Onenight with the Mafia

Maxine’s POVI drank a lot that night. Kristen made me do it. I was dancing forgetting the rest of the world. I know I might look funny but I felt the main character's energy for the first time. For the first time, I didn’t care about anything as I was too drunk and living in the moment.I didn’t mind where my friend was and who are these people dancing around me. I danced until I felt too tired and dizzy. I stopped and went to sit by the table.I just passed out and don’t know how long I’ve been like that. I regained my consciousness when I felt someone's hands pressing my thighs. I looked at the man who was doing that indecent act. I hadn’t seen him before and looked like the weirdest guy among all the faces I had seen that day.“Take your hands off me,” I scowled and quickly moved from him.“Hey, don’t get panic. I was dancing with you, don’t you remember?” he asks.I wasn’t in the right mind to answer him and looked around to find only a few people were in that place.I got panick

Maxine’s POV“I’m sorry for leaving you alone,” Kristen apologized.“That’s okay,” I said while cleaning out my stuff. She finally apologized when I suggested changing rooms. I don’t like to be around with someone too selfish. I’m too weak at handling people who have no compassion at all.But if I think deeply about that, I’m too immature to expect so much from others.“Don’t leave this room, I want you to be here,” she said.“I think we are both uncomfortable to be around each other. Don’t you think?”“It’s all after I left you alone at the party and I’m sorry I should’ve apologized earlier,”Yes, this is too late as it’s been a week since that incident happened.“That’s okay. Don’t make me feel guiltier,” she said.“Then don’t move, please,” Kristen said.I looked at her expression, begging me to stay.“Please, please, please, Max,” she requested.“Fine, I won’t move out,” I said but when I get the perfect chance, I’ll be moving out.“That’s wonderful. I love you so much, Max. You k

Maxine's POVThe ride to the club felt longer than it actually was. Kristen sat beside me, quiet for once. She was usually full of chatter, her energy bouncing off the walls, but today she barely said a word. I appreciated the silence. My thoughts were loud enough.My fingers fidgeted in my lap, my mind cycling through hope and dread in equal parts. What was I expecting, really? That he’d be there like nothing happened? That I could walk up to him, tell him I was pregnant, and he’d magically know what to do? I hated how naïve I still was, even when I tried to be rational.The car pulled up in front of the club, and the same thumping music greeted us — muffled through walls but unmistakable. Neon lights flashed across the pavement, casting our shadows in brief, distorted colors.I hesitated before walking in. The last time I was here, my life was normal. Simpler. A night out, a poor choice, a stranger’s smile — it all felt like a hazy dream now. But what came after it… that was painful

Chapter NineThe hospital waiting room smelled faintly of antiseptic and something citrusy. Maxine sat nervously, fingers laced over her growing belly, trying not to fidget. Her mother sat beside her, flipping through a glossy magazine, clearly trying to appear casual, but Maxine could sense the tension between them like a silent wall. It had been there for months now.The nurse finally called her name, and Maxine stood up slowly, smoothing down her loose maternity tunic. Her mother followed, silent but present, as they walked down the pale corridor to the ultrasound room.The scan room was dimly lit, the screen already humming with static. Maxine lay back on the table and lifted her top as the technician applied the cool gel to her stomach. Her mother moved closer, standing at the side of the bed, eyes fixed on the screen."Let’s take a look," the technician said, her voice warm. Moments later, the flickering image of a baby filled the screen. Maxine’s breath caught.There was the ba

Mornings started early in Maxine’s world now. Sometimes too early. The soft cries of Noah roused her before dawn, and even though exhaustion weighed her limbs, she moved. She always moved. With muscle memory and motherly instinct, she reached for him, whispered gentle words, and soothed his small body with her touch.The dorm wasn’t built for motherhood. The space was tight, the walls thin. But somehow, it became a home. Kristen helped rearrange furniture to give Noah a little more space, brought fairy lights and secondhand rugs to brighten the room, and even learned how to warm formula bottles without scalding them.It wasn’t perfect. Some nights, Maxine cried while Noah cried. She'd press her face into a pillow, letting out the frustration and fear she didn’t want to show anyone. She missed having two hands free. She missed having time to think about something other than bottles, burping, diapers, and due dates. She missed the version of herself that existed before—but she didn’t wa