Chapter 8 I Two Blue Lines

Via bought some kitchen necessities at the supermarket. Even though Sean wasn't around, Via's love of cooking didn't stop her from making a menu of the food Sean liked. When in the sea food area, Via suddenly felt nauseous so she avoided it. Even she was nauseous as soon as she smelled the meat, making her reflexively move away from the drinking area.

Via kept calculating the time of her period. For a moment, she felt her body tense because there was something odd about her monthly cycle that she didn't notice. She took the five test packs that were lined up on the shelves and decided to quickly get out of the supermarket, but her steps were stopped when her eyes caught the tabloid that was plastered on Sean's face as the main headline.

Unconsciously, Via approached the tabloid and read the title in bold print:  Evelyn Madini and Sean Reviano's romance.

Without being able to take her eyes off Sean’s perfect portrait on the cover of the tabloid, Via reads the contents. It told the story between Sean and Evelyn who look intimately hand in hand while walking together in a park, even the portrait of their affection was clearly displayed on every page. 

Sean who held Evelyn's hand while crossing the street, Sean who smiled hearing Evelyn speak, Sean who looked happy was standing side by side with Evelyn.

Wherever Sean was, Via could clearly describe how sweet that smile was, how Sean's face was bright when he was happy, or his eyes smile when he heard a funny joke.  Everything was clearly engraved in Via's sharp memory, but it hurt a lot when it was all on another woman.

Tears gathered in the corners of Via’s eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She still couldn't believe Sean had forgotten her without explaining anything, but the evidence that he was slowly ignoring and deliberately avoiding her was enough to hurt. In fact, Via could not linger to see Sean with another woman even if only through the portraits on paper.

“Look, they're so perfect each other,” said the woman who suddenly stood next door.

Via just smile slightly and put the tabloid back in its original place.

“Are you also their fan?”

Via swallowed the tears that were about to spill.

“Ah… that… I was just looking,” Via answered awkwardly.

“Don't be ashamed to admit that you are heartbroken to see such a handsome and rich CEO finally getting married. I'm heartbroken too, and so are millions of women. The single most coveted man has finally found his soulmate, how lucky is Evelyn.” The woman laughed as she took the tabloid to take to the cashier.

Via froze at the place after the woman left. Realizing that so far no one had known of her presence in Sean's life. Not once was she in the same frame with Sean Reviano.

Via wanted to shout at this woman, that before Evelyn, there was Via warming Sean Reviano's bed, who cooked his favorite dinner, who prepared his work suit every morning, who welcomed him home with a smile even though she was tired. There was Via who had accompanied Sean Reviano for one year.

Sean was just hiding her whereabouts.

Via felt defeated now, because Sean really didn't want the public to know about her. With that one painful fact, Via walked away with her groceries to the cashier with her shoulders down languidly.

***

Via sat limply on the apartment bathroom floor while looking at the two-lined test pack. What a hard reality for her to accept when her relationship with Sean had no future. Frustrated, she thought about the fate of the baby in her womb, and was afraid of Sean's reaction to rejecting her presence.

Still confused, Via dialed the only number she was leaning on.

“Hellooo,” said a voice from the other side in a cheerful tone like a normal greeting when Via called.

“Hello…?”  The voice began to sound confused when Via didn't make a sound either. “Via?”  asked Disya in amazement.

Via's tears fell down her cheeks without permission until suppressed sobs could be heard on the other side of the line.

“What's wrong Via? Why are you crying? Tell me,” Disya asked, sounding anxious with a worried tone.

“I… I'm pregnant,” she sobbed louder.

For a moment, all the sounds around were silent, except for the continuous sobs that escaped Via's lips. Including the static sound from the connection that connected the conversation, as if participating in a suffocating dilemma.

“I am pregnant.”

The cry grew louder, unstoppable and uncontrollable like the roar of a wounded woman. 

“I am pregnant.” 

Via repeated it again and again as if there was no other word before, finally pouring out her pent up heart.

Disya listened to one by one the list of sins of a Sean Reviano from Viania's confession. The list was getting longer, so that Disya coud feel the depth of the wound that Via had suffered. They cried together, sobbing holding pain in the chest.

One rule had been broken. No Pregnancy. No offer.

Via soon would be blown away from Sean Reviano's life.

Deep down, Via could feel that time would come soon. She was very afraid of facing Sean’s anger, but her conscience was more afraid of Sean deciding unilaterally the fate of the baby in her womb. Motherly instincts slowly enveloped Via who did not want to give up. Her mind confirmed that even without Sean, she could raise the baby.

“You better tell Sean about your condition, Via,” Disya suggested, which made Via tremble in fear.

“I can't,” she whispered doubtfully.

“Via, tell him. If he refuses, we'll think of a way together.”

Via looked at the number Altha gave, intending to call Sean from that number.

“I will try.” In the end, her conscience triumphed over her fear of uncertainty.

Both of them disconnected. 

Via's fingers hesitated to press the call button on Sean's new number. Her heart trembled with fear at his reaction.

At first, there was only the ringing tone of the call being connected, but then there was an increasingly painful rejection for Via, but she did not give up. When the third call was not received, Via decided to send a message.

 [It's me, Viania.  I tried to call you several times but you didn't pick up, so I decided to send a message. Sorry for not waiting until you get home, because I'm so scared right now. Call me ASAP.]

Via waited a few minutes before finally getting a reply.

 [Where did you get this number from?]

 Via was a bit relieved to read the reply, because finally she was able to contact Sean even though she again felt sad to realize the fact that Sean had actually deactivated the number he used to call just to avoid it.

[From the people in the office.] 

Via answered languidly, because the reply she got was not asking how she was but the number.  This time, Via couldn't hold back her tears from falling down her cheeks.

[I'm busy, I'll call you later.]

Via's heart was sliced ​​reading the message, instead of asking what Via was afraid of, or how she was, or maybe what she was doing while he was away, but she got a reply to gently tell Via not to call anymore.

The hurt feelings were replaced by anger, she didn't care if she conveyed the news of pregnancy through messages. For her, the sooner she gave the news, the sooner her curiosity was satisfied with Sean's answer.

After  a few minutes later, Via sent a message again.

[I'm pregnant, Sean.]

Long time waiting for a reply.  It felt like this heart was beating so fast as if it was about to leave her body until Via decided to sit on the sofa, afraid of falling if she continued to stand nervously.  Almost ten minutes of waiting, the awaited reply arrived.

However, Via's body felt crushed when she read what the message contained. The phone in her hand fell to the floor breaking the screen. In a split second, Via's heart stopped. Via turned around and without realizing it, she was crying loudly like her heart was slashed with a knife.  Pain without bleeding.

The message on her cracked phone screen was still on with the message written on it:

[get rid of it, I don't have time for you.]