Chapter 04

Dominique hugged her when she saw Antonella collapse into an endless cry. Her life was already difficult to bear, and now that she found out she was pregnant, it would become a living hell.

“You need to tell Benjamin the truth,” Dominique suggested, causing Antonella to back away as if her life were threatened. “He has an obligation to take care of this child after everything he put you through.”

“You’re crazy if you think I’m going to do that,” she said as she took the cup with urine and threw it in the trash. “That man didn’t even apologize to my family for the shame he put us through. Do you think he’ll accept having a child with me?”

Dominique realized that Antonella’s arguments made perfect sense.

“So what are you going to do, then?” She seemed impatient, not realizing that her questioning only made things worse. “Because the only solution after this is to abort the child.”

The words shocked Antonella. She would never have considered that possibility. An abortion was out of the question, even if the father of that child was irresponsible.

“I would never do something like that,” she said, immediately rejecting the suggestion. “This child is the least guilty in this whole tragedy.”

She grabbed her purse, feeling anxiety choke her throat. Antonella could barely breathe in that situation. Thousands of questions were swirling in her mind all at once. How would she hide the pregnancy? How would she raise that child? Without any support, how would she continue with her life?

“Enrico will reject a single pregnant daughter in his house.” Suddenly, her thoughts came to life, slipping from her lips. “I need to find a job and leave this town.”

“You’re not serious.” Dominique’s eyes widened at her. “Are you really going to go through with this pregnancy, knowing it could ruin your life?”

“Don’t be so cruel, Dominique,” she reproached. “And this will be our secret. No one can know that this child exists.”

It seemed that Antonella had already made up her mind, and knowing her well, no one could make her change it. The pharmacy owner startled them when he knocked on the metal door and demanded they leave the bathroom immediately. They were so immersed in the problem that they had forgotten where they were and how long they had been there.

Now in the car, Dominique seemed confused about what to do next. Antonella’s anguish left her vulnerable.

“What do I do now?” She looked out the window with a lost look. “Do I take you back to the interview, or do I help you escape the city?”

“I applied for a job outside the city a few days ago,” she revealed. “The interview is scheduled for two days from now. If I try hard enough, maybe I can work as a server.”

Dominique looked at her with a broken heart, imagining saying goodbye to Antonella.

“I wish I had half the courage you do,” she said, as she took her hand and squeezed it affectionately. “If I were in your shoes, I would have lost my mind by now.”

That made Antonella laugh for a few seconds, but soon the anguish invaded her heart again.

“At least this time, Enrico won’t be mad at me for missing the interview for the second time,” she commented, amusingly, for deceiving her father. “No one knew I was going to try for that job out of desperation.”

“So, you’re eager to leave?”

“I have no other choice,” she said, her eyes welling up and her face red with pain. “I need to take control of my life from now on, and this child is what I needed to make that decision.”

A tear rolled down Dominique’s eyes as she leaned in to hug her. They stayed like that for a few minutes.

“When are you leaving?” she asked with a choked voice, wiping her tear-soaked face.

“Tonight, at dawn,” she said. “I have some money saved up, which I’ve been putting aside since my teenage years. I think it’s enough to support me for a few days.”

Dominique leaned over, grabbed the purse from the back seat, and took out some money, handing it to Antonella. At first, she refused to accept it, as it was too large an amount, but she ended up being convinced.

“It’s the least I can do for you,” she said when Antonella took the money from her hands. “But you have to promise me you’ll come back at least to visit. I want to meet my nephew.”

She smiled, promising, though she knew it would be difficult to keep her word. Antonella would leave that city, never to return. She arrived home quietly and faced Enrico’s furious eyes, and before he could say anything, she told him,

“I got a job, Dad,” she said, widening his eyes in surprise as he spoke, but there were traces of disbelief. “I start tomorrow, and thereafter, you’ll never have to worry about me again.”

She looked at him one last time and went upstairs. She spent the afternoon packing her things to leave. Not only that, but she cried with the memories and regretted that her life had taken such an unpredictable turn. Likewise, she ran her hand lightly over her belly, promising that her child would be the most loved of all, so much so that he wouldn’t even miss a father.

When night fell, she went downstairs for the last family dinner. Ironically, Enrico was not at home. Her absence would bring a lesser burden to that moment. She watched as Francesca prepared her favorite dish, while Alessia distracted herself with her phone, entirely ignoring Antonella’s presence.

Certainly, the only person Antonella would miss in that house would be her mother. Francesca was the only one who had always shown her love, and Antonella deeply regretted having to disappoint her.

“Your father told me you got a job.” She beamed with happiness, not realizing these were her last moments with Antonella.

“It was about time, right, Mom?” Alessia commented maliciously. “Antonella does nothing in this house except seek employment. She’s completely useless.”

Antonella’s blood boiled, wanting to give Alessia a sharp reply, but she didn’t; she only said,

“My uselessness won’t be a problem for you anymore, Alessia,” she said. “In fact, you’ll enjoy all the privileges by yourself from now on.”

“Don’t say something like that, Antonella.” Francesca’s face was heavy and sorrowful. “It almost sounds like you’re saying goodbye.”

And it really was a goodbye. After washing the dishes together, she hugged her mother and said goodbye, saying she needed to go to sleep early because of work. But Antonella didn’t sleep that night. At the agreed time, she went down the stairs that creaked as if to betray her escape and got into Dominique’s car. An hour later, they stopped at the city bus station.

“Don’t tell anyone where I’m going, not even under torture,” Antonella made her promise. “We’ll stay in touch.”

“Take care,” she hugged her, crying once more. “I’ll miss you.”

She would miss her, too. She got on the bus, waving one last time to Dominique. Furthermore, she held back her tears as long as she could when she finally realized that she was alone. She was going to an unknown city to have her child away from everyone.