Chapter 4
Aborting The Pregnancy.
Elara Winterfell.
I was woken up from sleep by a continuous banging on my door. My heart dropped to my stomach instantly. Was Connor already here to chase me out of the house?
I tiptoed and viewed from the peephole of the door, and the person I saw behind it was much worse than Connor himself.
“Open the door, Elara Winterfell!” The voice thundered in serious anger. “I know you're in there, and you better open up because if I do it myself, all hell will be let loose on you.”
I gulped in fear as my hands shook when I tried opening the door.
“Father, you're…”
I didn't complete my statement when a heavy slap landed across my face. The stench of booze hit me as the slap made contact with my eyes as well.
“Who is your father, huh?” His voice shook the walls of the house. “Is this what your mother did to me because the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. Are you really my child or just a pinned pregnancy on me by your stupid mother?”
His words cut deep into my heart as the tears flowed freely from my eyes. The stinging pain on my cheeks radiated throughout my face that I suddenly had a headache. But the pain did not compare to the one that threatened to tear out my heart.
“Dad, why would you…”
“Shut up!” He shouted back at me immediately, landing the second slap on my face and I found my body flung to one side of the room. “I did not get my daily allowance the day before yesterday and yesterday, why is that so?”
I let the bitter tears fall as I curled myself into a ball on the floor. I knew that Connor had withdrawn it immediately, and my drunkard of a father would try to squeeze it from me.
“Connor and I…” I struggled to say. “We are no longer… together…” I breathed out the words in pain–both from the slap and Connor's betrayal.
“Well, that's not my problem.” My father retorted almost immediately. “I need my money! My money is the problem! My daily allowance is the problem!”
“B-b-but… I don't have it.” I was crying fully this time, sniffling and whimpering. “I don't have anything… I even need money to take care of my children…" I tried to stress out, but my drunk father just let out a mirthless laugh.
“You mean the bastard that is inside you?” He asked menacingly as he raised his heavy boots to kick me directly on the tummy and I screamed in pain.
“Father! Stop!” I was crying and sniffling with tears as I felt my lower body go weak with pain, my breath almost knocked out of me with that kick. “Please, I beg you. Please, stop!”
I was unable to think clearly as the pain was doing the thinking for me.
“I need my money, Elara!” He shouted again and kicked me again and again, repeatedly with no mercy, with each kick increasing in intensity. He kicked me all over my upper body, and I could do nothing but curl up and hide my tummy from him.
All I could do was whimper and hold myself together, taking in every kick like I had always done since I was a child. “I'm sorry, father.” I managed to say as I buried my head to the ground.
“Maybe you should even get rid of that child and go crawling back to Connor. Beg him to be his mistress! I need my daily allowances, Elara!” His voice rang out in frustration as he started scattering the house and breaking things.
I laid on the floor, tears streaming down my eyes, my heart searing in pain. The weight of my grief was crushing me, making it hard for me to breathe.
Suddenly, the ruckus stopped, but I didn't turn to look. Instead, I heard receding footsteps.
“At least I've found this much money…” I heard him grumble, and my body shook in pain and anger.
“That's my… my savings…” I was struggling to breathe out as the pain radiating throughout my body intensified. I could not lift my body up. “It's… It's for the children… Your grandchildren…"
“I don't need a grandchild from you, they will only stain the family's name just like you and your foolish mother did!”
And with that, he was out of the house in a second.
*
“Miss Winterfell!” Doctor Colton gasped the minute he saw me. “What happened to you?”
The doctor was in complete shock as he did not recognize me immediately because of my face that was highly caked with makeup. I couldn't let him see the bruises that littered all over my face.
“I want to just see if my children are doing fine, doctor…” I said in a small voice as I stood in front of the doctor's table.
My body was still aching me all over, but I tried so hard to ignore the pain and focus on what really mattered.
“Let me call the boss…”
“No… No… No…" I stopped him almost immediately, my heart skipping a beat at the thought of Rowan Nightshade. “There's no need for that. There's really no need for that. Just a quick check-up, and I'll be on my way. There's no reason to trouble him.” My voice was hushed and hurried as I replied to him.
I knew what I was doing was wrong, but once the children were born, and I proved to him that the children actually belonged to Connor, then Rowan would forgive the debts even if I came for free medical checkups.
“Oh…” The doctor nodded. “Right this way, Miss Winterfell.”
*
“Dr. Colton.” A deep voice came in as Dr. Colton was addressing me of the situation, and I froze in place.
Rowan Nightshade pushed the door open and stepped in, clad in a fitting expensive suit and a Rolex wristwatch on his hand. His slender fingers held the door firmly, and he stopped at the sight of me, his eyes betraying no emotion. Wasn't he supposed to be at the company at this time of the day?
“Boss… You're here.” The old man's voice shook in a kind of excitement. “Please, sit down. You need to be here to talk to your fiancée.” Dr. Colton gestured to me. “I apologize for mistaking her as your wife the other day, now I know she is your fiancée.”
Rowan's face completely went as dark as the bottom of a pot, and his jaw clenched in anger. “What did you just say?” He spat out, his eyes darker than any dark thing.
Dr. Colton seemed oblivious of Rowan's rage, thinking he was referring to my current condition. I sat freezing in my chair, my skin deathly pale and my body shaking in trepidation.
“Please, boss, you need to take good care of your fiancée…”
“She is not my fiancé.” His voice was hard as he emphasized every word he said, and he gave me a look of disgust.
But, Doctor Colton did not seem to hear him as he continued with his rambling. “Your fiancée has just narrowly escaped losing the children. The blood loss this time was too much, and I'm afraid she would have to be admitted once again so she could regain the blood she has lost.”
The temperature of the room seemed to drop, and I tried to glance at Rowan Nightshade. But, he was already looking at me with an expression that I could not decipher.
“Can I have a moment with Miss Winterfell?” Rowan paced his words as he opened the door wider, not giving the doctor any chance to respond.
The moment they were alone, I tried to open my mouth to speak, but the shooting pain in my head stopped me almost immediately, and I unconsciously leaned back into her chair to attempt to soothe the pain.
“Where will you get the money to clear your bills, Miss Winterfell?”
“Huh?” I muttered slowly with a small voice. “I… I… I thought we made a deal. When I give birth…"
Rowan's jaw ticked at that, and he narrowed his eyes at me. “Don't play dumb with me, Elara. Loosing blood? We both know you are trying to abort the pregnancy…"
“I just had a little accident…” I tried to defend myself, but Rowan was not having any of it.
“Do you take my hospitality as a joke, Miss Winterfell?” Rowan started taking small and calculated steps towards me. “Fine, let me humor you. What kind of accident were you in?”
“I fell…” I said as quickly as I had rehearsed it earlier in case anyone asked me. “I lost a step on the stairs and fell.”
Rowan gave me a long look before he replied with a calculating gaze. “Then, why is your face caked with so much make up?”