Stephanie heaves a sigh, almost as if she regrets saying anything about Alexander to begin with. "I have no reason to lie to you," she assures him, her voice a little calmer now. "Absolutely no reason at all."

"You have every reason to pull a stunt like this," George retorts. "You're upset that I don't love you. And I've said so many times that I'm sorry — but it's not going to change the outcome. Saying that I'm not Alex's father is just a low blow. Are you even fit to be a mother if you can lie so easily about something so awful?"

"Alex was conceived in November," Stephanie reveals. "Not October, like I've led you to believe. You barely even had sex with me in October — or, for that matter — any month, since you met Levi. I guess now, it makes sense."

"It only takes one time to create a child," George argues.

"I know that. But come on — you and I used protection every single time. Because you insisted on it." She shakes her head, wanting nothing more than for this ordeal to be over with. "I lied about my cycle to hide the truth. I had my period as normal until November; December time. I cheated in November."

"Protection can fail," George argues.

"I slept with the other guy without protection."

"And who is this mystery man, huh?" George folds his arms tightly across his chest; he is still having a hard time believing what Stephanie is saying. "If you're so certain he exists."

"His name is Harrison," she answers. "I met him on a night out with the girls. I was upset after an argument you and I had. I felt like you didn't love me. And he was kind; and he listened. It was a mistake, George, but it still happened."

"Well, if this Harrison exists ... does he even know about Alex?"

"Yes." She averts her gaze down to the floor, starting to feel some shame in her actions. "I told him the day after I told you. He told me he wants to be a part of Alex's life. I'd told him it wouldn't be possible without you finding out at some point."

"This stranger isn't having a part in my son's life," George affirms, pressing his fist to the arm of the sofa next to her in frustration. "I mean it. I don't want any other man to come near my child."

"You have no control," Stephanie retorts. "For starters, he's not your son. Second of all, if you can fuck around with other guys, so can I. You can't stop me from doing anything."

"You're due in literally two or three weeks," George reminds her. "So when he's born, that'll prove he was conceived in October with me."

"That's where you're mistaken. He's not due until the middle of August."

"What's the specific due date then, hm?" George interrogates sarcastically. "If you're so certain it's later than you've made out."

"The real due date is August the twelfth," Stephanie informs him. "Not that it's any of your business, whatsoever."

"Until you can prove to me that Alex isn't mine, I don't believe a single word you're saying." George shakes his head, moving away from Stephanie; he walks over to the dining room table, which is sat in the corner of the room. "So, you better get on with showing me some evidence ... which you probably don't have."

"It's funny that you should say that." She stands herself up, heading towards the kitchen drawer of miscellaneous items that normally aren't needed. She quickly scours through it, finding a small padlocked box. "This."

"It needs a key," he huffs matter-of-factly. "Do you happen to have a key, for this magical evidence?"

She peers back into the drawer, withdrawing her hand to reveal a drawstring bag which holds the key; she tosses it to him, watching as he unlocks it. "I wasn't stupid enough to keep it out in the open for you to find."

"Wow, how thoughtful," he snipes, sliding the lock from the box; he opens it, to find a letter in an envelope. "What's this?"

"The evidence you so-desperately require," Stephanie states, observing his fingers as he unseals the loosely stuck-down opening. "I made Harrison take a DNA test when I found out I was pregnant. This letter is the results of the DNA test."

"Right." George unfolds the piece of paper, allowing his eyes to scan over the words written in front of him.

BIOLOGICAL MOTHER: MISS STEPHANIE MARIE CARTER
BIOLOGICAL FATHER: MISTER HARRISON JAMES BROOKER

George flits his eyes up to the top of the page; he sees the official crest logo for the hospital that's local to him, realising the letter is legitimate. With one more glance at the name that follows after "biological father", it feels as though George's entire world comes crumbling down around him in quick succession. He is numb — unable to produce any kind of audible response for at least a minute or two; and the silence is excruciating. In this time, Stephanie's eyes well up with tears; the guilt has set in for her now, but she knows she cannot undo what has happened.

"I'm so sorry, George," she whispers. "I know I should have told you from the beginning."

"Do you realise what you've done?" George asks, with very little emphasis in his voice. "Do you truly realise what the fuck you've done?"

"You're not innocent in this either," she reminds him. "I'm not even mad at the fact you're gay, George. But I'm mad at the fact you lied about it for so long. Why make the same mistake that I made? Why couldn't you have told me sooner? Why go and cheat and do the wrong thing like I did? I knew I messed up, but I thought you were better than me, George."

