to my senses almost instantly, pushing the idea out of my mind. To do that would be to abandon my own flesh and blood. I, of all people, knew the consequences of not having family around.

I walked on and on, trying to figure out what I was going to do.

Me, a father. It was an idea so crazy that I could hardly believe it. Sure, I’d considered the possibility that I’d start a family at some point, but it had always seemed like something far off into the hazy future, something that I’d do when everything was perfect and in order.

Still, Heather was beautiful and kind and wonderful to be around. Would it be the worst thing in the world if she had my child and we raised it together?

And what about marriage?

The “M” word sent shivers up my spine. Back in my twenties, the idea of getting hitched was like some kind of joke to me. After all, who would want to settle down with only one woman when the world was full of beautiful girls?

After an hour of walking the blocks of my neighborhood, I got a text from my driver, letting me know that Heather and Faye were in the car with him, headed back to her apartment. Part of me wanted to follow up, to ask him how she was doing. But I thought better of it.

I returned to the penthouse, which was empty and quiet. Heather had taken her things, and the nursery was dark and empty, nothing inside but a lonely crib.

This was my life without Heather.