ANNA'S POV

My heart sank as if a stone had dropped into my stomach. I had hidden that slip deep inside a box at the back of my storage room. I thought no one would ever find it. I wasn't ready to tell anyone.

So how had she found it?

I had even managed to forget, at least for a little while, that something was growing inside me.

I had gone to the hospital two days ago because I was feeling sick, and I walked out with the news that I was four weeks pregnant. That was supposed to be my secret. The one I wanted to share with James when he finally proposed. But now here I was, cornered, exposed, standing alone with my mother's fury crashing down on me.

"You dare ask me what you did?" she shouted, her chest rising and falling. "This is what you've been doing with your life? After everything I sacrificed for you, after all the money I spent raising you, you repay me by spreading your legs and getting pregnant like a common street girl? If Bella hadn't found this, was this how you'd have kept us in the dark?"

I froze, my lips trembling. So that was it. My younger sister. She must have found it while snooping around. My mother never stepped foot into my storage room.

That storage room, if it could even be called a room, was where I slept. Four walls crammed with old boxes and broken furniture. Meanwhile, Bella, the favorite child, slept in a room decorated like a princess's.

Ever since my father became sick, I had been cast aside. Sometimes I even wondered if my mother was truly the one who birthed me, because of how she treated me more like a maid than a daughter. Even the maid in our house was better off than me.

"Mom, please, it's not what you think..." I pleaded.

"Not what I think?" she cut me off, her eyes blazing. "Do you think I'm blind? Do you think I don't know what this means? You've ruined yourself. You've ruined this family."

I stood there, numb. My tears had already run out hours ago, but hearing her words broke something inside me all over again.

"Who's responsible?" she yelled.

"It's James's," I whispered, my throat so dry the words barely came out. "He's the father."

She let out a bitter laugh that cut me deeper than any slap. "James? That poor thing? That man has nothing, and you chose to tie yourself to him?"

"I love him, Mom. I thought..." My voice cracked, breaking into a sob. "I thought we were going to get married. I thought..."

"Thought? Thought?" she barked, her eyes wild. "Where did your thoughts get you? Look at yourself! Look at the disgrace you've brought into my house!"

At that moment, Bella strolled in, holding her tablet. She didn't even look sorry. She thrust it in front of our mom, showing her the screen.

"Mom, look."

My mother snatched the tablet and squinted at it. I didn't need to see it, I already knew. James, my boyfriend, kneeling in his expensive suit, sliding the ring onto Melissa's finger. 

My own best friend wearing a ring meant for me with cameras flashing around them. His smile wide, full of joy.

My stomach turned.

My mother hissed and shoved the tablet back at my sister. She looked at me with disgust. "So, this is the man you threw your life away for? This is the man you trusted with your body, with your future? He has abandoned you in front of the whole world, Anna. And now you want me to take care of you and his unwanted child?"

I shook my head violently, tears spilling again despite my exhaustion. "No! Mom, please listen. I can raise this child. I will. Just give me time. Don't throw me away like he did. Please, Mom, you're all I have left."

She crossed her arms, her lips curling. "And how do you plan to raise a child, Anna? With what money? With that low-pay job of yours? Even the man who is responsible has deserted you. Tell me, how will you do it?"

"You have only one option left and that is to remove that thing from your womb," she added.

Her words cut through me like knives. I wanted to collapse right there. But I forced myself to stand.

"I can't abort it," I whispered, my voice shaking. "I'm Rh negative. The doctor said if I lose this baby without treatment, I may never carry another. This could be my only chance to have a child, Mom."

For a second, I thought she would soften. For a second, I hoped she would look at me not as a disgrace but as her daughter who was hurting.

But her eyes only hardened.

"Then you leave me no choice," she said coldly. She clapped her hands, calling the maids. Two of them appeared, carrying my bags.

I stared, my heart dropping to my stomach. They were already packed.

She had been waiting for this.

"Mom... no." My knees buckled as I stepped forward. "Please don't do this. Please, I have nowhere to go. I've lost everything already. Don't strip me of shelter too."

Her face remained stone. "You made your choice when you opened your legs for him. You chose him and the bastard in your womb over your family. Now live with the consequences."

The maids dropped the bags by the door.

"Mom," I whispered again, my voice breaking completely. "Please..."

But she didn't even look at me. She turned her face away as though I disgusted her.

The maids stepped forward, one of them reaching for my arm. I jerked away, clutching my stomach instinctively, as if to shield the tiny life inside me from the cruelty of the world.

