Chapter 2 Unwanted Baby

"Mommy, Daddy is mean!"

The words came from a little boy standing between a man and a woman.

"Albert! Let him hug me!" the woman insisted as the little boy clung tightly to her.

"Haha, I was just kidding, honey." And that last line came from the adult man - Albert.

"Look, go greet your guest first, Albert," the woman said, still holding the little boy who stood between her and Albert. She had noticed Vanessa's presence.

Hearing the entire exchange, Vanessa froze. *Mommy? Daddy? Looks like I was wrong... so he already has a family,* she thought with a bitter laugh inside.

*You're such a fool, Vanessa! I should just leave now,* she scolded herself, immediately changing her plan.

"Ahem, please, have a seat. Go ahead and introduce yourself and explain why you wanted to see me," Albert said in a firm and authoritative voice. The man acted as if he didn't recognize Vanessa at all.

Feeling awkward, Vanessa glanced at the woman she assumed was Albert's wife and the little boy she assumed was his child. "I'm sorry, sir, but I think I've changed my mind about why I came here. Um... I'll excuse myself now," she said, sounding nervous for no clear reason.

After saying that, Vanessa bowed slightly and hurried out of the CEO's office. Her sudden departure left both Albert and the woman - his wife, Bianca - full of questions.

"Who was she, Albert? That was really strange," Bianca said, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

Albert shrugged, his expression just as puzzled as hers. "I have no idea, honey. It was the first time I've ever seen her," he replied. Whether he was telling the truth or simply pretending not to know Vanessa, no one could tell.

Meanwhile, outside the building, Vanessa harshly wiped away her tears. "He looked at me like I was a stranger... Was he pretending, or did he really forget about me?" she whispered, her voice trembling as fresh tears streamed down her cheeks.

****

"Vanessa!"

Vanessa had just stepped out of a taxi in front of her house when someone called her name, startling her.

"Bella," she whispered after recognizing the voice.

"Vanessa! I want an explanation from you. I really hope what Angel told me was just a misunderstanding," said Bella as she hurried toward Vanessa - even though Vanessa was still standing right outside her front gate.

Vanessa's hands tightened on the sides of her own pants, and she briefly looked away. "What is it, Bella? About my pregnancy?" she asked weakly. She had already accepted the possibility that her best friend would soon distance herself, just like everyone else.

"Yes. Tell me everything Angel said was just a misunderstanding, Vanessa!" Bella demanded as she gripped both of Vanessa's shoulders.

Vanessa gave a bitter smile, her eyes filled with sadness as she prepared to tell the truth she could no longer hide. "It's all true, Bella. What Angel told you is true. I'm pregnant out of wedlock, and everything-"

"So it's true? All of it is true? I never thought you would do something like this, Vanessa." Before Vanessa could finish, Bella cut her off, disappointment heavy in her voice.

Bella's eyes made it clear-she was deeply disappointed in her friend.

"Bella, I can explain everything. Not everything Angel said is true," Vanessa insisted, thinking that Angel might have exaggerated what she told Bella.

"I'm disappointed in you, Vanessa!" Without giving Vanessa a chance to explain, Bella walked away.

Vanessa let out a rough sigh as she watched Bella head toward her house - which stood right next to Vanessa's. They really had been neighbors and best friends since childhood.

"And yes... in the end, my fear came true," Vanessa whispered, her eyes already welling up again despite the fact she had silently cried the whole taxi ride home.

She slowly walked into her house, her face once again wet with tears. Her body felt weak, worn down by the weight she was carrying.

"I'm sorry, baby..." Vanessa whispered softly as her hand caressed her slightly rounded belly.

She sat down on the old chair in her living room. Quiet and empty - that was the atmosphere of the house, as Vanessa was its only occupant.

"I'm sorry Mommy couldn't make your daddy acknowledge you," she murmured again, still stroking her belly gently.

There was a reason why Vanessa chose to keep her baby even without acknowledgment from the biological father. She couldn't bring herself to end the pregnancy, even though she was furious at herself for being so careless that night - careless enough to be assaulted by a man she didn't even know.

****

In a modest little house, a woman was having dinner alone with a variety of delicious dishes spread across the table.

"So full," the woman murmured, finishing her dinner with a smile decorating her face. She looked genuinely happy, as if her mood was especially bright that night.

Without bothering to clean up the food on the table, the woman walked away from the dining room just like that.

"Haha, soon that slut will finally get fired, and I'm so satisfied seeing everyone at work trash her," the woman said with a smug laugh as she stepped onto her bedroom balcony.

She took out a pack of cigarettes, lit one, and inhaled calmly and leisurely. Yet the sly smile on her face never faded.

"Feel the suffering, Vanessa. I'm sick of that fake innocent face of yours. In the end, you'll turn into a slut just like the others," she continued before another round of laughter filled the balcony.

- (paragraph repeated in original, condensed here but meaning kept the same) -

Drrrtt.

Her laughter stopped the moment she heard her phone buzzing on the table in front of her.

A bright smile spread across her face when she saw the caller ID. "Time for my side job. I can't wait to shop to my heart's content after this," she muttered before answering the call.

"Hello, Mr. Gerald, how are you?"

"Tonight? Of course I can, sir. I'll head over right away," she said before ending the call.

She stubbed out the half-burned cigarette, smirked at her phone, then left the balcony.