Ayla took a deep breath, trying to calm the wild pounding of her heart. After a long argument and swirling emotions, she knew she couldn't make a hasty decision. Too much was at stake, not just her body, but her future, her career, her dignity.
"Give me time to think," Ayla finally said, her voice calmer but still firm.
Ethan looked at her deeply, then gave a slow nod. "You have until you're discharged from the hospital. After that, you'll stay at the place I've prepared."
Ayla frowned. "A place you've prepared?"
"The doctor said your pregnancy is still very fragile. You need bed rest, Ayla. I won't let you live alone. There will be people to help, to make sure you don't overexert yourself. I'm not going to risk losing this baby."
Ayla turned her face away, trying to hide the storm inside her. She hated being controlled, but for the first time, she also felt afraid. Afraid of the uncertainty lurking in every second ahead.
"And with those people there," Ethan continued, "I'll be informed of your condition at all times. I need detailed reports about the pregnancy. I'm not taking any chances."
Ayla fell into a long silence. She knew she would eventually have to make a choice and whatever that choice was, it would change her life completely. That night, she didn't sleep. She thought about everything: her life, her career, her dreams, and the child growing inside her. She wasn't a woman who wanted a child. She wasn't ready to be a mother. But she also wasn't someone who could live peacefully after ending a life that hadn't even begun.
The next morning, still under medical care and not yet cleared for discharge, she called for Ethan. She had spent the entire night thinking and didn't want to risk changing her mind again. It was better to tell him her decision now.
"I've decided to keep the baby," she said, her voice soft but clear.
Ethan looked at her with hope in his eyes. "But I have conditions," she added.
His expression tightened, but he nodded. "Tell me."
"First, I will continue working. But make sure no one, no one in the hospital or outside knows that I'm pregnant. I don't want rumors. I don't want pitying looks."
"Alright. I'll arrange everything."
"Second," Ayla continued, "I'll take maternity leave only when I'm nearing labor. After giving birth, I want to care for the baby myself for six months. I'll provide exclusive breast milk. But I won't nurse directly."
Ethan looked puzzled. "Why not?"
"Because I don't want an emotional bond between me and the baby," Ayla said, her voice slightly trembling. "I didn't want this child. I'm doing this only to make sure it's not born into suffering."
Silence hung thick between them, so heavy it was hard to breathe.
"You sound very cold," Ethan said softly, almost like a murmur.
"I'm just being realistic," Ayla replied. "I don't want to be a half-hearted mother. But I'm also not cruel enough to let this child be born and then discarded. So, one more condition."
Ethan waited silently.
"Make sure this child is never abandoned to an orphanage. Make sure it lives well, as if it were truly your child. And make sure it never learns the truth about its origin. Tell it that it was born out of love, not a mistake from one reckless night," Ayla said firmly. "If your family. especially your wife rejects this child, then I'll take care of it. But you must still keep your promise."
"What promise?"
"The promise that you'd help me achieve all my dreams. You said I could have more than I ever imagined, right? Then prove it. Because if you don't, none of this means anything."
Ethan stared at her for a long time. In his eyes, there was admiration. There was guilt. There was pain he couldn't voice. But above all, there was determination. He knew Ayla wasn't bluffing. She was a woman who knew exactly what she wanted, and what she was willing to sacrifice to get it.
"Why are you silent? You don't agree with my conditions?" Ayla's tone was firm. "If not, then let's cancel everything. I'll terminate this pregnancy."
"Alright," Ethan said resolutely.
Ayla narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"
"I'll agree to all your conditions. You can continue working. I'll protect your reputation. You can care for the baby within the limits you've set. And I'll make sure the child lives a good life."
Ayla finally nodded slightly. A faint sense of relief bloomed in her heart, though it was still clouded by doubt.
"But there's one thing you must remember, Ayla." Ethan moved closer, sitting at the edge of her bed. His gaze was gentle but resolute. "This child is innocent. So even if you want to stay distant, never teach them to feel unwanted."
Ayla stared at him blankly. "Shouldn't those words be for you?" she asked coldly.
Ethan furrowed his brow. "I've said it clearly, Mr. Ethan. Don't ever throw this child into an orphanage. Treat them as a child you truly wanted. Never tell them they were born from a mistake," she said with the same tone.
"But you should do the same," Ethan replied calmly.
Ayla shook her head slowly. "This child is what you wanted. You'll be the one living with them until they grow up and can take care of themselves. I won't interfere after they're six months old."
Her eyes sharpened. "If I become more involved in their life, then I truly become the woman who destroyed your marriage. I don't want that. I'm a doctor my job is to heal people, not to create wounds."
Ethan could only stay silent. What Ayla said was true. But in his heart, there was a worry he couldn't shake. He didn't want his child to grow up not knowing their real mother. He didn't want to fill that space with someone else, not even with his own wife. He wanted the child to know they had two mothers—one who carried and fed them, and one who raised them.
While Ethan was lost in thought, Ayla gazed out the window. The sky was still grey. Her future felt just as cloudy. Uncertain, winding. But for now, one decision had been made. She would go through with this on her terms.
For the first time in her life, Ayla chose the hardest path. Not because she was weak. But because she was strong. She wanted to make sure that if a child was going to be born into this world, then the world wouldn't reject them from the moment they opened their eyes.