Chapter 1

"Mom! Help!"

Shouting at the top of her lungs is a twenty-one-year-old pregnant young woman. She has a whole future ahead of her, a bright future. However, her whole life was put on hold when she learned about the life brewing inside of her. Bracing herself with the jolting pain that started as soon as she got up from bed, Patricia Harrington grabbed the wooden railing beside her. Nine months ago, she was the well-liked, well-respected daughter of a very successful construction firm owner, Anthony Harrington.

"Mom!"

But she fell in love with the wrong man. She was so naive to think that her boyfriend, Denver Braxton, truly loved her. Giving herself to him with his promise that they will be together no matter what happened. Then the moment Denver learned of her pregnancy; he fled town.

"Mom! Please! I need help!" She continued to scream for help, praying that the pain will finally stop.

"What now?" Deborah, her stepmother, angrily asked. She's standing downstairs, looking at her like she's not even pregnant.

"You have to take me to the hospital, please." Patricia pleaded.

"Is that so? Okay. Come down here, and don't forget to bring your things." Her stepmother replied disinterestedly.

"What?" She could not believe what just happened. Whenever her father is around, her stepmom would be so sweet and caring. But as soon as her dad leaves, reality sets in. She can't remember when she did something to Deborah that might have caused this kind of treatment. Since the first time she met her, all Patricia did was be nice to her.

Not having any choice, and despite the pain, she went back to her room to pick up her hospital bag and went downstairs. Even with the difficulty she experience in every move, she kept going. She saw her stepmom waiting for her by the car impatiently. She's frowning and tapping her feet like she's been waiting for too long. Patricia wanted to complain, to scream at her. To tell her that she's in pain, and suffering. Finally, she chose to stay quiet.

"Quickly! My God!" Her stepmom yelled at her. "I don't have all day, okay!" She wanted to cry, but she knew there was no point in crying.

On the way to the hospital, the contractions became moe frequent. It was so painful for her that she couldn't keep herself from groaning in pain. Deborah constantly yelled at her. Blaming her for what she's going through. Calling her a whore and that she deserves all the pain she's feeling. Deborah even told her that Denver leaving her was the best choice her ex-boyfriend ever made.

When they arrived at the hospital, Patricia is already screaming in pain. Thick blood started flowing out her private part. When the nurses saw her, they didn't waste any moment and immediately put her into a stretcher. She was crying and begging for help, calling for her dad; the only person in the world who truly loves her. The nurses were so confused as to why Deborah was not even helping her stepdaughter when they entered the hospital.

"Stop shouting! Serves you right for being such a whore!" Deborah whispered to her ear. "If you just closed your legs and stayed at home, we will not be here!"

Patricia cried silently because of the emotional and physical pain. She never understood why Deborah treated her with so much disdain. She could not even treat her as a person. There's not a day goes by in which Deborah would show her the tiniest affection. She only cares about what Patricia's father can give her.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry, but you have to stay here." A nurse blocked Deborah, who's still whispering insults at her ear.

"Fine. I don't have any plans on following her there, anyway." Deborah answered sarcastically. "She can die there for all I care."

The nurse stepped back involuntarily because of her statement. From afar, people would think she's whispering encouraging words to Patricia. She was smiling sweetly and was caressing Patricia's head as they wheeled her to the delivery room. Little did they know that she's cursing her to death.

As soon as the door to the delivery room closed, Deborah's phone rang. It was Patricia's father. She was about to answer the phone but decided not to. It irritates her to see how Anthony loves Patricia. The hatred she feels towards the poor, pregnant young woman is rooted deep in her heart. And no matter how hard she tried to be nice to her to make everything a lot easier, she couldn't.

Cries of pain can be heard even outside the delivery room. Her suffering is like poison that affects the people around that cares. Mothers who passed by felt sorry for her. Some even greeted Deborah and told her that they would pray for Patricia, thinking that she cares about her stepdaughter. But for Deborah, Patricia's death would be a great convenience and blessing.

