Chapter 4 My Secret

By Irina

I am ten weeks pregnant, and I am still within the time limit to have an abortion. However, even though I don't know who the father is, I have ruled out that idea.

I tossed and turned in bed but slept quite well, all things considered.

I understand that I can't live in a hotel. I'm going to have to get used to living alone in the old building.

I'm not sure if the money I'll get from the 25% stake in Kroes Shoes will be enough to maintain my new home.

I never worried about finances before.

I thought our economic position was unbeatable.

I had many expenses to cover.

After breakfast, I decided to return to my new home.

Upon arrival, I parked the car in front of my house.

"Miss, you can't park here. It's prohibited," an officer told me.

An officer told me.

"But I live here, sir."

"That doesn't matter. If you don't move your car, I'll give you a ticket. And if you still don't move it, I'll be forced to tow it."

"And where do I leave it?"

"That's their problem."

I'm not a crybaby, but everything that's happened to me in the last three months has been overwhelming, and I started to cry. They came out of helplessness. The place didn't have a garage, and I hadn't been driving very long. I just turned 20.

The officer showed some empathy and said that I could park on the adjacent streets if I could find a spot.

Luckily, I found a spot pretty close by, on the same block.

As we reached the corner, Paty's car stopped a few centimeters from me.

"You deserve that shit, and I'm glad."

She walked away laughing loudly. A car braked to avoid a collision as she crossed when the traffic light had turned red.

I don't think Paty realized it because, to her, only she matters.

"He got a place right away."

The officer said he was on that block.

"Yes, luckily. Good morning."

I opened the iron door and thought I would have to cover it up somehow so that no one could see inside.

I explored the entire place, taking my time.

Obviously, the first two rooms just needed a fresh coat of paint, which seemed intentional; perhaps my father did it in case Paty or my half-sister came by.

I always felt that my father loved me more than my half-sister. He didn't treat Rosie badly; quite the contrary. However, he didn't treat her the same way he treated me. It was the little things that made me feel like my father adored me, even though Rosie and Paty would tell him stories, and he always seemed to believe them.

In a room that appeared to be a utility room, which I hadn't seen the day before, there were cans of paint and everything needed for painting.

I smiled to myself as I started crying again.

The air conditioning unit was in that room, meaning the building had central cooling and heating.

The building just looked old. My father must have remodeled it.

I carried my belongings to the first floor.

Except for the furniture.

She wasn't going to strain herself because she was pregnant.

When I decided to have the baby, I knew I had to take care of myself. When I spoke with the obstetrician who would manage my pregnancy, she gave me instructions about what I could and could not do.

She asked me several times if I planned to keep the baby, since he was the result of rape and the law allowed me to have an abortion.

But it was a life. It wasn't right; he was my son.

I didn't choose to get pregnant, but I wasn't going to terminate the pregnancy either.

At one point, I thought about checking the security cameras in my house. But, coincidentally, when I decided to do so, the cameras facing my room weren't working.

It was New Year's Eve, and many people were at my house, especially Rosie's friends.

It shouldn't be difficult to request a DNA test from each man present that night.

Now, I wouldn't want to share custody of my son with the man who abused me.

I think it was just one person, but if Rosie organized it, then several people must have passed through my room that night. She said that I had a party in my room.

The strange thing is that I didn't have any bruises, and I don't think men are usually careful when raping a woman.

Fernando arrived and we talked all morning. He invited me to lunch.

We went to a cute restaurant and chatted amicably.

I told him that I had always thought there was a language institute in that building.

"It is now ready to start working whenever you decide."

I was amazed, and my eyes filled with tears.

"Linda, please don't cry. I know you're emotional, but I'm saddened by your tears, and I don't know how to stop them."

He said, taking one of my hands in both of his.

"Don't worry. It's not your obligation to do it.

But I would like to restrain myself to be able to do so.

"Thank you. You're a gentleman."

She smiled at me tenderly.

We went back to my building and talked about the language institute.

"You have to wait two or three months, and I recommend that you don't fix up the place during this time. Paty and her daughter are on the lookout."

"That's what I thought, but I have to support myself somehow and prepare a room for my baby."

"Didn't you think about having an abortion?"

I shook my head.

"I don't know who the father is. They put something in my drink, and I didn't realize it, but there's a life growing inside me."

"You're very mature for your age."

Maybe. I had no choice. I was a victim of bullying and all the evil things you can imagine at the hands of my half-sister.

Everything comes back around in this life; it's called karma.

"Hmm, I'm not so sure. Anyway, I have nothing to do with them anymore except for Kroes Shoes. Tomorrow, I'm going to stop by the company and talk to the director. I want to know how much money I'm owed, although, at any moment, the two harpies and that idiot Roque Cassini could bankrupt it."

"I don't think Roque is that stupid. He has several companies of his own that he inherited from his father, and he's doing quite well."

I shake my head.

"You don't know him. He's an idiot manipulated by Rosie. Even though he's six or seven years older than us, he behaves like he's fifteen. He never stops drinking at gatherings, and he always follows Rosie's lead. I know him well. They deserve each other. They'd make an enviable couple."

I realize my voice trembles when I think about that.

"You don't want it, not even a little bit."

Fernando says jokingly.

I try to laugh.

How could I tell him that, despite everything, I loved him?