Chapter 1

The hospital reeked of antiseptic, a little bitter, with undertones of the artificial fragrance. All these made Sophia feel nauseous as she sat waiting for her turn to go in to the doctors office. 

It's been hours since she arrived at the hospital but was yet to be attended to and the disturbing hospital smell wasn't helping either. She's never really felt nauseous around hospitals, so the feeling was new. 

"I hope I don't puke all over the place. What could possibly be taking the doctor so long" she said to herself as her mind drifted to the possible outcome of the test results she was there for.

She had her assumptions on what the result could be but prayed her suspicion was wrong. She couldn't afford such scandal right now.

"Miss Dalton, Miss Dalton, the doctor is ready to see you now" a female nurse said, disrupting her thoughts as she called out to her from where she stood in the hallway leading to the doctors office.

Sophia's gaze turned to the nurse. She wore blue scrubs and held a black folder in her hand from which she announced Sophia's name.

Sophia adjusts herself on her seat, trying to pick up her bag when the nurse called again. 

"Miss Dalton?" 

"I'm coming, give me a minute please." She replied, walking up to the nurse.

"I'm sorry. I didn't hear you earlier." Sophia said, noticing the frown on the nurse's face.

"Come with me" she said, taking her in to doctor's office.

The doctor was busy with some files when they walked in. She noticed the presence of someone and puts down the files she was working on.

"Good day Ms Dalton. Please come, have a seat." She called, pointing to a chair at the other end of the table.

Sophia obliged her request, putting her bag down on her thighs.

The doctor reached for a small rack on the table and pulls out a white envelope.

"Based on the tests we conducted on you Ms Dalton, I'm delighted to announce to you that you're four weeks pregnant. Congratulations!" She said, beaming with smiles.

"Oh no!" Sophia muttered under her breath. She received the envelope from the doctor and quickly skimmed through the piece of paper from it.

She was in shock and she didn't do well to hide it. Suddenly the whole room began to feel so hot, she dabbed her face with her palm.

"Is..everything alright Ms Dalton?" The doctor asked, peering at her through her glasses.

"You don't seem so happy with the news" 

"Oh no doctor, I am happy. I'm just shocked from excitement" She lied, faking a smile.

"Is that so? Well if you want, we could set you up for an antenatal appointment here at the hospital. We'd be delighted to take part in your journey towards delivery." 

"Oh uh...."

"It's alright if you want to go home and talk to your husband first about the news. You could always come back to get signed up. There's no rush." She heard the doctor say.

"Sure, I'll do that. Thank you doctor. I'll take my leave now." She flashed a half smile.

"Of course, you're welcome. Have a nice day Ms Dalton." She smiled at her.

"You too doctor." She replied.

She picks up her bag as she gets up from where she sat. She exits the office, worry written all over her face. She puts back the paper and envelope in her bag.

All the while she rode a cab back home, the result of the test kept running through her mind. To save face, she didn't admit to the doctor that she was unmarried. She wasn't even sure she wanted to keep the baby.

Knowing the kind of person Luke was, he wouldn't accept the idea of her keeping the baby. 

"Mother (she gasps), I can't afford to break such terrible news to her. She'll be very disappointed." She sighs deeply as her heart sinks into her stomach.

"I'll get off here." She said leaning towards the driver from behind.

The car comes to a halt. She reached for her bag to pay off the driver as she alights the car.

She walks down the lane leading to her house. Few minutes later, she stood in front of the door. She shuts her eyes tight and sighs deeply. She opens them up and makes her way in.

She shared a one room apartment with her college boyfriend, Luke.

"Is that you Sophia?" He asked, sniffling a whitish substance from the table down his nostrils.

"Yes, it's me." She sighed as she shuts the door.

"I think you've had enough for today. We agreed you'd stop your use of drugs right?" She said walking towards him on the couch.

"What if someone else had walked in and saw you like this?" She queried, snatching the remaining stash of drugs from the table.

"I do whatever it is I feel like whenever I feel like. You don't tell me what to do. You hear me?" He said, relaxing on the couch, sniffling and rubbing his nose with a finger, his eyes shut.

She ignores him and clears out the table, taking the stash into the kitchen and flushes it down the drain.

She returns to see him fast asleep on the couch. She walks past him back into the kitchen to prepare lunch as she hadn't eaten all morning.