"Deborah, where's my daughter?" Deborah's phone almost fell out of her hands when she heard Anthony's voice.

"Honey! Oh, my God! You're finally here!" Deborah hugged her husband and started acting worried. "I don't think she's doing good, and I'm so concerned about her." Deborah, pretending that she cares about Patricia, responded.

"I've been calling you. Why weren't you picking up!" Anthony shouted at Deborah, which caught the attention of the nurses and doctors walking around.

"Don't yell at me! I've never been in this kind of situation, so I'm sorry if I didn't have my presence of mind!" Acting is one of Deborah's natural talents. Anthony regretted shouting at his wife the moment he saw her shed a tear. The nurse who blocked the wicked stepmother earlier, heard what she said. This nurse's eyes rolled involuntarily. She wanted to interrupt their conversation, but decided against it.

"I'm sorry, love. I was just so worried when I came home, and none of you was there." Anthony hugged his wife and apologized. "It's a good thing one of our neighbours saw you leave."

"It's okay, love. You know I love Patricia like my own daughter." Deborah continued the ruse. "I just lost focus when I heard her cried in pain earlier."

They waited for two hours outside of Patricia's room. Anthony was pacing back and forth because of so much worry. He was so bothered by Patricia's cries. At last, a nurse came out of the room, but it only added to the dread Anthony was already feeling.

"Excuse me; I'm Mr. Harrington, the patient's father. What happened to my daughter?" Anthony approached the nurse. His heart was racing, and he almost couldn't breathe. The thought of his daughter being in any harm causes him to feel anxious.

"Your daughter is experiencing a ruptured uterus. The baby is safe, but we have to perform a repair on her uterus." said the nurse. "But she's also experiencing abnormal and heavy bleeding. She's already lost a lot of blood. I need to go to the blood bank to check if we have the same type as your daughter." The nurse added.

"I'm her father, and I'll donate my blood. Please, do everything to save my daughter." Anthony begged.

"Wait here, sir. I'll check with the blood bank if they still have an AB+, then I'll get back to you To check your blood compatibility." The nurse was about to leave when Anthony asked again.

"I'm sorry? What did you say my daughter's blood type is?" Anthony is an O- and his late wife was an O+. How could Patricia be an AB+? It was a common misconception that offspring should inherit the blood type of at least one parent.

"Your daughter is an AB+. I'm sorry, but I have to go." As soon as the nurse left, Anthony lost his strength and almost fell. Deborah was quick to come to his aid.

"Hey, you have to calm down, love. Stay focused on Patricia's situation, okay?" Hiding her smile, Deborah tried to calm his husband. "I heard parents and their children can have a different blood type. It's sporadic, but it happens. So calm down for now, okay?" She added.

"How could that be possible?" Anthony asked more to himself.

"Hey, your daughter needs you, alright? And if she's not your daughter? So what?" Deborah was trying to plant doubts on Anthony's mind. "You know, I always wondered why Patricia doesn't look like you or Violet. But then I thought, who cares? I love that kid. So do you, okay?"

When Deborah saw Anthony fall into a deep thought, her heart wanted to jump in joy. She knew that it's not part of her plan, but she thought maybe this is for the better. She can get rid of Patricia without getting her hands dirty. Anthony stood up and walked away without uttering another word. She smiled wickedly behind his husband's back.

"Uh, excuse me, ma'am. Where's Mr. Harrington?" The nurse asked when she got back. "I'll check his blood type now."

"He's not donating anymore." Deborah sarcastically answered before leaving.

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After the doctors repaired Patricia's ruptured uterus, she instantly lost consciousness. She was so tired and weak, and she didn't even get the chance to see her son. After a while, she woke up in a dream. It was six hours after her operation. She was running in a dark alley; screaming, trying to find her father. But she didn't get an answer. All that she received was the echo of her voice. She felt like she was running for days. She was so tired and thirsty. But she couldn't stop, not until she finds her dad. She has a strong feeling she will find him.

