Chapter 3 Unwanted Baby

"Because you broke the rules I set, I'm forced to fire you, Vanessa, even though your performance has been very good in my eyes," said the man now standing in front of Vanessa, his voice firm.

Vanessa could only lower her head in defeat as she listened to what her boss said. She even held back her tears so they wouldn't fall in front of the person she respected as her boss.

"Can't I work here for just a few more months, sir?" Even though Vanessa was hesitant, she still tried asking for a little more time before being fired.

"Sorry, absolutely not, Vanessa! Once you break the rules, you have to be fired immediately! If I had known you were pregnant from the beginning, I probably would've fired you back then," her boss replied firmly again.

Hearing that, Vanessa stared down sadly, her shoulders slumping. She tried her hardest not to cry before leaving.

"This is your last paycheck." Vanessa's boss handed her an envelope containing her final salary from the nightclub.

"Thank you, sir," Vanessa replied, completely resigned as she accepted the paycheck unwillingly.

"If that's all, I'll excuse myself," she added, unable to hold back her tears much longer.

Without realizing it, Vanessa had been overheard by several people nearby. She didn't notice any of them until she had already walked out of the club.

"Haha, didn't I tell you yesterday? That slut was definitely going to get fired, and now she really is."

"Finally, no more pretending to be innocent."

The short conversation came from two women who had been eavesdropping on the boss's conversation with Vanessa. They stayed hidden until she left.

On the other hand, Vanessa had just left the club on foot. She suddenly didn't feel like taking a taxi or any other public transportation after calculating how much money she had left in her bank account.

'What if I have trouble finding a job in my condition? Sooner or later my stomach will get bigger, and it'll be obvious that I'm pregnant,' Vanessa thought while lowering her head and gently rubbing her belly, which was already slightly showing even though she was wearing an oversized outfit.

'Please let me find a job soon, God,' she prayed silently, hoping good news would finally come her way.

Srrrip-

"Ahh!" Vanessa screamed reflexively when she realized someone from behind had suddenly yanked her sling bag off her with force.

Just moments ago she had been hoping for good news to come her way, but instead she was facing yet another problem-or rather, she already *had* a new problem.

"Thief! Hey! My bag! Help!" Vanessa shouted frantically, her mind blank. All she could think about was getting her sling bag back, especially since her final paycheck was inside it.

She immediately started running, though her speed was nothing compared to the masked man who had harshly stolen her bag.

"Help! Somebody help me! That man stole my bag!" Vanessa cried out, still trying to find someone who could help her get her sling bag back.

Unfortunately, luck wasn't on her side. The area around her was quiet, with only a few people around-and those few people didn't care at all about the trouble she was going through.

Vanessa felt like breaking down as the thief disappeared from sight, while she herself was growing too weak to keep running. Her stomach suddenly hurt, forcing her to stop at the side of the road, sweat pouring down her face, her eyes filled with tears ready to fall.

"My last paycheck..." Vanessa whispered, her voice barely audible.

"Are you all right, miss?" A man approached her after seeing her standing there with her head down.

Vanessa quickly looked up as if she had found a tiny glimmer of hope. "Sir, please help me," she said, straightening herself and pointing toward the direction the thief had run.

The man frowned, not understanding what she meant. "Help with what, miss?"

"Please chase the person who stole my bag and ran off that way," Vanessa replied with a hopeful expression. She still wished she could get her bag back even though it was nearly impossible-the thief who stole her sling bag was long gone.

"Which way did he go, miss? Is he already far?"

Vanessa pointed again in the direction the thief had escaped. "That way, sir. I think he's already pretty far," she answered, making the man in front of her let out a quiet sigh.

"I'm sorry, if he's already gone far, I can't help you. I'm actually in a rush for a work meeting. I truly apologize-excuse me." After saying that, the man politely walked away.

Vanessa broke down in tears right there. Her hope vanished, and her last paycheck was gone-taken by a thief. And her savings were barely enough to keep her going.

One by one, problems kept showing up in Vanessa's life ever since her pregnancy was discovered.

****

Vanessa had just woken up. Earlier that afternoon after returning home, she had cried her heart out until she cried herself to sleep without realizing it. Now she had woken up at night.

"Ughh... I have to be strong for the baby. No matter what, the baby is the only one I have now," she muttered as she got up from her bed, gently rubbing her belly.

Reality had slapped her hard-she truly was all alone now, with only the baby inside her. All her friends had abandoned her. In moments like this, Vanessa always remembered her parents, whom she loved dearly, and how they were no longer around.

"Ugh! Why can't these stupid tears stop!" Vanessa grumbled in frustration, wiping her tears roughly as she reached the kitchen.

Once again she clicked her tongue in annoyance when she saw the fridge completely empty-no food at all.

"Oh God... what kind of trial is this now..." she muttered helplessly, leaning her body against the fridge.

She had no choice but to buy some groceries with whatever little money she had left at the nearby convenience store.

A short while later, she had picked out a few cheap food items and was waiting to pay at the cashier. 'Patience... you have to be patient, Vanessa,' she told herself when she saw how long the line was. She was starving.

Thud!

"Ahhh," Vanessa winced when she suddenly fell to the floor after losing her balance-someone behind her had bumped into her, whether intentionally or not.

She grimaced in pain as she felt her stomach cramp.

"What are you doing? Can't you see she's pregnant?"

Vanessa heard a man's firm voice scolding the person behind her. She didn't see him-her focus was only on the painful cramp in her stomach.

Moments later, the man who had scolded the other person offered her his hand.

"Let me help you stand, miss."

Vanessa looked up at him, her eyes widening slightly, her small mouth parting a little when she saw his face.