Episode 3
1576 Words
CHAPTER 3
Ava POV
Three months had passed, with no sign of the strange man I had made out with at the club. The pregnancy had turned me into an object of ridicule, subjected to constant mockery and abuse. Seraphina made my life even more miserable and unbearable. At times, I wondered if we were truly related by blood.
I turned towards Calista.
“Please…. Make her stop,” I cried out.
But she looked away in open disgust, her lips twitching as though my pain irritates her. Absent-mindedly, she toyed with her hair as if I were nothing but a disturbance to her peace.
“You cheap little girl,” Seraphina growled like a wounded lion as another slap landed sharply across my face. "You're just a w***e like your mother.
“She deserves it” Calista finally said, her voice eerily calm. “Just like her worthless, useless mother. Nothing but trouble. I wish she would die,” she muttered coldly.
My blood froze. I couldn't fathom what I was hearing. Tears blurred my vision as I stared at her. Was this really Calista? My mum had loved her, nurtured her, treated her like her own daughter. Yet there was no flicker of remorse. She continued chewing on her gum, winding her hair around her fingers and deliberately avoiding my gaze.
Seraphina gave me a bloodthirsty stare.
“You're going to terminate that baby. There is no place for it in this house,” she snarled, her voice sharp.
“No! It will never happen.” I screamed hysterically.
“My mom was good, she loved us,” I cried.
Another slap landed on my face, this time crashing into my eye.
“Stop squandering your time on a slut like her.” “If she dies giving birth to that child, it will be none of our concern. She doesn't belong here and has no place here,” she said coldly.
Seraphina's phone rang.
“Get out,” she yelled. “Terminate that baby or get ready to leave my house or better yet go find the bastard father who got you pregnant.”
She answered the call and I listened in silence. It was Dad.
“How's Ava doing?” he asked.
“She's doing perfectly well,” Seraphina replied smoothly. I'm taking good care of her.
Dad laughed cruelly on the other end. I caught every word as he said, “Don't pay a single bill at the hospital. Ava's mum deserves to die.”
I couldn't believe what I just heard. I let the tears flow freely. But the physical pain meant nothing compared to the memory of Calista’s cold, ruthless eyes staring through me as though I were nothing to her. Tears cascading down my cheeks without permission, betraying the weakness I had long tried to suppress. The shadows of my childhood haunted me, whispering of neglect, rejection and abandonment by those who were supposed to love me unconditionally. Even now at twenty-five, their cruelty lingered, leaving me feeling less than human.
Why couldn't they just love me?
The worst wasn't the slaps, blows, harsh words or the bruises. It was the hatred in their voices when they spoke about my mother.
And yet, despite the money I had poured into her treatment, her health continued to deteriorate, each visit brought a painful reminder of my helplessness. I sank onto the edge of the bed, hands gripping my temples.
I didn't want to go to the hospital, I didn't want my mum to see me like this, bruised and broken. With my decision made, I packed what little I could carry and walked out of the house without looking back. No one tried to stop me.
“Let her go,” Seraphina muttered coldly “Nobody gives a damn about her,” Calista added flatly.
I wandered aimlessly on the street. Maybe I could find a shelter in a tavern or pub I thought deeply—anywhere to escape loneliness pressing on me.
A sleek, flashy car rolled to a stop beside me. The window slid down smoothly, and my heart dropped. It was him.
The man who had deepened my misery.
The man I had given myself to—my body.
“Well look at you,” he said with a cruel smile. “You little b***h. You stole my money and my plush lined case, and now you look utterly wretched. Seems like you're paying for your sins.
“I'm sorry sir,” I stammered, my voice shaking.
“I needed the money for my mother's hospital bills.”
“What happened to your face,” he interrupted, eyes narrowing. “Looks like you got beaten for stealing again.”
His words pierced deeper.
“No, I didn't steal. I was thrown out by my sister.
“Ohhh!” He laughed loudly. “So you stole from her this time.”
“I'm pregnant for you, I broke the news pointing at my bulging stomach.
The smile vanished from his face, and he became dead serious.
“That can never be my baby, you slut.”
“It's you,” I protested. “We were together that night. You came inside me. You enjoyed it.”
Then the missile landed.
“I'm impotent. I cannot father a child. Go look for the father you slut,” as he ordered the driver to leave, not minding my condition.
I felt a sharp pain in my chest. The world seemed to be against me, I fell down on the ground half conscious.
“Sir we can't leave this lady out here to die," the driver said. “You can take her to the hospital, clear the bills and that's all. Forget she ever existed.”
He ordered the driver to carry me to the back seat, which he did and he slid into the front seat beside the driver and they sped off.
I heaved a sign of relief and became fully unconscious not knowing what happened afterwards.
I opened my eyes in a hospital bed, pain wracking my body. Nothing around me looked familiar. A sharp pain in my head, my arms and legs felt numb as though movement was impossible.
“How're you feeling?” a voice asked, shocked.
I slowly turned, the man sitting close to the bed smiled gently.
“Don't be afraid,” he said softly.
“How did I get here?” I asked, trying to sit up.
“You collapsed on the street,” he replied calmly. I brought you to the hospital.
The door opened, a man entered, handed him a document and left immediately without a word.
“You're pregnant,” he said.
Yes I replied weakly.
“Are you here to tell me to get rid of it?”
“No, I want you to keep the baby,” he said calmly.
I stared at him in disbelief. “You barely know anything about me.”
“I don't need to,” he replied, forcing a faint smile. “I'll take care of all your expenses—medical care, accommodation, food, living expenses and anything else you require. You'll be under my protection.”
“In exchange for what?” I asked innocently
“You'll carry my child,” he said softly.
“And what happens after giving birth?” I asked nervously.
“After that,” he said unbothered. "You disappear.”
“Disappear” I repeated.
“The child will remain with me,” he added. “You'll walk away with enough money to start a new life. You'll receive one million dollars and I'll fund any venture you choose.”
“Do you expect me to love you?” To pretend to be something I'm not?”
“No,” he replied without hesitation. “There will be no relationship. No love. This is neither marriage nor companionship. It's simply a contract.”
He pushed the document towards me.
“I'm offering you a way out.”
“What if I refuse?” I asked with confusion written all over my face.
“Then you walk away and continue your life.”
I looked at the document, picked up the pen, it felt heavy in my fingers. I was desperate for the money—for my mother's treatment.
I read through the terms of the contract. No emotional involvement between parties. No future claims. A total sum of one million dollars shall be paid upon successful delivery. Agreement shall be terminated upon childbirth, with all obligations fulfilled.
“If I sign this,” I said quietly, “you'll walk away with the child after delivery, as if this never existed.”
“Yes,” he said flatly.
“And I'm not allowed to look for you or the child.”
“There will be no reason for that,” he replied.
I signed, carefully writing my name. He collected the document immediately.
“It's done,” he said with a smile. “A private doctor will attend to you. Security will be arranged. Everything you need will be in place before you're discharged.”
He walked out of the room.
Moments later, my phone rang. It was Calista. “Your mum…..your mum…..get to the hospital now.”
Goosebumps erupted across my skin. I tried to get up but my body failed me. I sank back onto the bed extremely weak as tears streamed down my cheeks.
- Writer