They dragged my bags outside and left them there. My sister watched from the corner, smirking faintly like she had won some secret battle.

It didn't surprise me really. I never saw her as my sister. Melissa filled that shoe, atleast I thought she did.. 

Standing at the threshold with tears pouring down my cheeks, I looked back one last time. I wanted to believe my mom would change her mind, that she would call me back, that she would say she didn't mean it.

But the door shut in my face with a bang that echoed in my chest.

Betrayed by my boyfriend and my best friend and now thrown away from my home by my own mother. 

What did I do to deserve all this misfortune happening to me in one day? Who did I offend?

ANNA'S POV

I was so heartbroken and needed someone to talk to. I'd tried calling Clara before, but her number hadn't gone through. I wiped my tears with the back of my hand and pulled my phone from my dress pocket to dial her number again. It rang once... twice... three times, but she didn't pick up.

It was like the day couldn't get any worse, it started raining.

The rain fell so hard it felt like the sky itself was angry at me. I sat on the cold concrete outside my parents' house, drenched from head to toe, shivering as the water soaked through my thin dress. The drops mixed with the tears on my face until I couldn't tell which was which anymore.

Everything inside me felt hollow.

James had betrayed me. Melissa had betrayed me too. My mother had thrown me out of the house. Even my younger sister was happy about my misfortune.

I stared at my phone again through the rain, the screen blurry beneath the droplets. 

Maybe James would pick up. Maybe he'd still care enough to answer, maybe it was all a prank or one bit misunderstanding. 

So, I pressed his number with trembling fingers and held my breath.

The line rang. Once. Twice, but he didn't pick. 

I tried again, as it rang once, twice and then finally it connected.

"James," I whispered, my voice breaking.

There was silence on the other end, followed by a cold and clipped voice. "Who is this?"

My stomach twisted. I would know that voice anywhere, but it wasn't meant for me anymore. There was not an iota of warmth in it. 

"It's me, Anna," I said softly. "Please... we need to talk."

And just like that, the call ended. 

My heart felt like it had been ripped open again. I stared at the phone until the screen went black, my reflection faint in the glass scared me. I was a broken woman who was betrayed by the people closest to her. 

But I couldn't give up. Not yet.

Maybe if I saw him face-to-face. Maybe... maybe if he knew about the baby, he wouldn't turn his back on me completely. He had to listen. He had promised me marriage. He couldn't just abandon his own child.

Hope, fragile but burning, pushed me to act. I pushed myself off the ground, my knees stiff and weak.

The cab ride to his house was endless. My palms were sweaty, my stomach knotted with fear and hope fighting inside me. When the car finally stopped outside his gate, I froze. There was a security man standing there now, tall and stern. James had a security man? Since when?

I walked up, clutching my bag. "Please, open the gate, I need to see James."

The guard looked me up and down like I was dirt. "Miss, I don't let strangers in."

"Please," I said, my voice hoarse. "Tell James I'm here. He knows me."

He didn't move. "Madam, I can't let anyone in without Mr. James's permission."

"I'm his fiancée!" I blurted out, though the words stung even as I said them. "Just tell him Anna is here. Please."

Before the guard could answer, the door swung open. While he was distracted, I quickly shoved him aside and slipped in before he could stop me. 

That's when I saw him.. James.

And beside him.. Melissa.

My heart stopped. For a moment, I couldn't breathe. So it really wasn't a prank as I hoped it would be.

Melissa, my best friend since university and maybe even before that... 

She stood there, her hand wrapped around his arm, her head resting lightly on his shoulder like they've always been together, maybe they have, I didn't know anymore. 

James's eyes landed on me, sharp and void of emotion. "What are you doing here?"

I took a shaky step forward. "James, I need to talk to you. Please, just listen."

He frowned, his voice cold. "Say what you have to say, and leave."

I swallowed hard, my lips trembling. "I'm pregnant."

The silence that followed was deafening.

Then Melissa's laughter cut through the silence, her tone mocking. 

"Oh, come on, Anna. Don't start your pathetic drama here." She looked me up and down with a sneer. "You look miserable. What makes you think anyone would believe that story?"

My voice cracked, my eyes turning to face her fully. "Melissa... how could you? You knew everything. You knew how much I loved him."

She tilted her head, feigning sympathy. "Loved, Anna. Past tense. Maybe if you weren't so naïve, you'd have realized you were never enough for him."

James said nothing. He just stood there, letting her talk trash at me. 

