Let me keep the baby

- What's going on? asks Jeanne, who seems to have suddenly understood something, "Wasn't this money paid by the person who caused the accident?"

She was injured in the car accident, and the funeral of her son cost a lot of money. Before returning home, her daughter gave her a sum of money, saying that it was the rest of the compensation paid by the author of the accident.

Mia doesn't know how to say it. It's too hard to talk about it.

Her silence is already an acquiescence. How could she, a girl, find all this money? Jeanne is heartbroken. She still can't believe it.

- You... You sold yourself?

She suddenly grabs Mia's wrist.

- You can't have this baby. Come with me to the hospital now!

- Why?

Mia tries to break free of this grip.

- If you give birth to this child, your life will be ruined!

Mia can't have this baby. She is already married. If anyone finds out, her reputation will be ruined.

- Mom, please let me keep this baby, Mia begged, crying.

Despite all her pleas, Jeanne does not give in. She is very determined.

The same day, Mia goes to the hospital, dragged by her mother.

If Mia didn't go, Jeanne threatened to die.

So Mia has to go. Several tests are needed for an abortion. Jeanne goes to get the results from the lab while Mia sits alone on a bench in the hallway with her hands on her stomach.

Mia can't stop crying.

She feels so frustrated and helpless.

- Joseph, it's okay. Don't be so nervous. It's just a little burn.

Leila smiles gently. She is wearing a tight black skirt that emphasizes her curves and perfect body. A jacket is put on her shoulders. As for Joseph, he wears a white shirt whose sleeves are raised showing his muscular arms.

He looks worried.

- If it's not well cared for, it can leave scars.

Leila throws herself into Joseph's arms.

- If I have scars, will you hate me?

- You're talking nonsense!

Leila bursts out laughing, knowing that Joseph is not a shallow man.

That voice.

Mia slowly looks up and sees Leila in the hallway, leaning against Joseph. They slowly approach her.

They are like a perfect couple.

On the contrary, she is like a clown. She is a young woman who has already lost her innocence and is carrying a child of an unknown father in her womb.

Lost in her thoughts, she receives a look of surprise.

- The next patient.

The door to the operating room opens. A nurse stands in front of the door, behind her is a young woman who steps out, covering her belly and muttering:

- Why the fuck does abortion always hurt so much, even with anesthesia?

Hearing this, Joseph frowned and put his gaze on Mia's face. She pretended to care about the baby in her belly when she was in his presence this morning. But soon after, she came in for an abortion?

He chuckles in his heart.

Leila follows Joseph's gaze.

The moment she sees Mia, she finds her a little familiar. But she can't remember where she saw her. She turns to Joseph and asks:

- Do you know her?

- No, Joseph says coldly.

Joseph has a lot of preconceived notions about Mia: her messy personal life, her pregnancy at such a young age, showing him her motherhood while rushing to get an abortion.

A plotter!

- Have you thought this through?

The nurse checks it again and again.

Mia doesn't want to be seen in an embarrassing situation. Despite the reluctance and heartbreak, she nods, having no other choice.

- Yes, I've thought it through.

- Then come with me.

Mia bows her head, looking at no one. She follows the nurse into the operating room. Once the door is closed, she is isolated from everything that is happening outside.

Leila, a little uncomfortable, feels Joseph's anger. She clings to his arm and says softly:

- Joseph.

Joseph's face is impassive.

- Let's go.

Leila tightens her grip on his arm and glances around the operating room, which is already closed. Then she looks at Joseph's reaction. He seems to know her, but he hasn't had a woman around since she was with him.

She is very sure of this. Who is this woman from earlier?

Why was he so angry?

- Joseph, the girl from earlier...

Joseph hugs her and doesn't want to talk about it.

- She is not important. You don't need to worry about her.

So Leila has to keep quiet, even though she is very curious.

In the operating room, seeing the cold medical instruments, Mia regrets it. No, she can't abandon the baby. She can't!

- Lie down, the doctor says.

- I'm not going to do it.

Mia shakes her head, turns around and runs.

She runs too fast. Panicked, she doesn't pay attention to what's passing in front of her and hits a man coming in the opposite direction.

She covers her forehead and apologizes again and again:

- I'm sorry... I'm sorry...

- Mia?

Serge Touchard recognizes her. But as he is not sure, he tries to verify it.

Mia slowly raises her head to see the man's face. Then she says with astonishment:

- Dr. Touchard.

Behind him stands a group of people. Mia is even more astonished.

- What are you doing here?

Her brother was autistic and was treated by Serge. So they got to know each other over time.

Serge smiles gently. Before he can answer, the director of this hospital speaks up.

- Dr. Touchard is here to give a lecture at our hospital.

Serge is a renowned psychologist, especially in the field of autism.

- And you, why are you here? Are you sick? asks Serge.

Mia feels a chill run down her spine as she thinks about her mother's determined attitude.

- Mia!

Jeanne, lab results in hand, rushes across the hall. When she returned, she was shocked to hear the nurse say that her daughter had run away. She lets out an exalted cry as she finds her.

Mia purses her lips. All this makes her want to cry a lot.

- Mom...

Serge says to the director, who is standing next to him:

- Go back first. I have something to do.

- Dr. Touchard, since you are busy, we will leave you. In fact, I sincerely invite you to work in our hospital. If you have any special needs, please let me know and I will do my best to meet them.

Serge says gently:

- I will think about it.

- Mme Jeanne, if you want, let's talk outside. This is not a good place. The hospital is full of people and it's not a good idea to talk here.

