NEXT CHAPTER

"Dad, please…… I don't want to go back to him," Anna cried out loud, "Ahhhh." A slap went across her face and she immediately fell on her knees.

"I can't and I can't go back. I'd rather die than return to him." Anna cried again, but her father Mr William wasn't ready to listen.

"Stop it, honey, she's our daughter." Mary, her mother, cried out loud, trying to plead with her husband, but Mr William wasn't ready to listen. "Our daughter has her reasons for returning honey, please forgive her."

"Shut the hell up, woman. You've been the one spoiling her the entire time. If you never made her look down on James, maybe she wouldn't have made this stupid decision of hers. Do you know what this means? Do you have any idea what your daughter's stupidity has done to our reputation?" He turned to face Anna who was still on her knees,

"You're going back to James, else you'll leave this family for good and never return here. You'll cease to be my daughter and all your rights in the company will be taken away from you."

"Dad, it was never my intention to marry James right from the start, and I chose to walk away. I can't go back Dad, he doesn't love me and I don't love him too" Before Anna could utter another word, she rose to her feet and immediately began to rush towards the restroom on the first floor.

Holding on to what was trying so hard to push out, Anna got to the restroom and emptied whatever was in her mouth into the toilet. She took a deep breath in, crying and asking herself why everything had to happen to her. If her parents knew she was pregnant, then it would be worse, especially her father.

After rinsing her mouth, Anna took a deep breath in and stepped out to meet her mother waiting at the entrance of the restroom. "What's wrong, Anna?" 

Her mother always had sweet eyes and a marvelous soothing voice. She was the only one who cared, her dad didn't. One year ago, her mother had tried so hard to cancel the arranged marriage between her and James, but her father was so persistent about her and in the end, Mary had to give up.

"Anna, talk to me, is something wrong with you? You look so pale and…." There was a loud gasp from Mary's mouth, 

"No Mom, please, you can't say a word of this to Dad," Anna begged when she realized that her mom had finally discovered her secret just by staring at her. "What? How could you…"

"I'll explain everything to you later Mom, but please, I can't go back to that marriage. I have to leave here mom, I have to go far away from here before Dad makes James change his mind. If Dad finds out about the pregnancy, I'm never going to come out of it alive. He'll use James to try and cover it all up."

"Oh, my dear daughter, my poor daughter." Mary cried, hugging Anna tight, "I'm so sorry my poor daughter, I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you."

"Anastasia!" Mr William echoed around the living room, making Anna's heart skip so fast. Anna thought, if she couldn't stand up to her father, then she would never be able to leave. He would never accept her especially if he knew she was pregnant for a stranger.

"Dad, I'll leave," Anna uttered immediately, taking her father in shock. If there was one thing Mr didn't believe, it was that Anna could survive all alone. He knew she would return one day if she walked away because after all, she was only 20 years old and grew up in a wealthy home.

"If you choose to return and beg for forgiveness, I will never look at you, Anna." He stated, but Anna nodded her head. She couldn't stay back and continue to be a puppet to her father's dreams or continue to live that life that he wanted, that wasn't who she was. For a whole year, she lived in misery, lived with her father's choice, but all that had to end today. Anna was finally ready to be a free woman and stay far away from the man who always dictated her life for her.

"Go! I never want to see your miserable face. Get out and never return to this household again!" Mr. William yelled with bloodshot eyes, making Anna realize that this was her last chance to either decide to leave or stay back and continue to do everything her father wanted. Anna took a bold step and rubbed the tears on her face, then she turned back to stare at her mother one last time.

"I'm sorry, Dad, I'm sorry mom." She said.

This might probably be the last time she would see her dear mother, and even more Anna was certain that she wouldn't see her dad again because he would never want to see her face. She had shamed the Gregory family with her actions and her decision because James had made their divorce known to the public immediately after he signed those papers. 

Anna knew the gravity of what she had done, and even the pregnancy out of her marriage was the most shameful part of it all, but she wasn't going to risk her happiness just for the sake of her family's reputation anymore.

Without gathering anything from her household, she walked out of the large two-door which was the second entrance into the living room. Anna stood at the low steps, wondering if it was the right decision. Her life would change, she knew of this, but what she didn't know was if it would change for good or for worse. What about the baby? 

She had no idea who the father of her baby was because she was drunk that night. When Anna woke up after that day, she couldn't remember a thing that happened at the club. The only thing she recalled was telling the stranger part of her story and maybe some other little details that weren't clear to her. She couldn't go back looking for a man she knew absolutely nothing about, and even if she told him she was pregnant for him would he even believe her?

That was it, Anna decided to raise her baby on her own, that was the last and only option she had. With that, a 20-year-old Anna got into her car and drove away immediately.

The next day, Anna flew out of the city, wanting to have no memory of the city which had caused her so much pain. All she had now was the baby growing inside of her womb and she was going to give her child everything she could ever offer.