Chapter 2
I had asked Simon if it was true once. He didn't answer. Instead, he kissed me to shut me up.
"Right now, you're all I have," he had said.
Simon had said it vaguely, but I had taken it as confirmation that we were in a relationship.
Today, I saw the truth.
It turned out that it was me fooling myself the whole time.
I gripped the sheets tightly and murmured, "Fine."
Simon breathed a sigh of relief, grabbed his car keys, and got to his feet.
"Go home tonight. I have things to do," he said.
I went downstairs alone and squatted by the road to hail a taxi.
When I got home, the moment I stepped inside, I was greeted by Mabel's venomous glare.
"Finally back?" she said.
I froze in place and spoke cautiously. "What's wrong?"
"Don't act innocent," Mabel snapped.
She walked over and threw a stack of photos in my face.
Mabel said, "You two were always messing around. And today, even after you knew I was pregnant with his child, you still tried to seduce him. Do you even have any shame?"
I kept my head down and slowly picked up the photos.
They were all taken earlier that day.
Seeing me stay silent, Mabel seized my hair, jerking my head up so I had to face her.
"Cat got your tongue?" she said.
I didn't dare fight back and asked, "Wh-When did you find out?"
Mabel snorted. "You're just as dumb as your mother.
"I've been with him for years. I know everyone he hangs out with. Finding out things like this is a piece of cake.
"Why do you have to be like your mom, always going after other people's men, huh?"
Then she slapped me hard across the face. Not feeling any better after that, she kicked me hard in the stomach.
Mabel said, "It's just a bastard anyway.
"Let me tell you the truth. The baby in my stomach isn't his.
"But this is the Ferguson family. As long as my baby is born here, he'll be a Ferguson. He'll have everything.
"So I'm warning you. You and your bastard better never show your faces in front of him again."
She let go of my hair.
My legs gave out, and I crumpled to the floor. I grabbed the hem of her dress and apologized to her over and over again.
Mabel sneered. "That's more like it. If you ever try this again, you won't get off so easily next time."
She snorted and walked back to her room, satisfied.
Once Mabel went upstairs, I finally hauled myself up too, my body still numb.
I couldn't afford to offend anyone in the Fitzgerald family.
I was born from a one-night stand my father had after drinking. When I turned eight, my mother plotted to kill Mabel's mom, and only then did she become his wife.
My father hated me for being a girl. So I was an unacknowledged daughter.
Mabel knew all about it, but she was too young to have any evidence.
Over the years, she used my mother's desperate attempts to please her, slowly turning us against each other.
She kept me from going to school, left me starving, and sometimes even forced me to sleep with the dogs at night.
Only by obeying Mabel could I get a hot meal and a decent night's sleep.
That was why I never dared to go against her all these years.
We had both fallen in love with Simon at a party. But I had never dared to talk to him.
It was only two years after they broke up, when Simon approached me, that I had dared to start a relationship with him.
But I never thought they would get back together and have a baby.
Knowing Mabel, if I didn't get out of here soon, I would end up dead.
With trembling hands, I picked up the phone and called someone.
"Hello? You once said you'd marry me. Do you still mean it?" I asked.
On the other end, a low laugh sounded. "Are you sure about this?"
"Yeah," I said.
"Wait for me. I'll get things ready right now," he replied.
I hung up right away.
*****
Early the next morning, I was woken up by Simon's call.
"Come downstairs," he said.
Before I could even process what was happening, I was already scrambling to get dressed and heading out the door.
I had never refused anything Simon asked of me.
As soon as I showed up, Simon hurried me into the back seat and quickly drove off, as if he were afraid Mabel would catch us together.
"Tonight I'm taking Mabel abroad so she can rest during her pregnancy. I'm worried you'll secretly give birth to the baby here while I'm gone," Simon said.
I was taken aback, barely managing to get the words out. "I won't."
But Simon wasn't buying it.
He was terrified I would ruin his perfect love story with Mabel.
He insisted on coming into the operating room with me.
"You're nine months pregnant. We can only induce labor. Just bear with it," he said.
I took a deep breath and nodded.
But hours passed, and the baby still wouldn't come.
It was early morning when I finally had to have an emergency C section. The baby's cry filled the operating room.
"Sounds like your baby's strong and healthy," the doctor said, grinning.
But I couldn't force myself to smile.