Jeanne also knows Serge. Sometimes Dr. Touchard has paid for her son's medical treatment when she couldn't afford it.

Jeanne has a lot of respect for him.

So she holds Mia's wrist tightly, fearing that she will run away again.

Once out of the hospital, Mia bows to Jeanne.

- Mom, please. We have already lost Theo, let me keep him, please!

Serge frowns. What does she mean? He understands it quickly and puts his glance on Mia's belly.

Seeing the test results in Jeanne's hand, he is almost sure that Mia is pregnant.

He is shocked and has a hard time believing it.

He wants to know what happened, but now is not the time to ask.

Mia rarely cried in front of Jeanne. Even when her brother died, she cried in secret, never in front of Jeanne.

Jeanne doesn't want to force her. But if Mia gives birth to this child, will she have a future?

Becoming a mother makes a woman strong. Looking at her face, Jeanne finds it difficult to make her give up and lets out a long sigh.

- As you wish.

Then she turns and leaves. Sad, she does not know how to face her daughter.

Mia crouches down slowly. She wants to pretend to be strong, but her tears fall. She doesn't want to cry, but she can't help it. The pain accumulated inside her breaks her heart.

Serge looked for them before he returned to the country. Then he learned that they had returned home and that his brother had died in a car accident.

He doesn't know what happened during that time.

Serge crouches down and touches her back. She was only a teenager when he met her, but she was already very mature and could take care of her brother and mother.

Once, he saw with his own eyes that she only had enough money to buy two meals, and she gave them to her mother and brother. She clearly didn't eat, but told Jeanne that she had already done so.

She was so kind, which excited Serge's pity.

Serge wants to touch her head to comfort her. But before he can do so, Mia suddenly looks up at him.

- Thank you for your help before. I'll pay you back as soon as I have some money.

Serge's hand stops above her hair. He slowly squeezes his hand and withdraws it. He says with a smile:

- Don't talk nonsense. I did it voluntarily. There's no need to pay back.

Mia shakes her head.

- You are kind. But I have to do it.

She will certainly pay him back when she can.

Serge helps her up.

- Where do you live? I'll drop you off.

Worried about Jeanne, Mia nods and gives her address.

When she arrives, Mia pushes the door open and gets out of the car. Serge asks her:

- Will you go back to the country A later?

Mia turns to look at him and shakes her head, saying:

- No.

She has finally returned to her own country.

Once home, Mia sees Jeanne sitting on a chair, wiping her tears. Her heart is in her throat.

Jeanne wipes her tears and doesn't look at her.

- I'm fine. 

- Mom.

- It's me who didn't take good care of you.

Jeanne wipes her tears, which keep falling.

Mia throws her arms around her. They hold each other and cry, letting out their pain.

It takes them a long time to calm down. Mia explains to Jeanne her agreement with Joseph and asks her not to worry about her.

Jeanne is shocked. How could they treat marriage as a deal?

Although she did not approve of the sham marriage, her daughter became pregnant and lost her virginity. She assumes that Mr. Cosey couldn't accept it. Actually, this is a good thing.

She will take care of her daughter in the future.

In the evening, Mia returns to the villa. Joseph is not there. After dinner, she takes a walk in the courtyard of the villa, to digest her meal and to enjoy the scenery of this place at the same time.

Later, she returned to her room. But being thirsty, she goes to the kitchen and pours herself a glass of water.

After drinking half a glass of water, Mia is about to go to sleep in her room. Suddenly, she hears a sound of the handle turning. The door of the villa is opened immediately after.

Then a tall figure enters, followed by a beautiful woman, who comes out from behind him.

Mia freezes for a moment.

She doesn't expect Joseph to bring his girlfriend home so late at night.

Leila is also stunned to see Mia. Isn't that the woman who was in the hospital today?

She looks up at Joseph, whose face is well drawn, but with hard features.

Why was he angry at that moment?

Did it have anything to do with this woman?

Women are always sensitive. Joseph's unusual reaction makes Leila wary of Mia.

- So, I'm going to go to my room.

Mia doesn't want to be the fifth wheel.

- Wait.

Joseph looks at her with dark eyes. She is wearing a very conservative nightgown that reaches her ankles, revealing her two pale, thin arms. Indeed, she looks innocent and pure.

But thinking about what she has done, Joseph finds her even more disgusting.

- Leila is the mistress of this house, do you understand that?

It doesn't have to be said. Mia has never considered herself the mistress of this house. So why remind her?

- Yes, I understand. I'll go to bed then.

Mia turns and heads for her room.

- Miss Lambert, says Leila, looking at her, sorry.

Mia is confused and looks at her in surprise.

Leila looks genuinely sorry.

- Even though you and Joseph were engaged, I have known Joseph longer than you have. If it weren't for you, I would be his wife today. We're in love, so...

- So what?

Mia finds this woman strange.

She understands exactly who she is and doesn't get in their way.

Why did she say that?

- You married Joseph, but Joseph doesn't love you. I think it's because of me. So I feel guilty.

- You don't have to.

Normally, in a strange relationship like this, Leila would leave it alone.

But instead, she said that. She did it on purpose probably to show her kindness in front of Joseph.

For some reason, Mia doesn't like her very much.

Joseph looks at Mia's face, his eyes squinting, and says:

- What's with the attitude?

Mia purses her lips. What kind of attitude is that? She just wants to get through this month quietly, get what's hers and leave.

It's that woman that's weird. She said all this at the first meeting.

How does her answer?

- How do you want me to answer?

She can hardly find the words to answer Leila.