THROWN OUT AT DAWN

It was already morning. The thick clouds from last night had cleared, leaving the sky bright and clean... almost too peaceful.

I stretched slowly, feeling the stiffness leave my body bit by bit. A soft warmth settled inside me, not enough to make me whole, but enough to make me smile anyway. My hand drifted to my stomach. For a second, I felt the tiniest flutter, like the little life inside me could somehow feel my mood.

Then a loud bang shook my door.

“Open up!”

I sighed. Aunt Juli.

“I’m coming, just a minute,” I called, dragging myself off the bed.

I opened the door and found her standing there, dressed neatly as always, face cold enough to freeze water. She looked past me into the room like even breathing near me annoyed her.

“Good morning, Aunt Juli,” I said, still half yawning.

She ignored it. “Get dressed. You’re leaving this morning.”

Then she turned to walk away.

For a second, I just stood there blinking.

Was she serious?

“Wait... what?” I hurried after her. “I know I said I’d leave, but this early? I’m not even ready—”

She stopped halfway down the hall and turned sharply. “What exactly did you expect? Breakfast? A farewell party?” Her arms folded across her chest. “You are leaving this morning. We don’t want you here any longer.”

The words hit harder than I expected.

For one wild second, I imagined punching that smug expression off her face. Just once. Just enough to remind her this house was mine before she ever stepped into it. That I was choosing to leave—not being thrown out like garbage.

Instead, I swallowed it.

“Where’s Dad? I need to speak with him.”

I followed her downstairs, forcing my voice to stay level.

“He already left for an urgent meeting,” she said without looking back. “And he agreed you should be gone before he returns.”

My feet stopped on the stairs.

“What?”

I stared at her back. “No. He didn’t say that.”

“Oh please.”

Natalie’s voice floated in like perfume—sweet and irritating.

Of course she was there.

She walked in wearing silk pajamas, phone in hand, that same polished smirk on her face. “Stop pretending you didn’t hear her,” she said lazily. “Dad wants you out this morning, so hurry up already... cheap slut.”

My chest tightened, but I refused to give her the satisfaction of seeing it.

I just hadn’t expected it to happen this fast.

And the worst part?

I didn’t even know where Marco lived.

Every time I asked, he had an excuse. He was staying with a friend. His place was under renovation. Too many people around. We always met outside—restaurants, hotels, anywhere except his home.

I had asked so many times. He always smiled his way out of it.

And now I hadn’t even told him what happened last night.

“Look at this.”

Natalie shoved her phone in front of my face.

My breath caught.

My pregnancy was everywhere. News blogs. Gossip pages. My name splashed across headlines like I was some scandal to entertain strangers.

My stomach dropped.

Slowly, I lifted my eyes to her.

Natalie only smiled wider.

“That was you,” I said quietly.

She gave a tiny shrug. “Now you understand what that means, dear sister.” Her smile sharpened. “Or should I say step-sister?”

“What is wrong with you?”

“Save the drama,” Aunt Juli snapped. “Go pack your things.”

I clenched my fists so hard my nails bit into my palms.

“Fine. But I need money first. I need to speak to Dad. I can’t just leave with nothing.”

“You’re leaving with exactly that,” Aunt Juli said coldly. “Nothing.” She stepped closer. “Go meet your precious Marco. I’m sure he’ll take care of you.”

Then she walked away.

“Well...” Natalie tilted her head. “You should be happy, shouldn’t you? Isn’t this what you wanted?”

I frowned.

Something in the way she said it felt wrong. Too certain. Too amused.

I pushed the thought aside and went back upstairs.

I packed in silence. Dresses. Shoes. Makeup. A few things that still felt like mine.

“Hurry up, Mylar!” Aunt Juli shouted from downstairs. “The driver is waiting!”

I zipped my bag and exhaled slowly.

“Calm down,” I whispered to myself. “This is what you wanted. Everything is going according to plan.”

At least... that was what I kept trying to believe.

I dragged my bags downstairs. One of the guards carried them outside and loaded them into the car.

But as I stepped through the front door, something inside me shifted.

A strange heaviness.

Like invisible fingers were tugging me back.

Everything was happening too fast. Too clean. Too easy.

My hand moved to my stomach again. Another faint flutter. Maybe it was just the baby. Maybe it was nerves.

Still... it didn’t feel right.

I paused and looked back at the house.

My home.

Then my gaze drifted to the garden.

Mom’s favorite place. She loved her flowers more than anything. She knew every name, every season, every bloom. Now it was only the gardener tending them, while everything she left behind had slowly been replaced.

Footsteps clicked behind me.

“I can’t believe this,” Natalie said with a laugh. “Mylar is really leaving. I feel so bad.”

“I know,” Aunt Juli replied dryly. “Heartbreaking.”

I rolled my eyes and turned toward the car.

“My regards to Marco,” Natalie called after me. “I wonder if he’ll even accept the baby... oh well.”

A chill slid down my spine.

There it was again—that certainty in her voice. Like she knew something I didn’t.

“He will,” I shot back, forcing my voice steady. “Thanks for your concern.”

I got into the car and shut the door.

As the engine started, my chest tightened.

Something was wrong.

I stared through the window as the house slowly disappeared behind us.

Was I making a mistake?

I didn’t know why that thought suddenly came to me.

But for the first time...

I wasn’t so sure anymore.