Monroe tried to pull her shirt down to cover her pregnancy belly. She was so far along now. She looked over to her salmon couch, Dave was laying on it as he took a sip of his beer. She walked over to him, trying to get his attention. “Babe, do you want to grab lunch?”

Dave looked at her with a bored expression on his face. “Sure.” He lifted himself from the couch and took Monroe’s hand as they walked out of their apartment.

Monroe didn’t know how to broach the subject. She felt like an idiot. Here she was ready to pop but he was still going behind her back. She frowned, speaking harshly as she did. “I know you’ve been seeing Jessica.”

Dave sighed and waved at her dismissively. “Can’t we just grab lunch and forget about this?”

“No. I thought when I got pregnant things would change.”

Dave smiled at her, it was a cold, sardonic smile. “Things have changed. I’m a different man now.”

Monroe was crying now. How could she be so foolish? Of course he hadn’t changed. Why would he change? Why did she think having a baby with him would change anything? “Then why are you still cheating on me?”

Dave walked behind her, grabbing her by the arms roughly as they continued walking. “M, you need to understand that I’m a man that has needs.”

Monroe had heard that excuse so many times before. “A woman has needs too. Would it be okay if I cheated on you?”

The apartment halls echoed with the roar of Dave’s laughter. “Oh please! Like anyone would sleep with you when you’re that pregnant! Face it M, you’re damaged goods.”

He reached out to her belly from behind, rubbing it as he spoke. “No, honey, you just worry about giving birth.”

Monroe pushed his hand away with disgust. “I don’t know how I ended up here with you. I could have sworn my life was supposed to be different.”

This whole thing felt wrong, being here with Dave felt wrong. There was a hole in her heart that she couldn’t fill with his presence, if anything the hole got bigger when she was with him. She tried to think of a different life but there wasn’t one. She was with Dave. Even if she didn’t want to be. “I don’t deserve this.” She finished.

Dave grabbed her face, holding her by her chin, forcing her head to look at him. “I am what you deserve. Everything that has happened was because of you. All your choices led you to me. Face it Monroe. You’re stuck with me.”

He began rubbing her belly again, this time the action felt sinister. Monroe watched in horror as he uttered his final words to her. “Forever.”

Monroe gasped herself awake; she was sweating profusely as she pushed the blankets off her body. She turned to look at Darcy, he was sleeping soundly beside her. It’s okay. It’s okay. It was only a nightmare. A horrid one, but still only a dream.

She got up and made her way downstairs, rubbing her belly as she did, her baby bump was beginning to show, she was in her second trimester now. She reached her kitchen and grabbed a glass, pouring cold water into it. She tried to shake the thoughts of Dave from her head. “It’s okay. He’s in prison and I am pregnant with Darcy’s babies, not Dave’s.” She tried to reassure herself.

She became startled as she heard Darcy call out to her from behind. “You’re up late again.”

She turned around, leaning against the sink as she spoke. “Hey, sorry did I wake you?”

“It’s okay. Did you have another nightmare? You’ve been having a lot of them lately.”

Monroe placed her hand on her bump, looking away from Darcy when she spoke. “I’m not really getting good sleep. I stopped taking my meds when I found out I was pregnant, and it’s been very hard to sleep without them.”

Darcy fidgeted with his hands nervously as he spoke. “Are you sure you don’t want to take them.”

Monroe shook her head. “Not until I deliver. I know things are hard right now, but we knew this pregnancy was not going to be easy.”

Darcy still didn’t think it was a good idea to be off her meds, but Monroe was too stubborn. “I know. I’m just worried about you. Sleep is important.”

She smiled, trying to reassure him. “I’ll be fine. I just need some tea.”

“I’ll make it for you.” He offered.

Monroe nodded as she took a seat at the table.

After he boiled the water, he served her in a new mug he had just gotten her recently. It read ‘#1 mom’. Monroe watched as the teabag seeped into the water. It smelled amazing, the herbal scent was comforting.

Monroe continued staring at the mug, her head a million miles away. Darcy watched her, he knew she was thinking about her nightmare. “Do you want to talk about your nightmare? It might help.”

Monroe knotted her brows, speaking calmly despite how distressed she felt. “Um, I dreamt that I was pregnant. With Dave’s baby. He was still cheating on me, and I was his doormat again. I wondered why I thought a baby would fix our relationship. And he said I deserved him. I deserved everything and now I was bound to him for life. It felt so real. It’s like I caught a glimpse into a life I could have had if I hadn’t met you.”

Darcy reached for her hand, holding it tenderly. “Oh Mon, that sounds horrible. I’m sorry you dreamt that. But for the record, you didn’t deserve anything he did to you and he sure as hell didn’t deserve you.”

Monroe grinned at him as she stared deeply into his sky-blue eyes. “It’s okay. When I woke up I saw you sleeping peacefully next to me and it made me feel better. This is my life. You are my life.”

Darcy smiled at her softly. “I’m glad I could help.”

She reached her head toward him, placing her lips on his.

You are my life.