CHAPTER 2

Hours after the incident 

Amanda's Dad paced once, twice, before stopping in front of her. His face was red, a storm brewing behind his sharp eyes. For a moment, he just stared at her, as if searching for some way to make sense of what he'd just heard.

Then, his voice shattered the heavy silence.

“Who got you pregnant?” he thundered, each word sharp like broken glass.

Amanda blinked. The words didn't land right away; they echoed. She wasn't even sure how to answer. How do you explain being abandoned twice in one day? First, by the man you trusted. Then, by the child you never got to hold? How could she explain the ache from what she’d lost just hours ago? ”Her lips parted, but no sound came. 

All she could think of was Xander’s words The contract is over, don't ever contact me again. He said before dropping her in front of nowhere, and here she was at the house she swore never to return to.

“Dad, I’m sure she’s pregnant,” Isabel, her stepsister, added to the already brewing fire, holding a pregnancy strip. “I mean, look, she’s bleeding from the genitals,” she pointed out with a smirk. She’d seen the strip when she made Amanda trip on purpose as she entered the house, making her bag spill open.

“I am not pregnant,” Amanda said quickly, loud enough for them to hear.

“Explain this, then,” Mr. Gold barked, snatching the strip from Isabel and shoving it in Amanda’s face. “How dare you lie to me, huh? After everything I’ve done for you, this is who you’ve become?”

“Dad, please let me explain”. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, wide with desperation as she reached for her father's hand. 

However, A resounding slap came fast, blinding, and so hot that her head snapped to the side.

“I’m not pregnant, please!” Tears streamed down her cheeks as she reeled from his violent action, his handprint now visible on her delicate skin.

“How dare you lie? So this is what you’ve learned since you left this house? To bed every man you come across, just like your mother!” His jaw tightened, fury consuming him.

Amanda abruptly dropped to her knees. “I’m sorry, Dad”.

The words felt foreign and bitter. Why was she even apologizing? He should be the one on his knees for lying, for replacing her mother so easily, for letting strangers treat her like dirt in her own home.

But still… she begged. Because no matter how hard she tried to forget, a part of her still wanted him to love her.

“Sorry, you say? For what exactly? Getting pregnant at the age of 19 or subjecting the Gold family to this bastard child of yours?” His words echoed heavily into her ears.

Maybe she wouldn't be this pained if the child were still here, but now she was suffering from being pregnant with a child she had already lost. 

Still in deep thought, her eyes widened as her father started to speak.

“From this day onward,” With a stone-cold voice, Mr. Gold said. “I, Kevin Gold, disown you as my daughter. You are no longer my responsibility. No longer my blood. Whatever bond we once shared ends here.” He took a step back, his eyes filled not with anger, but with bitter disappointment. “Do not speak my name. Do not come to my door. As far as I’m concerned… You no longer exist.”

“Dad, please, I beg of you. I have nowhere else to go”. She pleaded with intertwined hands that begged for mercy with desperation.

“Darling, please forgive her. She made a mistake by getting pregnant, tarnishing our image and humble family name”. A shrill voice that has been observing and being quiet since spoke out. It was Mrs. Bluey Gold. Isabella’s mother.

“Surely, you can find it in your heart to forgive her, right, Daddy?” Isabel added deceitfully, trying to salvage the situation.

“Look at your sister. Why can’t you be formidable and responsible like her?” Her father yelled out.

Amanda's heart thudded. Of course, Isabel. Perfect, polished Isabel. The girl who wore lies like pearls and never got caught.

Formidable, he said? He should try, manipulative. She thought.

She looked down at her trembling hands and blood-soaked clothes. “What was wrong with me that you could never see me, Dad? Never choose me?” She said slowly.

“What?” Her father couldn't quite fathom what she said.

“I have tried so much for you to at least love me. She snapped before she continued. But you never did, and now you not only talk badly about my dead mother, but you also compare me with your illegitimate daughter?” Her lips pressed into a thin line, and her eyes carried a piercing coldness. 

“You bastard”. Mrs. Bluey Gold yelled out. She and her biological daughter Isabel had never liked Amanda, even when she was still a nanny and pretended to love her as a child. And moreover, she hated to be reminded of her role as a mistress.

“What? Did I hit a nerve that she’s illegitimate, just like you were when you were a mistress? Amanda seethed out brutally. I am sure you are happy my mother died because my father no longer cared, and because of you, I am forcibly being evicted from my own home”. It was as if Mrs. Bluey had received a million blows at once.

“Kevin, do you see how your child talks to me? She has no respect for me at all, and this is how she behaves whenever you aren't around”. Of course, that would be her next resort since she couldn't talk her down in front of her father like she usually does.

Mr. Gold’s anger surged like wildfire. He didn’t even realize when his hands wrapped around Amanda’s neck before she could gasp.

No… no… not again. Amanda screamed internally as her fingers clawed weakly at his wrists. The room blurred, and her heartbeat pounded in her ears like war drums. So this is how it ends? Not with peace. Not with love. But with her father’s hands around her throat, and a heart that was already broken long before he touched her.

Amanda couldn’t speak. Couldn’t scream. And for a moment, she didn’t want to. What was the point of fighting for a life that had already been stolen?

“Dad, please, you will kill her”. Isabel suddenly yelled behind him.

“Let her die, then!” Mr. Gold seethed. He couldn’t bear the shame of having such a disgraceful child.

Amanda kicked and clawed, but he didn’t let go.

Then, gasping for breath, she choked out, “My mother will haunt you for this.”

That stopped him cold, like a splash of nearly iced water. Mr. Gold immediately released her, horrified by his actions.

“GET OUT OF MY HOUSE”. His voice exploded through the room like a thunderclap, raw and uncontrollable, and Amanda immediately ran to her room as if she were being chased by a monster. She immediately started to pack up her things, but someone interrupted her.

“Finally, you are out of my hair, I've succeeded in driving you out of your own father's house. Mission accomplished”. Isabel gestured with a sly smile, tugging at the corner of her lips.

Amanda wanted to scream, to break something, but there was no room for rage anymore, only the cold weight of betrayal, clinging to her like a wet cloth.

“I don’t have time for this, Isabel,” Amanda said while dragging her box forward. She didn’t even look her in the eye. She didn’t need to. She could feel the victory radiating off Isabel like perfume.

“You win. You got what you wanted. But someday, you’ll lose everything… just like I did”. She shoved past her, but Isabel’s next words rooted her feet to the ground.

“It’s such a shame,” Isabel cooed, her eyes bright with triumph. “You always dreamed of a family… and now you have none. But don’t worry, I’ll light a candle for you at my wedding.”

She didn't seem to hear her last words, but she replied. “Isabel… remember I once thought we were best friends?” Amanda said, expression blank. “I curse the day I ever had that thought,” she said and walked away. It was time for her to leave this Godforsaken place.

“Didn't you hear what I said?” Isabel said angrily behind her, but Amanda didn't look back. She just kept walking further, but coincidentally, the doorbell rang and she opened the door.

But the moment her eyes met the figure on the other side, the breath caught in her throat. Her heart skipped. For a second, she couldn’t speak, nor could she move.

But then Isabel's voice followed, further intensifying the situation. “I am getting married, Amanda. Didn't you hear?”