I fell in love with a pregnant woman and promised to help her raise the baby, but she decided to have fun and avoid her responsibilities. She abandoned me only to return years later to do something unspeakable. I met Molly at college. She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen, but she never gave me the time of day. Molly would often hang out with the most popular men, usually on the school’s football team, but we became close friends. She was cheerful and a great student. It was just amazing to have a friend like that, even if my feelings would always be unrequited. Eventually, she started dating Tanner, the captain of the team. He wasn’t a typical mean jock, but I always thought she could do better.

A few months afterward, Molly came to my house crying. Tanner had dumped her and started dating another girl almost immediately. I comforted her as best I could, but she had really loved him. About a month after that, she discovered something life-changing. “What an idiot! I can’t believe he would evade his responsibilities like that! What are you going to do?” I questioned. “I don’t know. I don’t want to get rid of it, but I’m in college. I can’t be a single mom. My parents are going to kill me,” she cried.

“I’ll step up. We can get married, and I’ll help you raise the baby. You won’t be alone,” I suggested without thinking about it twice. “Don’t worry. It’s not about that. We’ll get married so that no one will look down on you, and you won’t be a single mother,” I continued.

It sounded crazy even to me, but I couldn’t let Molly go through this alone. “Are you sure? That’s a lot to ask of a friend,” Molly whispered, still hesitant about this insane idea. I assured her I was serious, and we went down to the courthouse later that week. Two of our friends served as witnesses, and it was a short affair. I helped Molly get through this pregnancy as best I could. It was difficult as we were both college students, but we would make it work together. I grew more excited every day, thinking of becoming a father.

But Molly was not that enthusiastic. I could tell that she missed being able to go out with her friends and enjoying regular college life. But as a mother, she had to sacrifice a lot. Eventually, Amelia was born, and she was the most beautiful baby in the world. I adored her immediately and became her dad. Molly loved Amelia as well and settled into being a mother better than I expected. We became a wonderful little family, and no one suspected that Amelia was not mine because she looked exactly like her mother.

But Molly grew less and less excited. When Amelia was five years old, Molly broke down after putting her to bed. “I can’t do this anymore. I lost everything!” she cried. What are you talking about?” I asked her. “I lost my entire youth. I shouldn’t have had a kid at all!” Molly continued. “Molly, please. Amelia might hear you. She’s in the next room!” I said, raising my voice only a bit. “I don’t care. I want out of this. I’m filing for divorce, and I don’t want to see any of you again,” she said, shocking me to my core. I asked her to stop and think about this, but Molly had already packed her bags and left us forever.