Alessia stared at Zoey, her mind spinning as the words sank in. Theo… had a child? And this woman, standing so confidently in her office, was claiming he had abandoned her?
“You’re saying Theo just… disappeared?” Alessia finally managed, her voice steady but laced with disbelief.
Zoey crossed her arms, her expression a mix of bitterness and frustration. “Yes. We had a short relationship back in university. It wasn’t anything serious, but I ended up pregnant. When I told him, he panicked. Said he wasn’t ready for that kind of responsibility. And then, just like that, he was gone.”
Alessia blinked, struggling to reconcile the man Zoey was describing with the Theo she knew. The Theo she had married. “That doesn’t sound like him,” she said quietly. “Theo is… he’s responsible. He’s kind. He wouldn’t—”
Zoey cut her off with a humorless laugh. “Oh, he’s responsible now? Sure, maybe. But back then, he was young, cocky, and completely terrified of commitment. Believe me, Alessia, I’m not here to paint him as the villain. I’m just telling you what happened.”
Alessia leaned back in her chair, folding her arms tightly across her chest. “Why are you coming to me now? If this happened years ago, why wait until now to bring it up?”
Zoey sighed, some of the sharpness fading from her tone. “Because I didn’t know where he was until recently. I didn’t follow his life after he left. It wasn’t until I saw your wedding plastered all over the news that I realized he was married to you. That he’d moved on, built this… perfect life.”
“And what exactly do you want from me?” Alessia asked, her voice cold despite the emotions bubbling beneath the surface.
Zoey hesitated, her eyes softening. “I don’t want anything from you, Alessia. I just want my child to have a chance to know their father. That’s all.”
Alessia’s mind raced. Was it possible Theo had made such a huge mistake in his past and never told her? The man she knew was loving and dependable, especially when it came to family. But then again, university was a different time—a time when people made reckless decisions.
“You’re saying he never tried to reach out to you? Never even acknowledged your child?” Alessia pressed.
Zoey shook her head. “Not once. It was like he disappeared off the face of the earth. I had to figure everything out on my own—how to raise a child, how to be a single mom. It wasn’t easy.”
“I’m sorry,” Alessia said softly, her guard slipping slightly. “I can’t imagine how hard that must have been.”
Zoey gave a small, weary smile. “Thank you. But I’m not here for sympathy. I just think Theo deserves to face what he walked away from. And my child deserves to know who their father is.”