Six months had passed since then. Kyle, serving in the Airborne Division, felt this was his true calling. He and Kelsey exchanged letters often, and sometimes managed phone calls.
His parents also sent messages, though relations with his mother remained tense. Military service was tough, but it was here that Kyle understood what it meant to be strong, not just physically but morally. He learned to make decisions, take responsibility for his actions, and support his comrades.
In moments when his heart ached from homesickness, he found solace in letters from his beloved Kelsey. They were like a lifeline in a stormy ocean. Then suddenly, Kelsey vanished from his life.
Letters stopped coming, messages ceased, and her phone remained persistently out of reach. At first, Kyle tried to stay calm, reassuring himself that she might just have some troubles. But as time passed, his patience wore thin.
Finally, he decided to seek help from his loyal friend Ryan, who stayed in their hometown and was training as a welder. Kyle was sure Ryan must know what was happening with Kelsey and why she had gone silent. However, his friend’s response was unexpected and alarming.
Ryan admitted he hadn’t seen Kelsey in town for a long time. This news puzzled Kyle even more, and realizing he couldn’t wait any longer, he took a difficult step—he called his mother. He knew the conversation might turn unpleasant, but his worry for his beloved outweighed everything.
When Kyle asked about Kelsey, Olivia seemed prepared for the question. She sighed, as if bracing her son for bitter truth, and said,
- I don’t want to upset you, son, but I was right about that girl after all. I warned you more than once, but you wouldn’t listen to your own mother.
Kyle felt his heart tighten in tension, and his mother continued her monologue.
- Your Kelsey turned out not so faithful. She didn’t wait for you,
Olivia said, laying out her final cards.
Kyle felt anger and disbelief boiling inside him.
- Mom, I don’t believe you!
he exclaimed, unable to hold back.
- You’re just slandering her because you always disliked her and wanted to separate us. Isn’t that it? Kelsey couldn’t betray me like that. I don’t believe you!
But Olivia, unflinching, added,
- She is, son, exactly like that! Not only did she betray you, but her belly will soon show.
These words stunned Kyle, and he felt everything go cold inside.
- What belly?
he whispered faintly, disbelieving his ears.
His mother’s reply was full of certainty.
- She’s pregnant, son! And from who? God only knows. I saw her myself in town. She was walking all hunched over, eyes downcast. Ashamed, I bet!
Every word from his mother stabbed Kyle’s heart, stirring a storm of emotions. He couldn’t believe what he heard and didn’t know what to do. This news made him doubt everything he had so sincerely believed in. And his mother pressed on.
- Ugh, what a disgrace! It’s been about six months! So as soon as she saw you off to the military, she hooked up with someone!
his mother said disdainfully.
Kyle wanted to object, to shout that she was wrong, that Kelsey couldn’t do that to him. But if it was true, where did this child come from? Nothing had happened between them; he had saved her for their wedding. Apparently, it was only important to him.
After this talk with his mother, Kyle felt utterly shattered. He shook from nervous strain, and even developed a fever. He ended up in the infirmary, where doctors puzzled over what was wrong, but the cause was his heartache.
A week later, Kyle managed to calm down a bit. He forced himself to bury the pain of betrayal deep inside and decided to let Kelsey live as she wished; he wanted nothing more to do with her. He served the rest of his term honorably, but right after demobilization, he signed a contract to continue his military career.
At first, life seemed steady, but then came one deployment after another, and in four years, Kyle never returned home, though he could have taken leave easily. He hadn’t stopped missing home and his parents, but the fear of encountering Kelsey was too strong. As an airborne trooper, Kyle feared not the enemy, but a possible meeting with the girl who had betrayed him.
He worried his heart wouldn’t hold, that anger and resentment would overwhelm him, and he wouldn’t control his actions. The guy’s parents worried that their son seemed to have forgotten the way home entirely. They constantly begged him to visit for even a few days, but each time he found an excuse, like his superiors not granting leave.
One evening, sitting by a campfire during exercises, a comrade named Alex asked Kyle why he never talked about his girlfriend. Surely he had a love? The guy smiled, but sadness flickered in his eyes. There was one, of course, but things didn’t turn out as hoped. Alex slapped him on the shoulder.
- If you love her, go back and sort it out. True love doesn’t vanish without a trace.
But one day, Kyle’s unit commander summoned him and said a call had come from the recruitment office in his hometown. His mother complained that her son was unlawfully denied leave for so many years. The commander asked in surprise, but you do take leave? The guy nodded. Of course, but I never went home.
