Keeping Marlene and our baby safe was all I cared about from the moment I realized she was pregnant.
It didn't matter that I couldn't be part of the baby's life - I had been completely overwhelmed by an instinctive need to protect them, and I was doing everything in my power to make sure they would be safe, and happy, even though I couldn't be there physically.
We barely knew each other, but I was in love with her, and I hated knowing that our baby might have ruined things for her.
Every time I tried to talk to her about things, she would either ignore me or change the subject.
She didn't know that I was trying to figure out some way of helping her that would actually be meaningful.
She couldn't stay here; it wouldn't be safe for her, or for the baby.
That's what I was telling myself