"James," I whispered, tears mixing with the rain. "You know it's your baby. We've been together for five years. You promised me a future."

He cut me off with a sharp laugh. "I said a lot of things. That doesn't make them true."

Melissa's hand slid possessively over his chest. "You see, Anna, some of us know how to keep a man."

Her words hit harder than any slap. My knees felt weak, but I forced myself to stand tall. "You were my best friend," I said, voice trembling. "You knew everything about me. About us. And you still..."

"I still what?" she interrupted with a smirk. "Took what you couldn't keep? Don't act surprised, Anna. You always thought the world revolved around you, well it doesn't anymore."

James's face remained unreadable, his gaze cutting through me like ice. "You heard her. Leave. You don't belong here."

"I'm carrying your child!" I cried, clutching my stomach.

He scoffed, glancing at Melissa. "Maybe you should ask one of the many men you've been sleeping with. Because that child isn't mine."

The words broke something inside me. I stepped forward, desperate. "James, please, don't do this. You know me. You know I would never..."

"Enough!" he snapped, voice sharp as a whip. "From this day on, you are nothing to me. The only woman I'll ever marry and worth carrying my child is standing right beside me."

He turned to the guard. "If she ever shows up here again, throw her out."

"James, please!" I dropped to my knees, the mud soaking through my dress as I clung to his trousers. "Don't do this to me. Don't do this to our baby."

Melissa's laugh rang again, low and cruel. "Look at you, Anna. You're so pathetic."

James shoved me back, and I hit the ground hard. Pain exploded through my abdomen, and a sharp gasp tore from my lips.

Then came the warmth. I felt a warm liquid dripping from my body. 

Blood.

I froze, my hands trembling as they pressed against my stomach. "No... no, no..."

Melissa stepped back in disgust. "She's bleeding on the driveway."

James's expression didn't flicker. "Get her out of here."

The guard grabbed me by the arm, dragging me across the wet concrete. 

I screamed, begged, but he shoved me outside the gate and locked it with a heavy clang.

I crumpled on the ground, clutching my stomach, the blood warm against my thighs. My breaths came in shallow gasps. The world spun around me.

The world around me tilted, dimmed, and I thought... maybe this was how it ended.

But then, through the haze, a car screeched to a halt.

A black sleek car. The door flew open, and an elegant woman stepped out.

She ran toward me, her heels clicking sharply against the pavement before she dropped to her knees beside me.

Her face was pale and her eyes wide with terror. 

But almost eerily, she looked just like me.. but the older version of me.

She cupped my cheek, her hands trembling.

"My daughter!" her voice broke as she knelt beside me. "Oh my God, my daughter!"

The words echoed in my fading mind, filling me with confusion.

Daughter?

ANNA'S POV

God, my head hurts.

A sharp, throbbing ache pulsed behind my eyes, forcing a groan out of me. I blinked several times, my lashes fluttering weakly as the blinding light from the window streamed across my face. My temples thudded like drums, and each breath I took made the pain worse.

I turned my head slightly, trying to shield my eyes from the brightness. The light was too strong, too clean, nothing like the dim, cracked blinds I was used to at home.

Wait a minute.

Windows?

My heart skipped. My place never had floor-to-ceiling windows. The most I had was a small square one with a half-broken latch and dust caked on the edges. I sat up a little, confusion flooding me as I took in my surroundings.

This wasn't my room. Not even close.

The bed beneath me was far too soft, covered in smooth white sheets that felt like silk under my fingertips. The air smelled faintly of lavender and something expensive, something floral I couldn't name. My gaze swept around the space, catching the tall drapes, the polished marble floors, and the soft hum of air conditioning from somewhere above.

What the hell?

I pushed myself upright, ignoring the spinning in my head. My hand went instinctively to my waist, the same spot where pain had flared yesterday, where everything had gone wrong.

Yesterday...

My breath caught. What happened last night? My mind scrambled through fragments - shadows, a strange woman, the feeling of collapsing.

My head whipped from left to right, scanning the room again. I wasn't home. I wasn't even in any place I'd ever seen before. Everything here was foreign the smell, the quiet hum, even the way the sunlight filtered in.

This was the first time I'd been here. But how did I get here?

My pulse quickened.

I hope it's really not what I'm thinking.

As I lowered my gaze, the smoothness of my dress caught my attention. I froze. The fabric brushing my skin wasn't what I'd worn last night. It was too fine, too soft. My heart sank.

Someone had changed my clothes while I was unconscious.

My entire body went cold.

Someone... saw everything.

