Chapter: Chapter 14“I don’t care what anyone says,” I whispered into the empty room, hugging my knees to my chest. “Nobody should blame me for what I’m going through.”The silence answered me back, cold and still. I wasn’t talking to anyone, but saying it aloud made it feel like someone might finally understand.“I had sex with a man I met for the first time,” I said again, louder this time. “And I don’t regret it.”I paused, letting the weight of my own confession settle in the air.“Do you even know what it means to be married for two whole years and never enjoy sex? Two years!” I stood up suddenly, pacing the room barefoot, my voice rising with each step. “I was supposed to be a wife, not a statue. I felt nothing. Just cold sheets and fake moans. Nothing real.”I stopped by the window, staring out at the dark sky. A soft wind blew against the glass, like the world outside was listening to me.“But that one night… that one moment with someone I barely knew… it felt different,” I whispered, voice crack
Last Updated: 2025-08-02
Chapter: Chapter 13“I Think I Know Who the Father Is…”“I’m sorry, what did you say?” My boss's voice snapped me back to reality.I blinked, realizing I must’ve said something out loud without knowing. “It’s nothing,” I said quickly, forcing a weak smile. It didn’t even touch my lips, let alone my heart. “I’ve just been… tired.”He leaned forward across his desk, his brows creased with concern. “You’ve missed two deadlines this week, and the last proposal you submitted ended on page two. That’s not you, Melinda,”I looked down at my hands resting in my lap, fingers nervously twisting the ring I no longer wore. “It won’t happen again,” I muttered.There was a pause.Then a soft sigh. “Look, if you need a few days—take them. Seriously. I’d rather have you back focused than burnt out and struggling.”I nodded once, barely hearing the words. “Thanks,” I murmured, standing up like a puppet being pulled by strings. “I’ll be fine.”“Just remember, you don’t have to carry everything alone,” he said as I turned
Last Updated: 2025-07-27
Chapter: Chapter 12My eyes stared blankly at the ceiling as the dim light from the hallway flickered across the wall—like a ghost creeping in and out of my thoughts. My heart beat in uneven rhythms, like it was trying to keep pace with my fears. The air in the room felt heavy, thick, and cruel. I pulled the blanket tighter around my body, hoping to find comfort, but nothing—absolutely nothing—could warm the coldness inside me.How do you even breathe again when you’re trying to run from your painful past, but life isn’t done with you yet?I didn’t mean to cry again.But the moment I looked at the test result, the tears broke loose—like water crashing through a dam.Pregnant.Just one word. Eight letters. But it cracked something deep inside me.I sat at the edge of the bed, gripping the paper so tightly that my knuckles turned white. My body felt distant, like it didn’t belong to me anymore—numb, trembling, and cold, even though the fan was off and every window was shut.“No,” I whispered. “This can’t b
Last Updated: 2025-07-22
Chapter: Chapter 11The doctor’s lips pressed together, and somehow, I found myself holding my breath too. His eyes stayed fixed on the result in his hand, and his expression didn’t help the tight knot forming in my chest.My heart was pounding, but I sat still, trying not to panic.He looked up slowly, his face unreadable.“The result is out,” he said.I gave him a nervous nod. My fingers curled tightly around my handbag resting on my lap.He hesitated for a moment, then said, “Miss Melinda… according to the test result, you’re pregnant.”I blinked at him.“Pregnant?” I repeated, like I wasn’t sure I heard him correctly.“Yes,” he replied gently.I just stared at him. My lips parted, but no words came out. I didn’t even know what I was feeling. My chest felt heavy, like someone had just dropped a rock inside it.The doctor tilted his head. “Miss, are you alright?”I nodded too quickly. “Yes, I’m… I’m fine.” I paused, then asked in a small voice, “Please… how long?”He glanced at the paper again. “You’re
Last Updated: 2025-07-19
Chapter: Chapter 10I didn’t sleep a wink.My eyes were open the whole night, staring into the darkness, praying that Google had lied to me.Every time I blinked, I saw the search results again.“Can stress course fatigue. Dizziness. Sore breasts. Nausea.”The words danced in my brain like neon signs, refusing to fade. I shut my eyes tight, wishing I could shut my mind too.“It’s just stress,” I whispered for the hundredth time, hugging my pillow like it could save me. “It has to be.”I could still hear the faint humming of the fridge in the kitchen, the ticking wall clock above the wardrobe, and the restless sighs I released every five minutes. Time didn’t move. Neither did I.The weeks had been brutal—late nights, tight deadlines, no rest. That had to be the reason I felt like this. Not… not what Google suggested.No, it couldn't be that.By morning, my head was heavy, my stomach twisted, but I got up anyway. The alarm buzzed half-heartedly beside me, but I was already sitting up. I had been up all nig
Last Updated: 2025-07-18
Chapter: Chapter 9I had already given up when the email popped in like a surprise guest I didn’t invite.I sat there, slouched on the edge of the bed, half-heartedly scrolling through job sites for the hundredth time that week, when the notification buzzed.I blinked at the screen, mouth half-open. “Wait… what?”I leaned forward, heart thumping just a little. Maybe I was imagining things. I read it again, just to be sure.Congratulations, you’ve been shortlisted for an interview.I stared. For a few seconds, I just sat there frozen. My fingers hovered over the keyboard. My eyes didn’t blink. My mind had gone blank.“Okay… This has to be a mistake,” I muttered aloud, grabbing my phone from the charger like it could give me answers. I scrolled through my sent emails, tapping each one like I was retracing my own steps. I had applied, yes, I remembered sending it in—just two days ago. But I hadn’t heard anything since then.Two days of silence had convinced me I’d been ignored. Again. Just like all the oth
Last Updated: 2025-07-17
