ass, Margot. I should never have gotten mad at you. I told you it didn’t matter who the father was, and then I went back on that.”
“I understand. I probably should have told you sooner.”
Wringing my hands together, I lick my lips. “I care about you and I care about the baby, Margot. I made a mistake. I want to be here.”
“I can see that,” she says. Her voice is flat, and alarm bells start ringing in my head. Margot stares at a pile of magazines on the coffee table, and I can see the tension heightening between us. Silence stretches, second by second, until Margot finally drags her gaze back to mine.
“There’s something you need to know,” she says.
My mind races. What else could there possibly be? Is there another man? Something about Beckett?
My face feels hot as my heart starts to thud. My fingertips tingle, and still, Margot doesn’t speak.
She takes a deep breath, putting a hand over her baby bump. “I have Huntington’s disease.”
I stare at her, blinking. “You have what?”
“Huntington’s disease. My mother had it, too.”
My eyes flick to her bump, and Margot lets out a sad sigh.
“I’m not sure about the baby.”
“What… What’s Huntington’s?” My mouth is dry. I try to lick my lips to transfer a bit of moisture, but my tongue barely has any to spare. My heart is still thumping. I force myself to sit still and listen.
“It’s a brain disorder.” Margot extends her hands, and I see a slight shake as she holds them in front of her. “This will get worse. Anxiety and depression are common, which might explain why I’ve suffered from both.”
She smiles sadly at me before shifting her gaze to the back window. I see her throat bob as she swallows, her hand moving in slow circles around her stomach.
“My mother was irritable and angry for many of our teen years,” Margot says. Her eyes are soft, and I know she’s far away in her mind. “In the end, she was pretty aggressive and angry. Very different from the soft, loving mother that we grew up with. I wasn’t there when she died. I’ve told myself that it’s because I was working to provide for my family, but to be honest, it was because I couldn’t face what she’d become.”
Margot takes a deep breath, staring down at her bump.
“I can handle the tremors,” she says softly. “I’m not afraid of not being able to walk, or to struggle to swallow. I’m ready to lose control over my body. But my mind…”
“Margot.” I reach over and put a hand on her thigh, but she flinches away.
A tear rolls down Margot’s cheek, and she shakes her head. “It’s better this way, Dante. It’s better to stop this now. We had fun, and it ended badly between us, but at least it ended before I turn into someone else.”
“No.” I shake my head. “No.”
“It’s not your choice.” Margot lifts her eyes up to mine, straightening her back. Her gaze hardens, and her teeth clench together. “I don’t want you to see me fall apart. I’d rather you remember me as the person I am now, instead of dragging you down with me. It’s too much of a burden to put on another person. I won’t do that to you.”
“You don’t get to decide what’s best for me, Margot,” I answer with a strangled voice. “What if I said I want to be there for you?”
“I’d tell you that you were stupid. You have no idea what you’d be signing up for.”
“What about the baby? Doesn’t the baby deserve a father?”
“Yes,” Margot nods. “But I’m not going to be the one to take your life away from you. I’m not going to force you into throwing your freedom away just to take care of me and my baby. It’s not fair, Dante.”
“I’m not throwing anything away. I’m here for you.”
Margot smiles sadly. She stands up and reaches over to put her hands on either side of my face. I put my palms over her hands, searching her eyes. I look for something—anything—that will tell me she’ll change her mind.
“Live your life, Dante. Find someone healthy, happy, and unencumbered. Don’t try to be a hero. Trust me, the guilt of holding you back would kill me faster than the disease.”
“Margot, you’re wrong.”
“And you have no idea what you’re talking about.”
She leans down, pressing her lips to mine. “I love you, Dante. I do. That’s why I’m not going to let you be