Not my baby
984 Words
"Rose, what baby are you talking about?"
Aunt Priscilia's voice cracked through the room like a whip.
My breath hitched.
She was already marching toward us, suspicion blazing in her eyes.
Seth followed a few steps behind, his hands resting on the handles of Williams' wheelchair. A maid hurried after them, then slowed the moment she sensed the tension hanging in the air.
My fingers curled against my dress as I lowered my head, staring blankly at the polished floor.
This was it, there was no escaping anymore.
"Oops." Rose pressed a hand over her lips, though the smile tugging at the corners gave her away. "My bad."
Liar… There was nothing accidental about it.
She had waited until they were close enough to hear every single word.
"Amanda..." Aunt Priscilia stopped in front of me. "Does this have anything to do with you?"
I remained silent.
Her eyes narrowed. "...Are you pregnant?"
The word struck me square in the chest. Every beat from my heart pounded painfully against my ribs.
Rose sighed dramatically.
"You shouldn't have refused my offer, but you were too stubborn."
She shrugged as though she had done nothing wrong.
Seth looked between us.
"I don't understand."
His forehead creased. "Rose... are you saying Amanda is pregnant?"
His voice carried confusion, then disappointment.
Williams said nothing, he just sat quietly in his wheelchair, his gaze fixed somewhere on thin air, like I wasn't worth looking at.
"Amanda," Seth called, his tone gentler than everyone else's. "If this is true... then the baby isn't Williams', right?"
He hesitated.
"Or is there something we should know?"
"There is nothing to know."
Williams' voice cut in before I could answer. He finally looked at me.
His eyes were cold enough to drain every ounce of warmth from my body.
"That woman is not carrying my child." His jaw tightened.
"I've never touched her."
The words hit me one after another.
"I've never shared any intimacy with her."
My throat tightened.
What had I ever done to him?
I hadn't caused his accident.
I hadn't asked to become his wife.
So why did he always look at me as though I disgusted him?
Aunt Priscilia folded her arms."Well, that's obvious. A smug smile spread across her face."You've only been married for a few weeks."
She tilted her head.
"So the baby's obviously from that one-night stand of yours."
My nails dug into my palms.
I could barely feel them anymore.
"You'd better stop shaking and own up to what you've done."
Rose reached for the invitation card lying on the table and slipped it neatly into her handbag.
Only then did I understand.
The invitation had only been an excuse.
She had come here looking for a way to expose me.
And she'd succeeded.
"Speak!"Aunt Priscilia barked.
But I couldn't, every word felt trapped behind my ribs.
"You've suddenly become mute?"
She grabbed a fistful of my hair, pain shot across my scalp.A gasp slipped from my lips.
Still...
I didn't speak.
Her grip tightened before she shoved me backward. Then a slap came along fast.
My face snapped to the side, a sharp sting spread across my cheek.
"You shameless little slut!"
The taste of blood filled my mouth where my teeth had caught my lip.
"Enough, Paulina."
Seth stepped forward.
"Leave her alone."
Aunt Priscilia shot him a glare before spitting near my feet.
Humiliation settled over me like a heavy blanket.
Seth slowly walked over.
His fingers slipped beneath my chin, forcing my face upward.
I wanted to jerk away, every part of me rejected his touch.
"You've looked pale lately." His voice softened.
"You've barely been eating, and your always exhausted"
His eyes lingered on my face, while he paused.
"I've suspected it for days." His gaze drifted lower before returning to mine. "You're pregnant, aren't you?"
I turned my face away.
My cheek still burned from Aunt Priscilia's slap.
There was no point denying it anymore, the truth had already found its way into the open.
I swallowed hard.
"I'm pregnant."
The words barely escaped my lips.
"And..."
I forced myself to continue. "The baby isn't Williams'."
Silence swallowed the room.
Seth slowly removed his hand from my chin, he stared at me as though he were seeing me for the first time.
Rose looked victorious, Aunt Priscilia looked furious.
Williams...
He didn't say a word, he simply gripped the wheels of his chair.
Then he turned it around and rolled away.
Not once did he look back.
The ache in my chest spread quietly.
"So that's your answer."
Seth exhaled slowly.
"I'm afraid we'll have to terminate the pregnancy."
For a second, I couldn't breathe.
"...What?"
My voice cracked.
He looked at me calmly.
"It's the only reasonable thing to do."
"I agree," Aunt Priscilia said without hesitation. "That child cannot be allowed into this family."
My hand flew protectively to my stomach.
The world around me blurred. No, not my baby.
"You'll get yourself ready," Seth continued, resting a hand on my shoulder.
His thumb rubbed gently against the fabric of my dress.
The gesture made my skin crawl.
"We'll take care of it immediately."
My stomach lurched.
A violent wave of nausea climbed up my throat.
Heat rushed through my body until I thought my legs would give way.
I clutched my dress so tightly the fabric wrinkled beneath my fists.
Inside me was an innocent child.
A tiny heartbeat that had harmed no one.
Yet they spoke about my baby as though it were a stain they could simply wipe away.
Fear settled deep inside my bones.
No, never. They could shame me, or strip me of everything I owned.
But they would never take my baby.
I'd rather disappear into the streets with nothing but the clothes on my back than stand here and let them steal the only person who was truly mine.
- Writer
