My Boyfriend Left Me Pregnant and Alone for His Ex

My boyfriend, Connor Hayes, sent me on a hike through the Appalachian Trail when I was five months pregnant, simply because I didn't want to go to his first love's hair salon.

I'd been with him for ten years. For a decade, he acted like a caring, kind man, using sweet words and gentle looks.

That illusion shattered the day he took me to get a haircut at Gretchen Martin's salon. She butchered the long hair I'd spent eighteen years growing.

Because of that, my modeling agency, Elite Looks, which specializes in hair modeling, stepped in immediately. They blacklisted her salon on my behalf.

I never expected that choosing my career, essentially choosing myself, would be the final straw for Connor, causing him to leave me stranded in the wilderness.

And yet, when I finally crawled out of that forest, all dirty, soaked, and exhausted, the very first thing I heard was Connor and his friends laughing.

"That was just a little lesson. Does she really think she's worth that much? Pregnant before marriage, who else would want her but me?"

Right then, I turned around and scheduled an abortion.

——

Sophie's POV

"She's already lost her figure, even her family wants to cut ties with her. And she dares to go up against Gretchen? So what if she lost a bit of hair? Just pay the breach of contract fee. This is what she gets for making things difficult for Gretchen."

I stood in the doorway, trembling, listening to Connor talk as if I weren't even his girlfriend.

It had taken me seven days to hike out of the Appalachian Trail. Seven days with nothing but sweat sticking to my skin, rain soaking my clothes, and mud caking my shoes.

And even then, I still clung to a faint sliver of hope that maybe the man who left me out there wasn't really him.

Then I heard someone say, "Connor, aren't you afraid she won't marry you once she finds out?"

Connor let out a low, cold laugh.

"It doesn't matter whether she finds out or not," he replied, "I'm all she's got. No one else would want her. Besides, she's madly in love with me. It's pathetic, really!"

His words cut like blades, every one sharper than the last.

God, the bastard was so sure I'd never leave him.

I let out a bitter laugh and ran to the nearest convenience store to borrow a phone.

Right then, I called my father.

The line picked up quickly.

"Hello, Dad? It's me, Sophie," I began.

His voice sounded flat and impatient as my father answered. "Why are you still calling me? I already threw your things in the trash can by the door. Get them yourself. Don't call me again. Having a daughter like you is embarrassing."

Before I could say another word, the line went dead.

Connor had been right. No one wanted me anymore.

Even my own father had walked away.

Ten years ago, Connor had rescued me from a snow-covered mountain. I thought he was giving me a second chance at life.

He once told me my eyes were the most beautiful he'd ever seen.

Later, I found out my eyes looked just like Gretchen's.

The truth was, he never actually saw me. Because the truth was, Connor had always been watching her through me.

I walked out into the rain, barefoot, and stepped into the hospital.

"Hi," I said, "I'd like to schedule an abortion."

After a full exam, the doctor looked up, concern in their eyes.

"You're malnourished, your body is very weak, and your uterine wall is thin. You're also quite far along. If you go through with the procedure, it could cause irreversible damage, and you might never be able to get pregnant again."

My face drained of color. My fingers started to shake.

Still, I replied, "Do it."

I couldn't even take care of myself anymore.

How could I bring a child into a world where all they'd know was pain, and where they'd suffer right along with me?

The clinic scheduled the procedure for the following week.

The weight of my decision settled heavily on my chest as I made my way back home, every step slow, my body aching with more than just exhaustion.

When I walked through the door, Connor didn't miss a beat.

He looked at me with nothing but contempt, like I was just an inconvenience he couldn't wait to be rid of.

"Sophie, what kind of mess have you gotten yourself into?" he said, voice dripping with mockery. "Even with that belly, you still can't behave?"

Meanwhile, his friends stood there, snickering behind their hands.

He'd acted too well. Ten years of performance, and my decade of love had been thrown away like trash.

I didn't say a word and just headed upstairs, straight to my room.

As soon as I got there, I was greeted by a huge wedding sticker still on the bedroom door.

I had nearly forgotten.

We were supposed to get married next month.

That had been his plan all along, hadn't it?

Connor chose a date when I would be visibly pregnant and showing so everyone could see how shameful I was.

A bride who got knocked up before the wedding.

A woman who was stripped of dignity in front of the world.