She felt a bit relieved she didn't have to break the news to him until later. She's got time to herself to decide on how best to tell him about it.

****

Sophia had set the table and they were having lunch at the dinning table they had carved out from the living room.

"Luke, there's soemthing I want to talk to you about" she said.

"Mmmm, what is it?" He asked, minding his meal.

"Well you see I was at the hospital earlier today. I had told you before about the dizziness and nausea I often felt." 

"Yes I remember. So what did the doctor say? Are you coming down with an illness or something?" He asked, taking a quick glance at her.

"Actually it's not exactly an illness." She replied, nervously chewing on her meal.

"Then what is it? Out with it already." 

"I'm pregnant." She muttered, too low he hardly heard her.

"Mmm... What did you say?"

"I'm.. I'm pregnant." She calmly replied, putting her hands beneath the table on her laps as her head hung low.

Luke put down the spoon in his hand and stared at her for a moment. Sophia could feel his peering eyes on her but wouldn't dare look up.

A sudden laughter escapes his lips. Sophia surprised at his outburst looked up at him wondering what could be funny.

"You're pregnant." He repeated and laughed hard again.

He was able to catch his breath minutes later whilst gulping down from the glass of water that lay on the table.

"Are you pulling some kind of joke on me or what?" He asked, suddenly looking serious.

"How are you pregnant? I thought we agreed you'll be on the pill, so what's this nonsense you're saying?" He queried

"I am, I mean I was on the pill but I don't know how it happened. It's possible it was expired already last time I took it or something. I have no idea what happened." 

"What!? Do you even hear yourself?"

"Expired?, You have no idea? And I thought you were a medical student" he mocked, waving his hands in the air.

"Yet you don't know how well to take care of yourself. You're so useless and don't know how to do anything right. How can you be so careless?" He barked at her in frustration.

"You got pregnant on purpose right?  The hell, how am I even sure that thing growing in your womb is mine." He glared at her, his eyes blazing with fury.

"What are you trying to say Luke? That this baby I'm carrying isn't yours?"

"I'm always here with you if I'm not attending classes. I go no where without your knowledge. It's fine if you don't want to accept the child I'm carrying but doubting my loyalty to you is out of the question." She replied in her defense.

"Fine then. Let's say you've been indeed loyal to me and that baby really is mine. Know that I'm not willing to accept it. So it's better you get rid of it and you've got until tomorrow to go do that. You wouldn't want me to lose it with you." He stood up to leave.

"Where are you going? Will you be staying out late again?" She turned to look at him.

"Where I'm going to is none of your business. Remember, you got only until tomorrow to do as I've said. That should concern you, not my where about." He retorted.

Sophia watched as he went in and out of the room all dressed up and out of the house. 

>>>>>>>>>>

Sophia curled her toes in her bedroom with hot tears drizzling down her beautiful eyes, she bit her lips and anyone could tell it was the one of regret.

There was all sort of tag lines like ‘Why, When? and How’ ringing a bell in her head as her eyes shut with her lips trembling.

“Why did I have to date Luke of all the men that exist in this world??” 

“What made me fall in love when I knew fully well what type of person he was?”

“How did I made a mistake of having sex with him over and over again till it got to this stage?” She asked herself times without number, her hand falling on her head knowing she’s gotten herself into a mess that can not so easily be resolved.

Because no matter what happens, she’d never make the mistake of aborting a life. But the hope of becoming a medical student was one she knew has come to an end. The course isn’t the one she could do whilst carrying a child and her mom would never cater for more than her.

After an hour of thinking and mixing her thoughts with herself, she got up, not yet rounding up her decision until her boyfriend comes back.

She was in to persuade him so she could stay with him until she gives birth and he’d provide for them, if he is still in denial, they could simply check if he owns the baby or not.

Later that day>>>

Sophia was in the kitchen, cutting potatoes she was planning to make as fries for dinner when suddenly she heard a loud bang on the door. She ran towards the door and opened it to see the man she called her boyfriend, standing and reeking of alcohol.

In fact, he was a total mess.

“Luke, why are you…” Before she could complete her statement, he dropped his hands on her shoulder and pushed her inside whilst locking the door behind him.

