Chapter 2

Elarie’s heart pounded in her chest as her eyes flickered open, slowly adjusting to the sterile, white surroundings of the hospital room. She was still groggy, but she couldn't be mistaken. 

Her father, Alexander Newton, was standing at the foot of her bed. He didn’t move. His eyes were fixed on her with a gaze colder than she had ever seen. Elarie thought she might still be dreaming, but the tension in the air confirmed that this was no dream.

“Dad…” Elarie’s voice trembled as she shifted. “I-I can explain.”

Her words barely left her lips before her stepmother, Gladys, stepped forward. Shock and disgust was written all over her face. “Explain?” Gladys cut in sharply. “What’s there to explain, Elarie? You got pregnant while still in school! Do you even realize what you’ve done?”

Elarie flinched as her eyes welled up. She had wanted to tell them. She had planned to, after the birth. But everything had spiralled out of control. “I was going to tell you… after Daniel was born,” she whispered with her voice cracking. “I was afraid… afraid you’d be mad.”

“Mad?” Stephanie’s voice chimed in from the doorway. Her stepsister’s were arms crossed as she leaned against the frame with a smirk of self-satisfaction. “If I hadn’t seen you sneaking out in the middle of the night, no one would have known, would they? All this time, you’ve been pretending to be perfect. And here you are… proving exactly what I knew all along.”

Elarie’s heart sank as Stephanie’s words dug deeper into her already fragile spirit. She had always felt judged by Stephanie, who never missed an opportunity to point out her flaws, but this was different. This was an attack on her and her son, Daniel.

“Stephanie, please,” Elarie pleaded softly. She shook her head. “I wasn’t trying to hide it forever. I just… I didn’t know how to tell you.”

Gladys stepped closer. Her eyes narrowed as she continued her tirade. “And what exactly was your plan, Elarie? Keep this a secret until when? Until you could no longer hide the consequences of your careless decisions? How could you do something like this?”

Tears now rolled down Elarie’s cheeks. Her chest tightened with guilt and anxiety. “I was going to tell you. I just… I was scared,” she repeated.

“You should have been scared,” Alexander’s voice broke in, finally speaking. Elarie met his eyes, hoping for some sign of understanding, but there was none.

“You should have gotten rid of it,” Alexander said flatly.

Elarie’s breath got caught in her throat. The words hit her like a punch to the gut. “W-What?” she whispered. “What did you say?”

“You heard me,” Alexander continued. “You should have gotten rid of the baby instead of giving birth to it. This will ruin us, Elarie! Do you understand that? This will taint our family’s reputation!”

The room fell into silence. Elarie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her father… her own father… was suggesting that she should have terminated her pregnancy to protect their family’s image. She felt the room spin as disbelief coursed through her.

“Dad, no,” she gasped while she shook her head. “You don’t understand. Daniel is my son. He’s your grandson. How can you say that?”

Alexander’s eyes narrowed. “What happened to you will stain everything I’ve built! You’re young, and you’ve made a mistake. But this?... This is not something we can undo. It’s a problem that could have been prevented.”

Elarie was speechless. Her hands trembled as she tried to process what was happening. The man standing in front of her was a stranger, not the father she had grown up with. “He’s not a problem,” she finally said. “He’s my son. I love him.”

Alexander’s face crumpled further, if that was possible. “You should have thought about the consequences before you ruined your future and ours,” he snapped. “But now, it’s too late.”

“Too late for what?” Elarie’s voice cracked as her tears flowed freely. “Too late for you to love your grandson? Too late for you to care about me?”

Alexander didn’t answer. Instead, he turned his back to her, looking at Gladys and Stephanie. “We’re leaving. She’s made her bed. And she can lie in it.”

Elarie’s heart shattered as she realized what was happening. “No, Dad, please,” she sobbed. “Please don’t leave me like this. Don’t abandon us.”

“I don’t have a daughter who’s a slut like you!” His voice thundered in the ward. “You’ve made your choice, Elarie. And now, you’ll live with it.”

With that, Alexander turned and walked out of the room. Gladys followed close behind without another word. Stephanie lingered for a moment. Her gaze flicked at Elarie. But even she eventually left without saying anything more.

The door clicked shut. And Elarie was left in silence. Her body was trembling as she hugged herself close. They had left her. Her father had disowned her. Her family had turned their backs on her when she needed them the most.

***

An hour later, a nurse entered the room. “Ms. Newton, I’m afraid you’ve been discharged.”

Elarie blinked in confusion, still shaken from the conversation with her father. “What? Discharged? I… I don’t understand.”

The nurse nodded. “I’m sorry, but your hospital bills haven’t been paid. And no one has come forward to cover them.”

Panic flooded Elarie’s chest. “No, that can’t be right. I have money, I saved up—” She reached for her bag, frantically searching for the pouch she had kept her savings in. But as her fingers fumbled through the fabric, her heart sank.

The pouch was gone. All the money she had saved over the past months… was all gone. Even the small coins she had stored were missing.

“No, no, no,” Elarie muttered. Her voice shook as she rummaged through the bag in disbelief. “It was here. It was right here…”

“I’m sorry,” the nurse said apologetically, “but the policy is clear. If the bills aren’t paid, you’ll have to leave.”

“Please,” Elarie begged. Her eyes widened in desperation. “Please! Just give me some time. I can find a way to pay. I just need more time.”

But the nurse shook her head. Sympathy filled her eyes. “I’m really sorry. But we can’t make exceptions.”

That night, Elarie found herself standing outside the hospital. The rain was pouring down in relentless sheets. She huddled under a small waiting shed near the entrance with Daniel bundled tightly in her arms. Exhausted and broken, Elarie tried to keep her son warm as the cold wind whipped around them. The events of the day had drained her of everything—emotionally, physically, and mentally.

Eventually, sleep claimed her. And she drifted off with Daniel still cradled in her arms.

When she woke the next morning, the dampness and cold were gone. Instead, she found herself lying in a soft bed. The sheets warm and luxurious. Blinking in confusion, Elarie sat up slowly. Then she scanned the room. This wasn’t the same hospital.

A doctor entered the room a moment later with a kind smile plastered on her face. “Good morning, Ms. Newton. How are you feeling?”

“I—where am I?” Elarie stammered, still trying to make sense of what had happened.

“You’re in a private room,” the doctor replied. “Your son is in the newborn nursery. He’s being taken care of.”

Elarie’s heart swelled with relief, but confusion still lingered. “W-Who brought us here?”

The doctor shook her head gently. “I’m afraid I don’t know. The person who brought you here didn’t leave a n

ame.”

Elarie leaned back against the pillows. 

Who had brought them here? And why?