Since it came down to this, Finnick had to harden himself. “But the doctor had it checked, the results have indeed confirmed that…”
“I don’t care what the doctor said.” She was emotional when she cut him off. “I want to keep this child. We’ll divorce if we cannot agree on this.”
Through the row they had in the morning, attempting to explain things to him would be an act of futility.
In his heart, he had already concluded that the child was not theirs. She had to dig in as she was determined to protect her child no matter what.
“Listen to me, Vivian…” As he made another attempt to persuade her, he was interrupted once more.
“That’s enough. I’ve made it clear that if you are not with me on this issue, I’ll be raising this child on my own.”
There was nothing Finnick could say in response to the resolve he saw in her eyes.
“Alright. You can keep this baby.” It took some time before he relented.
“Really?” Vivian grabbed hold of his arm with both hands, still in relative disbelief.
She did not expect that he would be willing to spare the child despite him believing that it belonged to someone else, as she was mentally prepared to divorce from him if it came down to it.
Finnick nodded, solemnly and silently. He spoke no more. That answer took every ounce of energy out of him. He had no wish to repeat that for the rest of his life.
He had never thought that he might one day give in this much to any woman. What choice did he have, unless he really meant to divorce from Vivian?
Just hearing that suggestion from her left him feeling unbearable. When he imagined a life without Vivian, he was swallowed by trepidation.
He feared not being able to wake up to her everyday; Feared that she would be out of his life; Feared that she would treat him as though he was a stranger; Feared that he might never be able to find another excuse to touch her… hence he had no choice but to agree.
Forget it. He thought. Even if the unborn baby was not his, it was still hers. All he could do was to try and love the child as best as he could, and pretend that nothing ever happened.
As he loved Vivian, this was what he must come to terms with.
When Vivian received affirmation, she was so touched that she hugged the man tightly. “Thank you, Finnick. Thank you…”
All the anger and resentment she harbored toward him before dissipated in that instant. She had never thought that for her sake, he could be tolerant to this extent.
Finnick truly loved her. Once more, the doubts that she had for herself were proven unwarranted. He would not have been able to give in this much otherwise.
With tears welling, her voice was filled with gratitude, “You have to believe me, Finnick. The baby that I’m carrying is ours. You’ll not come to regret this decision in time.”
Vivian swore to herself that she would find proof of Evelyn’s slander. When she did, Finnick would be convinced of her innocence and the baby’s parentage.
Even if she could not, she could persuade him to go for paternity test. With the facts laid bare, he should be able to set his mind at ease.
Finnick could only eke out a bitter smile. He was no longer concerned about whether the child was theirs, only that he must keep his promise to Vivian. Though he could not be sure whether he would ultimately be able to treat the child as his own, he would not seek to mistreat it. That was the best he could do.
Finnick withdrew his arm to wrap her snugly in his embrace. He then whispered in her ear, “Let’s not ever discuss divorce again.”