The thought alone sent a sharp wave of anger through me. I clenched my fists, the fury replacing my confusion. Who gave them the right?

I swung my legs off the bed, standing up in one sharp motion. My bare feet hit the cold marble floor as I stormed toward the large double doors at the front of the room. I wasn't just going to sit here and wait around like some helpless victim. Whoever brought me here, whatever they wanted, they weren't getting it from me.

I had to get out.

I yanked open the doors, and the sight that greeted me froze me mid-step.

The hallway stretched wide and elegant, lined with golden lights and filled with paintings hung neatly along both sides. Each frame gleamed under the soft glow - landscapes, portraits, all beautiful, all expensive-looking.

But it wasn't just that.

The woman in one of the paintings caught my eye.

It was her.

The same woman from last night. The one who brought me here.

My chest tightened.

So it was true.

I took slow steps through the hall, my eyes scanning every detail. There was a faint echo beneath my feet, the kind you only hear in large, silent houses. My hand brushed along the side of a shelf, and that's when I noticed a small photo frame resting there.

Something about it pulled me closer.

I reached for it slowly, and the moment my eyes focused on the image, my breath hitched. There was a little girl in the photos and I was almost sure that the little girl resembled me.

Could this be me when I was younger? And if so, why would it be in this house?

This blue dress, I can recognize it anywhere because my mom never liked me wearing it. But it wasn't just me alone in the picture there was someone else.

The same woman.

She stood beside me, holding my hand, her smile soft and warm. I frowned, staring harder. I'd never seen her before in my life. Who was she? And how did this woman, whoever brought me here get this photo?

I rubbed my thumb against the old wooden frame, confusion and unease battling inside me. This picture shouldn't exist. Not like this.

A sound from downstairs broke my thoughts. Voices.

I quickly set the frame back on the shelf and moved forward, my steps cautious. My eyes found a massive spiral staircase ahead, gleaming under the sunlight. As I descended, I couldn't help but glance at the interior below.

The living room was breathtaking - high ceilings, polished floors, chandeliers that sparkled like ice. Everything screamed wealth.

But I didn't have time to be amazed. I needed to leave.

My focus shifted to the front door, where two men in black suits stood like statues. Their hands were clasped in front of them, their faces expressionless behind dark glasses.

My pace slowed.

Were they going to stop me?

I kept walking, trying to appear confident even though my pulse was hammering.

One of them noticed me approaching. He straightened immediately and stepped in front of the door, blocking my path.

"Good morning, ma'am. How are you feeling?" he asked politely.

Ma'am?

Was that what they called their victims?

I didn't answer. I just tried to sidestep him, but he moved again, firmly placing himself between me and the door.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but you're not allowed to leave."

My eyes narrowed. "You can't stop me," I snapped, hoping my voice didn't betray the panic rising inside me.

I tried again, moving to the left, but he mirrored my step perfectly, his head giving a small shake of warning.

My jaw tightened.

Fine. If words didn't work-

I darted forward suddenly, attempting to run past him, but before I knew it, my feet were off the ground. The man had grabbed me effortlessly, lifting me like I weighed nothing.

"Put me down!" I shouted, my voice echoing through the hall. "Help! Someone help me!"

I kicked and twisted, but his grip was unyielding, his arms like steel. I screamed again, though deep down, I knew no one outside could hear me.

"I'm sorry about this," he said calmly, "but you're in no condition to leave."

No condition? What was that supposed to mean?

He carried me back to the room I woke up in, ignoring my protests. When he finally set me down on the bed, I stumbled, catching my breath after all the struggling.

"Please calm yourself, ma'am," he said gently, though his tone was still firm.

I didn't listen. My legs tensed, ready to bolt again. But before I could move, I heard footsteps from behind him.

The sound of heels.

My eyes darted toward the door just as she appeared.

The woman from last night.

She stood there gracefully, her posture straight, her eyes steady and calm. She gave the bodyguard a small nod, and without a word, he stepped aside and left the room, closing the doors behind him.

Now it was just the two of us.

"Who are you?" I demanded, my voice sharp. "And where am I?"

She didn't flinch. Instead, she took a slow step forward. "Relax and have a seat," she said evenly. "I'll answer all the questions you want."

I hesitated, but eventually sat down on the edge of the bed, my heart still pounding.

The silence stretched for a moment before she finally spoke.

"First of all," she said softly, her eyes meeting mine, "my name is Margaret Quinn. And..."

She paused, her voice steady but heavy.

"I'm your mother."