Charlotte sat in her living room, the silence weighing heavily on her. After the confrontation with Utter, she felt drained, as though every ounce of energy had been drained from her. She had known, deep down, that he wouldn’t embrace the news, but the reality of his harsh rejection hit her harder than she could have imagined. His words echoed in her mind: “I don’t want anything to do with you or this child.” The coldness in his voice still stung.

She picked up her phone, her fingers ...