1. Two Red Lines

“ Mom, I have something to say,” said a man as he walked up to a middleaged woman who was engrossed in her favorite fashion magazine with a cup of coffee.

“What do you have to say, my son?”

Instead of answering, Jonathan showed Theresia a pregnancy test that displayed two red lines. Theresia frowned instantly.

“A pregnancy test? Did you get a girl pregnant?”Theresia asked as she took the test pack from Jhonatan’s hand.

Theresia looked at it in Jonathan turn.

“Yes, ma’am. I got Amelie pregnant.”

Plak!

A slap landed on Jonathan’s cheek. Making one hand clutch his cheek because of the stinging feeling. His feeling of guilt told him that something bad was about to happen.

“I was suspicious from the start, Jonathan! Didn’t always tell you not to associate with that servant girl?”

“Mom, I love her so much. Can’t you give Amelie a chance for us to start a family?” pleaded Jonathan, which was met with a sharp glare from Theresia.

Whithout saying a word, Theresia walked to the maid’s room to look for Amelie’s whereabouts.

Theresia looked around as soon as she arrived in the corridor of the maid’s room. She quickly found the girl she was looking for, joking with Katie and other maids.

“You bitch!” she screeched as she pulled Amelie’s hair roughly.

Amelie winced in pain, trying to free her hair from Theresia’s grip. However, instead of stretching further, Theresia became stronger and more brutal in pulling Amelie’s hair.

“Stop it, Mistress! That’s very painful,” Amelie exclaimed , still trying to sound respectful ti the great lady.

“Do you think I’m going to do what you want? What did you do to bring my favorite son to your knees?” said Theresia as she brought her face closer to Amelie’s. The girl was frightened and began to look down. Amelie’s tears began to fall.

Meanehile, none of the other workers dared to break up with Theresia. They just watched the bullying Theresia was doing to Amelie.

“Don’t take mefor a stupid woman, Amelie! I know you’re pregnant with Jonathan’s child!” Theresia screamed as she slapped Amelie hard across the face, knocking the girl to the ground.

Robert and Irene who found out about the incident, immediately ran over to Amelie.

“Amelie, what exactly happened?” asked Irene and Robert almost simultaneously.

“Just so you know! This innocent looking girl of yours is far from what people think she is!” said Theresia grumbling with her arms folded in front of her chest.

“Jonathan told me that he got your daughter pregnant. But I don’t just belive it,” Theresia said while waving her hands in the air, before she finally added; “Amelie could be pregnant with another man, and claim that the fetus is Jonathan’s.”

“Madam, please watch what you say!” Robert scolded when he heard his daughter being demeaned. Meanwhile,Irene continued to stroke Amelie’s back, which was shaking with naive tears.

“Why, it could be anything, right? Handsome and rich. What girl wouldn’t want Jonathan? But your daughter, instead of using her pregnancy to tie Jonathan down.”

“Madam, I am fully convinced that the baby in my womb is Jonathan’s,” Amelie said through sobs as she held her stomach, where the fruit of her love for Jonathan was growing.

“Nonsense! Abort your pregnancy, or never set foot in this house again!” Theresia threatened before finally leaving poor Amelie.

All the workers who had been watching the scene from a distance rushed over to the three people still on the floor. Each of them spoke words of encouragement to Amelie. Amelie forced herself to smile in appreciation of their efforts. Predictably, behind Amelie’s smile, there was a gaping wound that was very painful. They couldn’t imagine what it would be like if they were in Amelie’s shoes.

Meanwhile, Jonathan was still sitting on the living room sofa with a troubeled look. He was cursing himself for not being able to fulfill what he had said to Amelie.

One day earlier ….

Jonathan looked at Amelie, who was greeting the multicolored roses from a distance. From the humming that escaped from the girl, it could be seen how the girl felt happy and proud that all roses she had nurtured were growing well.

Jonathan walked over to Amelie, who was still humming and caressing the perfectly blooming roses.

“The flowers are indeed beautiful. But their beauty can’t beat the beauty of your face, Amelie.”

Amelie looked quickly at Jonathan. The girl blushed. A blush adorned her cheeks. Jonathan smiled at Amelie’s natural expression. The gentle girl who had been his lover for the past two years without the knowledge of Edmund and Theresia.

The pair had been in a relationship without the knowledge of Jonathan’s parents. Both Amelie, Jonathan, and the other workers who worked for Jonathan’s family understood that their social status was verry different. It was certain that Theresia, the haughty woman, would reject their relationship. Therefore, the two agreed to behave like servants and employers in front of Mr. and Mrs. Hayes.

“Jo? Since when have you been standing there?”

Jonathan pulled up his elbows and glanced at his watch before saying; “I don’t know how long I’ve been standing here. All I know is that the time with you seems so short.”

Jonathan who received a soft punch on his chest, winched pretending to be in pain. Amelie’s punch did not hurt at all.

“Stop teasing me, Jo!” replied Amelie, pursing her lips in what Jonathan thought was a very cute facial expression.

“Jo, I have something important to talk to you about.” Amelie said it matter-of-factly.

Seeing Amelie’s expression turn sad, Jonathan thought that what the girl was going to say was not good news.

“Just tell me, dear.” Jonathan gently rubbed the head of the girl, who was currently looking down in fear while squeezing the skirt she was wearing.

The look anxiety on the girl’s face made Jonathan even more curious. Jonathan’s thick eyebrows knitted together.

“Honey, say it if you have something to say. Don’t keep your feelings to yourself.” Jonathan lowered his head, matching Amelie’s height while holding her chin.

“I-I’m pregnant, Jo.” Amelie replied hoarsely. Tears began to fall. The girl handed over the pregnancy test that showed two red lines lined up together with trembling hands.

Jonathan clutched it with knitted eyebrows. He still couldn’t believe it. He was going to be a father soon. The man felt a dilemma. There was a feeling of happiness, but there was also sense of anxiety. Would Amelie’s pregnancy soften Theresia’s enough to give her blessing to their relationship?

“Amelie, you don’t need to cray. You should be happy because now the fruit of our love is in your womb.” Jonathan smiled as he rubbed the crystal beads that kept falling down Amelie’s cheeks. Trying to calm the storm of sadness that engulfed his lover’s heart.

The girl just nodded slowly. She wasn’t sure her pregnancy would be happy news for the Hayes family. The possibility of a bad response where from the mistress of the house where she and her parents served as maids began to haunt her mind.

“Trust me, Amelie. Everything will be fine. I’ll persuade my parents to accept you and our child.” The man rubbed Amelie’s stomach and landed a peck on her forehead afterwards.

Jonathan ruffled his black hair in frustration. The image of Amelie’s innocent face sliced his heart.

What had he done? Giving hope to the girl that seemed to be just a figment of his imagination.

***