The last Call

I had been waiting for what felt like hours. My fingers drummed on the cold glass of the coffee I had been waiting for what felt like hours. My fingers drummed on the cold glass of the coffetable, the muted hum of the city outside only making my nerves worse. The sun was setting, casting a golden hue across the room.

I glanced at my phone again. No messages. No calls. I couldn’t decide if I was angry or just… disappointed. Alex had promised, after all. It was supposed to be our night. Dinner at the new place, followed by a walk under the stars—our usual Friday routine. But now, here I was, alone.

I should’ve known better. It was becoming a pattern. He’d tell me he'd be home by a certain time, but then would never show. Work, friends, a random errand he forgot to mention—all excuses. Tonight, though? Tonight felt different. It wasn’t just about the dinner or the walk. It was the way he’d looked at me this morning. His eyes, darting away when I caught him staring, the sudden awkwardness that made my stomach churn. Something was off.

The minutes ticked by, and with each passing second, my patience wore thinner.

I stood and grabbed my jacket, deciding to take a walk to clear my head. I needed air. Needed to get away from the phone, away from the silence. As I stepped outside, I pulled the jacket tighter around me. The cool evening breeze felt nice against my skin, a small comfort in a sea of frustration.

Just as I rounded the corner, my phone buzzed. My heart skipped a beat as I fumbled to grab it. Alex. Finally.

“Hey,” I answered, trying to keep the bitterness out of my voice.

“Hey, listen...” His voice sounded strained. “I need to talk to you. Can you meet me at the park? Right now?”

I froze. Something in his tone didn’t sit right.

“Alex, it’s late. Where are you?”

“I—I can’t explain over the phone. Please, just come. It’s important.”

The urgency in his voice left me no room for argument. I told him I’d be there in five minutes, then hung up. My mind raced with a thousand possibilities as I made my way to the park. What was going on? What had he done?

When I arrived, I scanned the area for him, but there was no sign of Alex. My phone buzzed again. This time, it was a text.

Look behind you.

I turned around slowly, heart hammering in my chest.

Standing in the distance was Alex. His face was pale, his expression unreadable. And there, standing next to him, was… a woman. She was holding a baby.

The woman’s eyes met mine, and the world seemed to freeze.

“Hi,” she said softly, her voice trembling. “I think you should know… I’m your sister-in-law. And this is your niece.”

My breath caught.

Alex had a family. Another family.

The shockwave hit me like a tidal wave, and suddenly, all the late nights, the half-truths, the missed calls—all of it clicked into place.

I wasn’t the only one who had been waiting for him to come home.