Chapter 3

Alex heard Linda shouting from the living room. He stormed in and grabbed me by the collar. "Have you no shame? Did everything I taught you growing up mean nothing?"

My legs gave out, and I collapsed again, but Alex hauled me back up.

"I didn't do anything," I protested weakly. "I'm really sick. I..."

Alex refused to listen. He dragged me to the front door and shoved me outside without mercy. "Would Linda lie? Could she be mistaken? Get out and stay out until you learn some self-respect!"

*****

The rain was coming down harder by the minute.

I pounded desperately on the door, but no one let me in.

In the end, I wandered aimlessly through the deserted streets, soaked to the bone.

When they threw me out, I was wearing only pajamas and slippers. I had not even had time to grab my phone.

Cold and hunger set in, and I had no idea where to go.

As darkness fell, I stopped a passerby and borrowed their phone, then reluctantly called Linda. "Linda, it's dark. I don't have my phone or much money. Can you please let me come home for now?

"No. Alex said you can come back when you're ready to admit what you did wrong."

I was close to tears. "But what did I do wrong? I told you, I'm not pregnant. I'm sick."

Alex snatched the phone and yelled, "Tessa Walker, you are still lying? You have learned nothing. If you have nowhere to go, find the father of that baby and make him take responsibility!"

He hung up, leaving me with nothing but the busy signal.

Numbly, I handed the phone back. I felt like an abandoned puppy.

The rain seemed to fall even harder. Hugging myself, I wandered into a small motel.

The loose change in my pajama pocket added up to barely ten dollars, enough for just one night in such a filthy place.

The room was dark and damp, with only a twin bed. The bathroom was shared.

I closed the curtains as my stomach growled with hunger.

I checked my pocket and found I had only a few dollars left.

I closed the door behind me and headed to the small store across the street to buy a packet of instant noodles.

Several drunk men were shouting obscenities in the narrow, dimly lit hallway.

I pulled up the hood of my pajamas, lowered my head, and hurried past them.

Suddenly, a large man looked me up and down with a leering gaze. "How much for one night, sweetheart?"

I said nothing and forced myself to keep walking calmly, though my legs had already gone weak.

By the time I returned to the motel, the men were gone.

I breathed a sigh of relief and took out my key, but someone suddenly clamped a hand over my mouth from behind.

He dragged me around the corner and demanded, "Thirty dollars. You in or not?"

I shook my head desperately, but only muffled whimpers escaped me.

The man snapped, "Don't push your luck. I noticed you earlier. What decent woman checks into a cheap motel at night wearing pajamas? You're obviously here to sell yourself."

I struggled with all my strength, but he only pressed his hand tighter over my mouth. Before long, my strength drained away.

He dragged me into a room, slapped me several times, then grabbed an ashtray and struck me over the head.

My head spun, and something warm ran from my nose. Moments later, I blacked out.

The room was dark, so I never got a clear look at his face.

After what felt like forever, faint morning light filtered in, and I slowly regained consciousness.

My pajamas were in disarray. Sharp pain racked my body, and the blood from my head and nose had already dried.

Slowly, I crawled off the cold, filthy bed and left the room like an empty shell.

A river ran across from the motel, swollen by the heavy rain.

I stood at the edge of the embankment, numb inside.

There was nothing left in this world worth holding on to.

Without another thought, I jumped into the river.