CHAPTER TWO — Officially Homeless
800 Words
Two weeks had passed, and Cassandra had barely held herself together. The nightmare of that night played on a loop in her head, waking her before dawn, following her through the day. And as if her mind wasn’t already a war zone, her stepmother Juliet and her children always found new ways to chip away at whatever peace she had left.
The only person who had noticed something was wrong was Becca. But Cassandra wasn’t ready to tell her. Becca would only blame herself, and Cassandra couldn’t carry that guilt on top of everything else.
She was sitting with these thoughts when a wave of nausea hit her without warning. She rushed to the bathroom and vomited. It was the fifth time that week.
She went back to her room, counted her savings, took what she needed, and headed out.
“Where are you going?” Daniella’s voice cut through the hallway.
“To the hospital,” Cassandra answered flatly.
Her stepmother Juliet glanced up from the couch with her usual look of contempt. “Are you trying to skip the chores? And don’t even think about asking me for money.”
“I wasn’t going to,” Cassandra said.
“Better,” Juliet replied.
Cassandra left without another word.
She sat in the doctor’s office describing her symptoms. She was sent to the lab. Tests were run. Thirty minutes later, the doctor called her back in, placed a document on the table in front of her, and smiled warmly.
“Congratulations, Miss Cassandra. You are two weeks pregnant.”
The room blurred. The document slipped from her fingers and fell to the floor.
She bent down slowly, picked it up, and asked in a very quiet voice, “What did you say?”
“I said congratulations on your pregnancy,” the doctor repeated gently. “You’re going to be a mother.”
Cassandra stared at her. The doctor didn’t change her answer.
She rose from the chair without another word. The doctor called after her — once, twice — but Cassandra was already through the door, eyes fixed on the paper in her hands, walking as if she had forgotten how to feel her own legs beneath her.
She didn’t know how she made it home. Somehow she was just inside, standing in the hallway, staring at nothing.
Her stepmother’s laughter rang through the house, then died the moment Juliet saw her face. Daniella looked up from the couch. Andrew rose to his feet and crossed the room toward her.
“What did they say was wrong with you?” He didn’t wait for an answer. He reached out and snatched the document from her hand before she could react.
“What!” His voice exploded through the room. “You’re two weeks pregnant?”
Juliet and Daniella were on their feet in seconds. Daniella grabbed the paper from Andrew.
“Our precious virgin Mary is pregnant?” Daniella laughed, sharp and ugly. “So you’ve been sneaking out all along? How loose can you be?”
Cassandra’s blood ran cold. “Stop it. I was raped.”
Silence fell over the house.
Then Juliet burst out laughing. “You slept with some filthy man and now you want to call it r**e?” She stepped forward and slapped Cassandra hard across the face.
The front door opened. Samuel Reed walked in. Cassandra turned to look at her father.
Juliet moved to him immediately. “Samuel — your daughter is pregnant.”
“What?” He crossed the room. “Are you pregnant?” Cassandra nodded, and another slap cracked against her face — this time, from her father’s hand.
“Who is the father?” he demanded.
“I don’t know,” Cassandra whispered through her tears. “I was raped.”
“Get out of my house. Now.”
“Dad — I’m your daughter.”
“How can I have a daughter who will disgrace my name?” His voice was ice. “I have one daughter. Her name is Daniella Reed. Now get out before I call security.”
Cassandra stood frozen. Then Daniella stepped forward and shoved her through the front door, slamming it behind her.
Cassandra stared at the closed gate.
She was officially homeless.
Twenty-one years old, no money, no shelter — and pregnant. She sank down onto the ground and let herself cry. Why had her life been this relentless since her mother died when she was twelve? She had endured everything, survived everything — and now this.
When the tears finally slowed, her eyes dropped to her stomach. She wiped her face and pressed her palm gently against her belly.
“Now I only have you, my baby,” she whispered. “And I promise to protect you.”
- Writer