"Don't you dare start telling me about my own morals after this," George snaps back. "I know I kept a huge secret from you, for a long time — but to lead me to believe that this baby was my son all this time?" He cannot seem to get past this revelation; the reality begins to hit, that he has now truly lost everything that matters most. "I loved that boy, Steph. I still love that boy. I've thought this entire time that I'd been blessed enough to be given him ... well, how wrong could a man be?" His eyes finally start to gloss over from the emotional turmoil. "Typical isn't it? The number of times I had to force myself to fuck you when I wasn't interested; and the one time I don't, is the time that gets you pregnant."

"I didn't plan for this to happen, George," Stephanie cries. "This is just an impossible situation for the both of us. Maybe if we'd have both been honest sooner, we could have avoided all of this altogether."

"This situation isn't impossible for you," George spits angrily. "You can keep Alex and fuck off to your parents, or to your new lover. You've still got everything you need. What do I have, now?" He pushes his balled hand to his chest, to indicate how much of a blow this confession has proven to be for him. "The love of my life has left me, and I can't replace that; and the baby that I cared for with my entire heart isn't even mine — and even if I wanted to, I can't replace a child because the law won't allow it. I have nothing left, at all."

"Levi might still let you go and live with him," Stephanie suggests quietly. "It's not over for you yet."

"You're really missing the point." George lets his face fall into his hand, irate at the young woman before him. "I've lost everything to try and make my life better for me, for once. I've spent almost a decade trying to push aside how I felt for the sake of others. And yet, the single time I do something for myself — it ends up like this. My fear cost me Levi; yet my courage cost me a son. What kind of a life is this, where I lose either way?"

"I'm sorry, George—"

"And how long were you expecting to play happy families with me, huh?" George hisses. "Because surely, if I hadn't have said anything, neither would you? You'd have kept leading me to believe that Alex was actually mine; and I'd have believed it, because I'm a complete tosser."

"You kept a secret from me for a long time, too," Stephanie reminds him; she knows he is just as much a victim as she is, but she doesn't want him to forget that he's to blame, too.

"But I'd planned to tell you the truth since the start!" George shouts. "You never planned to! You were just going to let me raise a child that wasn't even my own; you were happy to let me live in yet another lie! If it weren't for my secret, you'd have kept your pretty mouth shut — and then if I found out the boy wasn't mine in five, ten years? What would you have done then, when I'd already loved and nourished him for all that time?"

"I just didn't expect this to happen. I never thought that—"

"No, Steph! You just never thought at all, did you?" The tears slip down his chiselled cheeks, landing on his shirt in little, melancholy circles. "When you were fucking another man, you never thought of me. When you told me I was going to be the best father ever; and I told you I was happy, you never thought of me. When you lied to my face for eight months solid about the paternity of this baby; and you watched me get excited; and you saw how much I doted on him, you never thought of me then, either!" He swipes his hand across his face, to rid the little droplets of water in one smooth action; then, he scrunches the DNA test letter into a ball, before throwing it to the ground in Stephanie's direction.

"You didn't exactly think of me when you cheated on me with another man," Stephanie murmurs.

"That's where you're wrong," George corrects her, beginning to sound defeated. "I thought of you, every single time I saw him and my eyes lit up. I thought of you, every time he touched me in ways that you never could. I thought of you, every time we told each other we loved one another — and I meant it when I said it to him; in a way that I have never meant it when I said it to you. But I thought of you, because of how guilty I felt for betraying you like that. You have no idea how difficult this has been for me; not just the last eight months — but the last decade since I realised who I really am."

"It must have been so difficult," Stephanie remarks sarcastically. "Was it difficult the first time you kissed him? The first time you said you loved him? Or the first time you made love? I can't begin to imagine how hard it must have been."

"You truly have no idea." He shakes his head, leaving the room momentarily, so that he can grab something he never expected to grab. He returns, holding his unlocked diary; with all his cards on the table, he moves closer to her, handing her the book poignantly. "I have nothing left to hide," he pleads, his voice fragile. "Now, I don't care what you take. I don't care what you do. I don't care where you go. Just get out of this house; and don't come back to grab your stuff until I'm gone. And never, ever come near me again."

"How will I know when you've gone?" she asks, heartbroken that it has come to this.

"I'll call your parents and let them know." By now, he has regained his seat on the sofa. His expression is emotionless; the only hint of how hurt he is, is the redness of his nose and cheeks; and how bloodshot his eyes are. "I want you gone by tonight."

She nods in understanding, despite the fact George isn't even looking at her. Making no sound, she slips out of the room, so that she can gather some of her most important belongings. George remains frozen to the spot he's sitting in, his gaze fixed ahead of him in a trance-like state, as he tries to come to terms with the immense losses he's faced in the last couple of days.

• • •

Team Stephanie or Team George? Personally, I'm heartbroken for George despite him hiding his sexuality for so long. Hope you're still enjoying. xx