“You’re drunk, I’ll prepare something to soothe the alcohol effect.” she said to him after making sure he was seated on the couch.

“I’ll not hesitate to beat you up with my belt if you take another step from there!” The statement didn’t ring a bell at first.

“It’s too late to play jokes, I know it’s because you’re drunk” she forced a smile, stepping away to go further and at once, He grabbed her wrist and pushed her forcefully till she falls on her back.

“Ah” she winced in pain.

“How dare you defile my order?, since when did you start to be disobedient!?" He yelled, pulling out his belt and raising it up high.

She never knew he meant what he said and this is the first time he’d do something like this.

“Luke, it’s me, your girlfriend, Sophia!” She cried out, thinking all that would stop him from doing what he wants.

“Who cares?, I’ll beat you up even if you are my wife!” He made it clear and at once, he began to abuse her with heavy lashes of his belt on her body.

Sophia teared up and screams in pain as all she did was protect her stomach from whatever assault he was planning to do.

“Now get up and undress, I want to make love to you!” Sophia's mouth dropped in disbelief, now she’s starting to know that this is a huge problem.

“Luke, is it not enough to give me lashes? Is it not enough to hurt me? do you want to rape me now??” She asked, acting pitifully.

“It seems you’re not willing to do it yourself, I’ll help myself out!” He hissed and moved closer to her, his hands on her shirt and without further ado.

Her snatched it open, bringing his mouth to her neck as he licked her neck down to her cleavages aggressively, she was crying and begging him to stop.

“Shut the fuck up or I’ll bite you!” He scolded, slapping her private area with so much anger.

“Ahh” she cried out, he immediately did as he said.

Sophia's eyes shut as she screamed in pain when he dug his teeth in her neck, biting it like he had promised. Enough of all this, she shook her head and reached for the tv remote by her side, she immediately smashed it on his head and before he could get up.

She ran into their bedroom and locked the door, falling on the floor and resting her back on the door.

She touched her neck, it was covered with blood and the sweat from her body was making it extremely painful.

She continued to sob heavily, terror overtook her when he starts banging on the door, threatening her that she’d be dead once he succeeded in opening it.

With fear running in her system, she hurriedly packed most of the valuable items she’d be needing, she checked his safe and saw some cash stashed that’ll sustain her for two weeks after she succeeds in getting to her mom’s house.

“Sophia! Open the door! Open the door and I promise, I won't hurt you. Let’s stop fighting!” He said, trying to use his words to cajole her, thinking she would fall for it but unfortunately, her mind has been made up.

The first thing she did was taking out the luggage through the window after which she changed into a comfortable two piece that’ll help her move without restraints.

She rubbed the tears off on her face and looked around for the last time before jumping out through the window, she winced in pain as her knees hit a rock.

“Sophia, you can do this, baby you can do this” she uttered softly to her self and unborn child whilst rubbing her yet to be seen bump.

And that was her last time in the house they had rented together. Luck was on her side at a time she felt the most tired, a taxi stopped right in front of her.

“Can you just drop me off at any motel or a hotel?” She asked, signaling to him so he would know she wasn’t alone but with her luggage.

“Hop in, it’s not safe staying out at this time of the night” the man said whilst unlocking the door as he seemed to have studied the situation she was in.

Sophia tried really hard to hide her emotions, the urge to break down and scream to the whole world that her life has crashed into pieces.

“Cry it out” the man said, it was unexpected.

“What?” She raised her brows, confused.

“I know you’re going through a hard time or even worse, just cry it out and you might be able to sleep when you book a room in the hotel” she compressed her lips, the man predicted well.

The hot tears rolled down her cheeks in a straight line, she hung her head low and began to cry, doing it just the way it’d make her feel better.

After some time, she wascalm and reality. The car stopped in front of the hotel he recommended as she said she didn’t have enough money on her. Sophia forced a smile and bowed before turning to leave. She cannot deny that the atmosphere of the hotel was indeed matching her vibe and she would feel better after spending the night here.

When she got to the front desk to meet with the receptionist, they were quick to acknowledge her presence and she didn’t argue with them when they told her the price.

The key was handed to her and she requested for a bottle of water whereas they told her it was available in her room.

Sophia spent the night sleeping without having anything to worry about, she’s cried it all out and all she wants was a good sleep,