My Cinderella Man

Veniece was crying loudly while sitting on the floor of her room. In her right hand, she tightly held a small white plastic — a pregnancy test kit. The two red lines drawn on it were very, very clear. Positive. She was pregnant. For Veniece, who was always known as a brave, sassy, and fearless heiress, this kind of feeling was new to her — hopelessness. A mix of fear, anger, and deep worry flowed through her veins. It was not because she did not want the child, but because she knew the storm that was coming when her family found out. She had just come from a huge fight with her father — the Chairman — and his wife. The words spoken by the Chairman were like stabs to her chest. His view of her, her decisions, and the Chairman’s words for the man who slowly changed the course of her life was full of anger and seems like he’s looking down on them. "I will not let you ruin the name of this family just for that beggar!" Those were the last words of the Chairman that kept repeating and echoing in her ears. Veniece wiped her tears using the back of her hand. She took a deep breath and forced herself to be strong. She stood up, walked to her walk-in closet, and grabbed a big suitcase. She opened it forcefully on top of the bed. Without looking back, Veniece took the simple clothes that she had — blouses, pants, and a few personal items. She left behind the expensive jewelry, the designer bags, and the costly shoes that she used to consider her world. At that moment, she realized that all the wealth was useless if the price for it was her freedom and the safety of the life she was carrying. While folding clothes, the face of a person came into her mind. Raven… Raven, whom she saw for the first time looking dirty, bloody, and stealing food on the street. Raven, who almost burned down her mansion because he did not know how to use a microwave. Raven, who put a whole pineapple inside the washing machine because he thought it was a big blender. And most of all, the Raven who made coffee for her but put MSG instead of sugar. Veniece smiled in the middle of her cries while remembering his foolishness and mistakes. But despite all of that, Raven was also the man who did not hesitate to push away the hand of an angry employee just to catch the acid that was about to be thrown at her face. Raven was the one who was always there, loyal, kind, and ready to give his life for her. In a world full of fake and self-serving people, Raven's innocence and pure heart became her safe place. And slowly, without her noticing it, she fell in love with him. After closing the suitcase, Veniece took her bag. She left her credit cards and even the company behind. She ran away in the middle of the night without telling anyone, not even the only man who made her heart beat. She knew that if the Chairman found out she was pregnant, he would use all his power to hurt them, especially Raven. It was better for her to just disappear. A few months passed… In a small and old apartment in a far province, Veniece's life was now different. The heiress who was always served was gone; now, she was the one doing everything. Her once smooth and white hands had learned how to wash her own clothes, clean the floor, and cook her own food — even though her cooked meals were often burnt or tasteless. She was now in her sixth month of pregnancy. Her stomach was big and she had a harder time doing household chores. She felt like her body was very heavy, and the hot weather in the province did not help her mood. Every night, before she slept on the thin foam mattress on the floor, the mansion, her luxurious life, and... Raven always crossed her mind. She cried secretly, longing for the presence of the man who became her only support before everything turned messy. She asked herself where he was, if he was looking for her, or if he went back to being poor after she disappeared. One afternoon, while the sun was shining brightly, Veniece was inside the kitchen. She was wearing a loose house dress and was trying hard to bear the smoke coming from what she was cooking. "What kind of dish is this," she whispered to herself in annoyance while stirring the food she was trying to cook using a ladle. She was having a hard time. The soup she was cooking was slowly drying up and the meat was still as hard as a rock. The bottom of the pot also smelled burnt. Honestly, she did not know how to fix the taste. She wanted to cry out of frustration. It was really hard to be poor, and it was harder to be alone while pregnant. She felt that no matter how hard she tried, it seemed she really had no talent for household chores, exactly like the person who always gave her a headache before at the mansion. While she was busy turning off the stove and coughing because of the smoke, a sound from the door suddenly broke the silence. A couple of knocks from the door. Veniece stopped. She dropped the ladle and held her big stomach. She suddenly felt nervous. Who would knock on her door at this time? She did not know many people in that place except for a few neighbors who rarely bothered her. Fear entered her mind — what if her father's men had tracked her down? What if the Chairman found out where she was and was here to take her back or hurt her life even more? Slowly, despite the weight of her body, Veniece walked toward the old wooden door of the apartment. Every step she took was full of hesitation. She wiped the sweat on her forehead using the edge of her house dress. The knock echoed again, louder and seemingly with urgency. Veniece took a deep breath, held the old doorknob, and slowly turned it. As the door opened, the afternoon light entered inside her dark apartment. Veniece's world stopped. Her eyes widened, and her breath seemed to vanish into the air. The man in front of her was catching his breath, his face wet with sweat, and he was carrying an old backpack. The t-shirt he was wearing looked a bit dirty, showing clearly that he traveled very far and asked around from different people just to reach this place. His hair was messy, and there was a trace of deep tiredness in his eyes — but the moment he saw Veniece, his face was suddenly replaced with extreme joy and relief. “Ma’am Veniece..." That familiar, slightly innocent, and trembling voice. Raven…