Instead, he stood silently, watching the elevator doors shut and the numbers on the panel climb. A numbness spread through his heart, and he remained frozen in shock.

She had terminated the pregnancy. Their child was gone.

Overwhelmed, Dylan covered his face with his hands and began to weep, oblivious to the curious stares of passersby.

He spent the rest of the day in his car, parked outside her office, waiting for Olivia to emerge. The ashtray overflowed with cigarette butts as he smoked incessantly. But as evening fell, there was no sign of her.

Finally, stepping out of his car, he approached the security guards and learned that she had left through the back door.