CHAPTER 001 – Pregnant Out of Wedlock

"Congratulations! You're six weeks pregnant."

Rome gripped both arms of the couch tightly as the elderly doctor delivered the news.

Her entire body went cold, as if she’d just been doused with freezing water. A wave of nausea surged through her, and her vision blurred with panic and worry.

She blinked hard and swallowed the lump in her throat, staring directly into the doctor’s inquisitive eyes.

“Why?” she asked, her voice trembling.

“Why?” the doctor repeated, confused by her question.

“Why... did this happen?” she whispered, pressing a hand to her now-throbbing head.

Over the past few days, she’d started to suspect this might be the case—she’d been nauseous and dizzy more than usual. At first, she thought it was just her migraines acting up. But when the symptoms grew worse, she finally decided to see a doctor.

And now, it was confirmed. She was pregnant.

This wasn’t something she had prepared for. She remembered taking a few pills for her migraine—now she couldn’t help but worry.

What if those pills affected the baby?

Wait—should I even be worrying about that now? I should be more worried about how my parents are going to react!

She clutched her head and bowed forward, trying to keep the tears at bay. She was terrified. Her family would disown her once they found out.

The doctor, who had just picked up her pen to write a prescription, paused and furrowed her brow when she noticed Rome’s reaction.

"Are you married?" the doctor asked.

Rome slowly shook her head.

"In a relationship then?"

She shook her head again.

The doctor sighed, put her pen down on the desk, leaned back in her chair, and crossed her arms. “You young people...” she said, shaking her head. “If you have unprotected sex, you either get a disease or a baby. You're lucky it’s not the former.”

Rome felt like she was drenched in sweat. Still holding her head, she stared blankly at the tiled floor. In her mind, she pictured her clothes being thrown out of the house, her mother screaming, her father’s disappointed glare. Her aunts would be yelling. Her sister Connie would be crying.

Everyone would be heartbroken and furious once they learned she was pregnant without being married. She just knew they would cast her out. And that was the last thing she wanted.

She had already humiliated her family back in high school and college. Her past mistakes had caused her parents so much pain. After everything, she had sworn to change—to be better, to never bring shame to her family again.

But now? She was in serious trouble. There was no hiding and no escape. In two months, her belly would start to show—people would talk. About her. About her family.

What’s going to happen to me? To my parents? To my whole family?

Her family had a reputation to protect. They worked hard to earn respect in the community. What right did she have to destroy all that again?

"Here are the vitamins you’ll need for the baby."

She looked up and saw the prescription being handed to her. She stared at the small piece of paper for a moment before taking it, as if it held the solution to everything.

“It’s essential to prioritize your health and take good care of yourself now that you’re expecting,” the doctor added. “Eat well, stay hydrated, and avoid stress. Come see me every first week of the month for a prenatal check-up.”

Rome nodded absentmindedly and stood up.

“T–Thank you, Doc,” she whispered, voice unsteady, before turning to leave.

Her legs trembled as she walked to the front desk to pay the consultation f*e. The assistant was saying something, but Rome didn’t hear a word. Her thoughts were racing. Her vision blurred, and she felt like she couldn’t breathe.

“Ma’am?”

She blinked as the assistant raised her voice slightly.

“W–What?”

“Are you alright, Ma’am? You’re pale, and your forehead is sweaty,” the assistant said with concern. “Please sit down for a moment. There are no other patients right now. You look like you’re about to faint—”

“I’m... I’m okay,” she mumbled weakly.

She didn’t even wait for her change from the thousand-peso bill she handed over. She turned to leave.

But she didn’t make it to the clinic door.

Suddenly, everything spun. Stars danced above her head. She tried to shake it off—tried to will the dizziness away—but it only worsened. Before she could grab onto anything, her knees gave out.

She collapsed to the floor.

And just before everything went dark, she heard the assistant scream for help.