Why not, the commander didn’t understand. I just don’t want to, he replied shortly, knowing a trip home meant not only seeing parents but facing the past he tried to forget. Do you have a conflict with your parents? Or did your girl not wait? The commander guessed right away.
He realized the real reason was the latter. And he advised Kyle to let go of that fickle woman since she betrayed him. But you must visit your parents, he added regretfully.
- It’s not right to treat family like that.
And Kyle finally had to go home to reassure his mother. He rode the train, which had been en route to his hometown for three days already.
En route, the train stopped at a junction station for about 30 minutes. Kyle decided to use the time to stretch his legs on the platform, hoping to buy some snacks at the station square. Reaching the first vendor stall, he joined the line among the bustling passengers.
He glanced at his watch and the train, careful not to miss departure. And suddenly, from afar, he noticed a young woman with a child, standing out from the rest. The woman wore old but clean clothes, and her shoes were badly worn.
The boy, about three years old, also looked neat, though his attire was modest. The woman held his hand tightly and occasionally spoke to passing passengers. Though Kyle couldn’t hear what she said, he quickly realized she was begging for alms.
This fact stirred inner revulsion in him. He felt slightly nauseous at the sight of these ubiquitous beggars. Kyle stood perplexed, watching the woman approach him.
There was something familiar in her gait and gaze. At first, he couldn’t place it, but then he recognized her. It was Kelsey.
Her eyes widened in shock when their gazes met. In the next second, she hastily turned, scooped up the boy, and bolted in the opposite direction. Kyle instinctively chased after her, not understanding why.
He needed to talk to her, though he couldn’t explain the reason. Emotions raged in his heart, and the resentment he harbored toward Kelsey mixed with a strange pity and desire to clarify the situation. He caught up to her near his train car and grabbed her shoulders.
- Kelsey, stop!
he shouted loudly, his voice insistent and even aggressive.
She froze and turned to him. Her face was distorted with pain and despair.
The boy, whom she held tightly, cried, sensing his mother’s distress. Tears streamed down Kelsey’s face, and the sight deeply moved Kyle. In the next moment, he felt his own heart squeeze in pain.
- Hush, hush, darling! Calm down, please!
he repeated, his voice full of confusion and helplessness.
He didn’t know where to start the conversation or how to act, but he kept holding her hand to prevent another escape. Suddenly, he heard her fearful voice.
- You’re hurting me!
she said, snapping Kyle back to reality.
He realized he was causing her pain and abruptly released her arm. His heart pounded wildly, but he could no longer restrain himself.
Kyle cried out in desperation.
- Don’t run! We need to talk! I have a right to that, and I want the whole truth!
Kelsey turned to leave again but paused at his sincere words.
- Kelsey, I know you didn’t wait for me. I was furious and didn’t want to see you. But since we’ve met, let’s finally talk. What happened to you? Why do you look like this? And what are you doing here?
Kyle blurted out.
But Kelsey just shook her head in silence. At that moment, a young conductor shouted loudly.
- Sir, the train’s leaving! Board the car!
Kyle looked at Kelsey and her child and felt he couldn’t leave them.
Despite the betrayal, he was obligated to help.
- I’m not going further!
he yelled to the conductor.
- Can you grab my things from the car?
The conductor widened her eyes in surprise and was about to say something, but then waved it off and went to fulfill the odd passenger’s request.
Soon, standing on the platform, he caught his suitcases and bag. Kyle looked around anxiously and saw Kelsey still there, not having fled. The tears on her face had dried, and the little boy, pressed to her chest, was dozing peacefully.
They sat on a bench in the station square; both struggled to find words, and for a while, they simply sat in silence. Finally, Kyle broke the quiet.
- My mom told me about your pregnancy.
- She accidentally saw you with a big belly,
he began.
- But it’s clear the child isn’t mine. We never… you know. Why didn’t you explain it to me yourself? You could have at least written or called. I was going crazy with worry.
Kelsey just smiled bitterly.
- Your mom told you a lot, and you believed her? How could I not believe?
Kyle replied.
- You vanished in an instant, stopped all contact. And here I see you have a child already,
he said, pointing to the sleeping boy in Kelsey’s arms.
- Yes, there’s a child,
the girl whispered.
- But you don’t know the full truth. I’ll tell you everything. Then you decide whether to believe me or not.
And she began her story. Four years ago, after Kyle left, Kelsey went to the medical college to submit her application.
Her documents were accepted, and she had good chances of enrollment. Leaving the college, she ran into Ryan, a former classmate and Kyle’s friend. He offered her a ride in his car.