0003.

Stacy lay sprawled on the floor of her room, crying bitterly. The doctor's words echoed in her head like a persistent drumbeat: "You have to choose between having an abortion which will cost you your life or trying to give birth to your baby which will also cost you your life. Having an abortion makes you die quickly but giving birth to the baby gives you a chance to spend some more being alive. You have to choose between these two but in all, make a wise decision."

The choice before her seemed impossible. How could she choose between her own life and that of her unborn child? And yet, deep down, she knew that she really didn't have a choice to make because either way she was going to die– by birthing her child or by carrying an abortion.

She couldn't stop regretting allowing herself to get seduced by drunk Jerome if not she wouldn't have ended up in this situation. She regretted not sticking to their marriage rules which would have been her life Savior.

Stacy yelled as the unending thoughts of regrets tormented her mind and she couldn't stop her brain from recapping memories from the night she had sex with drunk Jerome.

The feeling of his touch on her skin, the intoxicating alcoholic smell of his breath, and the way he pumped into her and made her feel, it all seemed to her that she had exchanged her life for a moment like that. She wished she could change the hand of time but it was too late. Sooner or later, she was going to die, it only depended on her decision.

“How could you cause me so much pain?” she asked her unborn child, wrapping her hands around her stomach.

“How could you bring me pain instead of joy? Do I really have to give up my life because you showed up, huh? Do I have to die because I allowed myself to make a mistake which resulted in you?” Stacy spoke to the baby forming in her womb in bitterness.

“How could things turn so badly for me because of your existence? How could you ruin my life this much?” she screamed, sinking to the floor in dismay.

The flow of tears down her cheeks was endless as her mind remained in jeopardy. When she had fainted at the hospital when the doctor broke the ugly news to her, the doctor had pointed it out to be one of the symptoms of her weak body system which was now surfacing because of her pregnancy.

It was heartbreaking to know that trying to birth a life was going to actually take yours.

*

Jerome sat in his study, trying to process the news he had received the day before. The doctor's words kept echoing in his head: "Your wife's body can't handle a pregnancy, and if she carries the baby to term, it will likely mean the end of her life."

He felt numb like he couldn't think or feel anything. And yet, beneath the numbness, a storm of emotions was brewing - anger, sadness, fear, and a profound sense of guilt. Why had he allowed himself to get so carried away that night? Why had he put Stacy in this situation?

Jerome paced the length of his study, his thoughts a mess. The doctor's words had shaken him to his core. He couldn't believe that his wife's life could be in danger because of a single moment of weakness on his part. How could he have been so irresponsible? He felt a deep sense of shame and regret.

But most of all, he felt fear for what the future held. Although he wasn't sure if he loved Stacy, the thought of losing her was unbearable. He wanted to do everything he could to protect her now she was in this situation, but he didn't know what to do.

The situation with Stacy was all too familiar, bringing back painful memories of his childhood. His mother had been in a similar situation and had decided to carry the pregnancy to term despite the risks to her health. Jerome had been born, but his mother had died not long after.

His father had blamed him for her death, and his siblings had followed suit. As a child, he had endured years of bullying and abuse, being told that he had killed his mother which made him cold hearted and at first vowed not to get married nor have any child. And now, he was facing the same situation, knowing that Stacy could die no matter what she chose.

But there was one key difference: his mother’s case was she could live if she terminated the pregnancy but she refused to do so, deciding to give her life for Jerome to be born.

He hated to have a child who would go through what he did. A motherless child who will be hated and taunted by people, a child who will be blamed for every misfortune. A child who will be accused of being a curse from birth.

The more Jerome thought about it, the more it got him mad with rage. He clenched his fists and tugged at his hair, frustration, and anger coursing through him. He dug his nails into his palms, trying to stave off the torrent of emotions that threatened to overwhelm him.

He felt his lip split as he bit down hard, the metallic taste of blood filling his mouth. It was as if he were trying to punish himself for what had happened, but it brought him no relief.

He wished he could help Stacy but there was nothing he could do. The only choice left for the both of them was to accept what had befallen them which was so tragic to even think about.

"Shit!" Jerome yelled, kicking a nearby couch in frustration. He paced around the room, running his hands through his hair and cursing under his breath. How could he possibly help Stacy when there was nothing he could do? It was all too much to bear, and he felt like the world was crushing him.

Then, a knock on the door broke through his thoughts. His assistant entered, holding out the telephone. "Boss, Ms. Debbie's been trying to reach you," he said. "She's angry."

Jerome reluctantly took the telephone and dropped it on the table in the study.

"Why didn't you cover for me?" Jerome asked plainly.

"I tried, but she wouldn't listen to me," he said, his voice faltering. "She said you've been avoiding her calls and your phone was turned off all day. I don't know what else I could have done."

Jerome let out a deep sigh, running his hands through his hair in frustration. "I know," he said, his voice heavy with resignation."I will call her,” he reluctantly replied absent-mindedly.

"Boss, you shouldn't forget that you have a meeting with Ms. Debbie tomorrow," Jerry reminded and turned towards the door to head out.

"Is Stacy still in her room?" Jerome asked, his voice tinged with worry.

"Yes, boss," Jerry replied, his tone hesitant. "She hasn't come out since she first went to her room. The housemaids have been bringing food to her door, but she hasn't been taking any of it."

Jerome felt a pang of guilt and regret. He knew that Stacy must be feeling isolated and afraid, and he wished he could do something to help her. But what could he do? He felt so helpless, knowing that there was no easy solution to this situation.

Jerome felt like his heart was breaking into a thousand pieces. He had never realized how much he cared for Stacy until now when everything had gone so wrong. Last night, he tossed and turned in his bed, unable to sleep as he thought about her. And now, he was plagued by feelings of guilt and regret. He felt powerless to help her, and yet he couldn't bear the thought of doing nothing. It was as if nothing else in the world mattered to him except seeing a smile on Stacy's face.

As these thoughts raced through his mind, he couldn't help but wonder: was he in love with her? He had never thought of her that way before, but now he couldn't deny the strong emotions he was feeling. But what good would it do to show his feelings now, when she was going through so much? Would it just make things more complicated? He didn't know what to do, and the uncertainty was eating away at him.

“Tell the cook to prepare something quick and easy,” Jerome said, making up his mind. “I'm going to visit Stacy myself.”

Jerry looked taken aback. “But, boss, you have a big meeting with Ms. Debbie tomorrow,” he protested. “You need to prepare the documents required for the business marriage. It's not something you can just do at the last minute.”

“What is more important than Stacy right now?” Jerome asked, his voice rising. “I don't care about any documents, okay? Just forget about them and leave me alone, or better yet, do them yourself.” With that, he stormed out of the room, leaving his assistant gaping after him.

Even though the business marriage was important to his career, it paled in comparison to Stacy's safety. He knew that he would have to make a difficult choice - between Stacy, whom he had been planning to divorce next month, and Ms. Debbie, whom he would be marrying to amass fortune and power.

Jerome was caught in a dilemma. He knew that choosing Stacy would mean sacrificing the opportunity presented by his business marriage with Debbie while choosing Debbie would mean leaving Stacy to face her predicament alone. It was a difficult decision and one that would have lasting consequences. But no matter what, he knew he had to make a choice.

As he faced this difficult choice, Jerome knew he had to make up his mind that night. He had a meeting with Debbie the next day, and he couldn't go to the meeting without a clear decision. He needed to know where he stood, both personally and professionally.