CHAPTER 2

ELLA'S POV

What was I gonna do? How was I gonna raise this baby? How did I forget to take birth control pills? How was I gonna get out of this mess?

I took out my phone and contemplated calling Sylvia to tell her about it, but I thought against it. I couldn't keep dumping my burdens on her so I decided to take a risky decision instead.

I boarded a cab that took me to Jason's house even though I knew seeing him wasn't gonna amount to anything. If he refuses to take care of the child with me, I'll just raise the little one on my own. And if he tries to kill me…

I was ushered into the house warmly by his workers and for some reason, I started to miss the happy times we shared together. Those times when he wasn't aggressive or abusive. When he truly loved me-

“Look who we have here. Beautiful Ella.” I heard his familiar voice call out and I turned around to see him walking downstairs with nothing but his boxers on.

How in the world am I still attracted to this man?

“Jason. I need to talk to you about something.” I started, and he smiled at me before sitting on his chair and gesturing for me to sit, too.

“Are you here to beg me to take you back? I knew you didn't mean that message you sent; you were just angry and hot-headed. You can't do without me, can you?” He said with a wide grin as he relaxed against the couch and I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes at him.

“I'm-”

“I know, I know, you're sorry. But if you really want me back, you have to show that you're truly apologetic.”

“Just stop, Jason! I'm pregnant for you!”

There was a pin-drop silence, and then he suddenly burst into laughter, clapping his hands as if he had just finished watching a funny show.

“Nice joke. You sure know how to make me laugh, don't you?” He shook his head as he laughed and I clenched my fists in anger.

“You raped me three weeks ago, Jason. Now I'm three weeks pregnant. If you think I'm joking, take a look at the results!” I yelled as I took out the papers from my bag and placed it on his table.

His eyes narrowed at me as he took the papers and glanced through them before flinging them at my face in annoyance. He then got up and ran his hand through his hair as he paced around the large sitting room.

“What the fuck do you mean you're pregnant, huh? You want to tarnish my image? You think this is funny!?” He growled as he grabbed my chin harshly and I bit down on my lip to stop myself from crying out.

“Well, you should have thought about this before raping me! You should have thought about your reputation before all of that! This baby is your responsibility so you have no choice but to take care of it.” I managed to say as his eyes glared daggers at me and after a moment, he let go of me.

“I'll take you back, Ella. But you have to get rid of that filthy thing in your stomach. I'll give you any amount you ask for.”

“That filthy thing is your child! How could you be so cruel?”

“Don't make me repeat my fucking self. Get rid of that thing.”

“And if I refuse?”

I should have played along. I should have promised to get rid of it and then run away with the abortion money. I could have saved my little one.

The moment those words tumbled out of my lips, he pushed me back harshly and pinned me to the wall, his hand gripping my neck tightly.

“Let- let… me… go…” I struggled against his grip but when his other fist collided with my stomach, I knew I was done. He was gonna beat me up until I lost this baby.

“No! Jason, stop! Help!” I cried out and called for help but nobody came. He punched and kicked my stomach and no matter how hard I tried to cover it up, he didn't stop. Not until he saw my yellow dress soaked in blood.

“You always get me so violent!” He yelled as he ran his hand through his hair and walked back upstairs, leaving me weak and in the pool of my unborn baby's blood.

A maid came downstairs a few minutes later with clean clothes and helped me discard the yellow one. I couldn't blame her for not helping me. It was all my fault. I shouldn't have come here. I shouldn't have listened to my heart.

I was dropped back home by his driver and I went into my room silently, not wanting to see or talk to anyone. I didn't tell Mom about it, she was already battling with her health issues and her hatred for me. I didn't tell Sylvia either, she'd be so disappointed. So I decided to keep this secret to myself until the day I die.

I resumed working at the restaurant the next day and even though the pay wasn't much, it was enough to sustain my Mom and I. My mom and I aren't close. She blames me for the death of my father and well… I do too. If only I hadn't asked him to take me to the amusement park that day, he would still be alive by now.

“Ella! Snap out of your thoughts and get back to work!” I heard my boss yell at me and I apologized immediately before getting back to work.

The days went well until I started feeling sharp pains in my stomach. I ignored it and continued to work, but as days went by, the pain became difficult to ignore, and I couldn't work anymore.

I decided to stop by the hospital to check what was wrong with my stomach and as the doctors ran tests and scans on me, I couldn't help but feel nervous. Was my baby still there?

I sat across from the female doctor, and she took a deep breath before removing her glasses. Her expression was grim and my heart pounded in my chest at what she was about to tell me.

“Did you know that you lost your baby?”

“Yes.”

“Did you get into a fight? Did somebody beat you up?” She asked and I froze for a moment before shaking my head.

“What I'm seeing here, Miss Ella shows that your womb has been ruptured due to hits. Violent hits, to be precise.” Her eyes were fixed on me as she spoke and I couldn't believe my ears.

“I fell while working. That's when I had the miscarriage. What do you mean ruptured?” I asked in confusion as I sat up, my legs bouncing slightly from fear and nervousness.

Her next words made me feel like I had been doused in cold water.

“I mean, your womb has been damaged. Lots of internal bleeding and cuts… I doubt you'd be able to carry your own child again.”