"Patricia? Hey, wake up." She finally opened her eyes slowly, getting blinded by the sudden burst of light. "How are you feeling?" The nurse asked her.

"I, uh, I feel fine. Where's my dad?" Patricia asked the nurse, hoping she would say that her father's outside the door waiting.

"Uhm, your father and your stepmom left a while ago. They haven't come back." The nurse answered in a sad tone.

"Oh, that's fine. Maybe my dad's buying something for me or my son." Patricia answered happily. "He's sweet like that, you know. The best dad."

The nurse only smiled at her and then left, the same nurse who blocked Deborah earlier. She laid back to her bed and turned on the tv. The clock showed that it's time for her favourite program. But minutes became hours, but no one came back for her. Patricia still felt sore all over her body, but she tried to stand up. And she did. Slowly, she walked towards the door to get out.

"Oh, great! You're well-rested. Get back, get back!" Deborah appeared at her door out of nowhere and stabbed her chest with her sharp nail repeatedly. "So, Anthony is not coming back for you. You're not his daughter. We had your blood tested with his blood, and you two are no match." Deborah slammed an envelope on Patricia's face.

"What are you saying? This is ridiculous!" She angrily said while opening the folder. She can feel her legs shaking because of the exhaustion she felt for delivering her son safely into the world.

"Ridiculous is you living a life that is not yours." Deborah stabbed Patricia's forehead this time. "My husband doesn't want to see you anymore. So, I suggest you leave town and never come. You don't have a place here anymore."

Her words were stuck on her throat when she saw the paternity test result Deborah gave her. She recognizes the laboratory because her godmother owned it. She then knew Deborah was not lying. When Patricia looked at her stepmother, Deborah was smiling at her like she won the jackpot. She kept asking herself if what's happening is true.

"One more thing, your hospital bills are paid for until you're ready to be discharged." Deborah was about to leave when she suddenly speak again. "By my generous husband, of course. Do you get that? By my generous husband. But that's the last money he will spend on an impostor like you. So you better get out of this hospital." Patricia fell hard on the cold, tiled floor when Deborah pushed her.

Patricia cried and cried for hours. She couldn't believe that the life she thought was hers is all a lie. Deborah's right, she realized. She should leave town and be as far away from them as possible. By nightfall, exactly the day after she gave birth, Patricia decided to discharge herself and even signed a waiver just to get out of the hospital. Outside of Duke Raleigh Hospital, Patricia waited for her dad. Maybe he would show up. Maybe everything was just a mistake. Or perhaps it was all part of Deborah's maniacal plan. But the heavy rain started to fall, and there's still no father who came for her.

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"Excuse me, miss?" Patricia, who was sitting on a stone bench near the entrance of the hospital, looked up. She heard a voice of a woman near her. "Miss? Are you okay?" There, sh saw a woman wearing a sexy white dress standing in front of her.

"Huh?" She still looked pale and feeling dizzy because of the medicine that the doctor gave her before discharging her.

"You just gave birth, do you?" The woman stated as a matter of fact.

"Oh, yeah. But I'm fine. Just a little cold." Patricia lied. The truth is that her head is spinning, she's hungry, her baby's hungry for sure, and she's shivering.

"God! You're sick! What are you doing here? When did you give birth?" The woman exclaimed after touching her forehead. Did she sound sincerely concerned?

"Yesterday," Patricia admitted. "but I don't have money to pay for the hospital bills, and I have to leave this town. I can't be here. I don't want to be here anymore."

"Come on then, if you don't want to be here, I can help you. I'll take you somewhere far away from here." The woman extended her hand to Patricia. The beautiful woman in front of her can clearly see that she is in pain.

"Where are you taking me?" Patricia remained in her seat, just looking at the woman and her extended hand. "And, who are you?"

"I'm Tasha, and I'm taking you to The City That Never Sleeps." Tasha winked at Patricia and smiled at her.