Chapter: Chapter 33The storm had passed, but the silence it left behind felt even louder.Outside the window, the rain had stopped, but the sky still hung heavy with gray clouds. Puddles reflected broken patches of sky, and the trees bent low under the weight of soaked leaves. The world had quieted, as if nature itself were holding its breath, waiting to see what came next.I lay in the bed, barely able to move, my arms wrapped protectively around the tiny life curled against my chest. My body ached in ways I never thought possible. Every muscle burned, every bone throbbed, but none of that mattered. Not now. Not with her in my arms.My daughter—my baby—was fast asleep, her soft breathing the only sound in the dimly lit room. The little rise and fall of her chest became my anchor, my reason to breathe. Her skin was still flushed pink from the stormy night’s delivery, her dark hair damp and clinging to her scalp. Tiny fingers curled and twitched against me as if grasping at invisible dreams, dreams of a
Last Updated: 2025-08-26
Chapter: Chapter 32The wind howled outside like it was warning me—like it already knew what was coming.Rain tapped sharply against the single window of my tiny apartment, steady and impatient, like fingers drumming on glass. The sky outside had turned a deep gray, angry and restless, and thunder rolled low in the distance, growling like a wild animal pacing in the shadows.Inside, the air was still. Too still.I sat on the edge of my old bed, folding baby clothes on the thin, faded comforter—soft onesies, tiny secondhand socks with little bears stitched on them, and a pale yellow hat someone from the shelter had knitted for me. I had folded and refolded the same pile three times already, just to keep my hands busy. My belly sat heavy in my lap, tight and round, making it hard to breathe when I bent too far.Each item I folded made my heart twist a little more. Every piece reminded me that something big—something terrifying and beautiful—was just around the corner. I didn’t feel ready. I wasn’t ready. B
Last Updated: 2025-08-26
Chapter: Chapter 31“Celine. I’m so glad you called.”Dr. Maya’s voice was soft, almost like a blanket over my heart. I pressed the phone tighter against my ear, fighting the tears that were already threatening to fall.“I… I didn’t know who else to call,” I whispered, my voice cracking.“You did the right thing,” she said. “Where are you now?”I looked around the empty street. The bench I was sitting on was hard and cold. The streetlamps above me flickered in and out. Everything felt like it could break at any moment — even me.“I’m outside,” I said, my voice shaking. “In the park… near Main Street. I’ve been staying with someone, but… I had to leave.”There was a pause on the line, then her voice returned, firmer this time.“Stay right where you are. I’m coming.”I blinked. “What? No, I didn’t mean—”“I’m coming, Celine,” she repeated. “Sit tight. Ten minutes.”And before I could argue, she had ended the call.I stared down at the phone in my hand. My heart was racing.Why was she doing this?She didn’
Last Updated: 2025-08-26
Chapter: Chapter 30Rain poured from the sky like punishment, sharp and relentless. I stood just outside the shelter’s door, shivering as cold droplets slid down my neck and soaked into the thin collar of my coat. I held it tighter around my belly, but it barely helped. My shoes squelched when I shifted my weight, and my clothes clung to my skin like a second, soggy shell.The door behind me clicked shut, sealing me out.A minute ago, I had been inside, clutching the counter, hoping—begging—for a spot. The receptionist hadn’t looked cruel, but her face had that tired kindness that comes from saying "no" too many times.“I’m sorry, Celine,” she had said, not unkindly. “We’re overwhelmed right now. No beds. No space. If anything opens up tomorrow, I’ll call.”That was it.No blanket. No cot. No chance to rest even for a night.I stared at her, blinking back tears, willing her to change her mind. But her eyes had already moved on to the next problem. The next name on the list.Now I stood outside, the cold
Last Updated: 2025-08-22
Chapter: Chapter 28A Quiet Kind of StrengthThe next morning, I woke up before the sun.I didn’t sleep much.My hand rested over my swollen belly, feeling the faint flutter of movement inside me. That tiny kick reminded me that even if I felt alone, I wasn’t.There was life inside me. Depending on me.Waiting for me to be strong.I sat up slowly, my body heavy and sore, but I pushed through it. Brushed my teeth. Combed my hair. Put on the cleanest clothes I had left.Today, I was going to find her.I walked to the address listed in the article—the Maple Street Gallery. It was only three bus stops away, but every step felt like a mile.When I got there, my heart was pounding so loud I could barely breathe.The gallery was small, tucked between a flower shop and a café. A soft yellow sign hung above the door with painted roses on the corners.I hesitated.My hand touched the doorknob.What if she didn’t recognize me?What if she didn’t want to?I shook the doubt from my head and walked in.The inside was
Last Updated: 2025-08-22
Chapter: Chapter 29The wind was harsh that morning.I wrapped my coat tighter around my growing belly as I walked down the cracked sidewalk. The diner was two blocks from the shelter — the only place that had given me a shift this week.I hadn’t eaten yet. My stomach grumbled, but I ignored it. The pain in my feet was nothing new. The ache in my lower back was growing worse each day. But I kept going. I always did.When I stepped inside the diner, the bell above the door jingled softly.Warm air greeted me. The smell of bacon and coffee filled the room, and for a moment, I closed my eyes and just breathed.The manager, a short man named Gary, waved at me. “You’re early, Celine.”I forced a smile. “Just didn’t want to be late.”He nodded toward the back. “There’s a table to clear near the window. And be gentle with the lady in the red coat — she doesn’t look like she wants company.”I glanced toward the booth. A woman sat there alone. Mid-thirties, maybe older. Dark curly hair pinned into a neat bun. Her
Last Updated: 2025-08-22
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