For days now, I’ve been feeling unwell. I keep throwing up every morning and feeling dizzy.

I can’t even eat my favorite foods anymore because they smell so bad. By the way, I’m Miracle Faith Madrigal, 22 years old.

I turned to my side while lying down because my stomach felt like it was being twisted, so I quickly ran to the bathroom.

"This has been happening to me for days," I told myself.

Then, I remembered what happened at the bar when my friends and I went there.

"I hope I’m wrong about this. My parents would surely disown me," I thought to myself.

I left the bathroom and called my friend Laila. She answered right away.

"Hello, Laila," I said on the line.

"Hi, why are you calling?" she asked.

"Laila, can we meet later this afternoon at the park near the hospital?"

"Why? What are we going to do?" she asked. I couldn’t see her face, but I knew she was frowning by now.

"I’ll tell you when we get there," I replied and hung up before she could ask more questions.

"I hope my suspicion is wrong," I whispered to myself.

"Ma’am, are you going to eat now? Your mom said they’ve been waiting for you downstairs," our maid called out.

"I’ll come down now," I answered back.

At the dining room, my mom and dad were quietly eating.

"Mom, where’s Michael?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"Didn’t your brother tell you?" Dad asked. I just shook my head.

"He went with his friends to buy materials for their project," Mom answered.

My younger brother Michael is 18 years old. It’s just the two of us siblings.

"Mom, I’ll go out later to meet my friend," I said, asking for permission.

"Okay, just be careful," Dad reminded me.

"Yes, Dad," I replied.

"Do you have a boyfriend yet, dear?" Mom suddenly asked, making me choke on my food. Dad quickly handed me water.

"Mom, what are you talking about?" I said, trying to recover.

"I’m just wondering because you haven’t introduced anyone to us," she added.

"Mom, I don’t have one yet," I answered.

"Why not, dear? You should already have one. Your dad and I are getting older, and we want grandchildren," Dad said, making me choke again.

"Are you trying to kill me? I’ve been choking twice already," I said in frustration.

"Sorry, dear," they both apologized.

"Seriously, I don’t have one," I said firmly.

"Mom, I’ll go to my room now. I’m feeling sleepy," I said, excusing myself because I was really tired.

Now in my room, lying on my bed, I felt exhausted for no reason until sleep overtook me.

I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing. I quickly answered the call.

"Hello," I said.

"Where are you? I’m already at the park," Laila said. I remembered our plan.

"Wait for me. I’ll just take a shower," I said and hurried to the bathroom. After taking a shower, I left the house immediately.

I took a taxi since I didn’t feel like driving today.

At the park, I looked for her until I saw her sitting in a small hut with her son, Leo. She’s already married and has a child, unlike me, who has neither.

"Laila!" I called out to her, and she looked my way.

"Miracle!" she shouted back.

"Hi, baby Leo!" I greeted her son.

"Hi, Tita Miracle!" he replied sweetly.

"Why did you call me? Is there something wrong? What do you want to tell me?" she asked one question after another.

"I want you to come with me to the hospital. I need to see an OB-GYN," I said softly.

"Are you pregnant?" she asked, shocked.

"I don’t know. I just keep throwing up every morning and feeling dizzy," I said to her, sobbing.

"Oh my gosh, you're pregnant!" she shrieked.

"Hey, stop that!" I said, still crying.

"But you don’t even have a boyfriend, so how could you be pregnant?" she asked, frowning at me.

"I don’t, but something happened when we were at the bar. I don’t even know who he is. I just remember his scent and his hair," I told her.

"What do you mean by 'something happened'? What exactly happened?" she asked, frowning again.

"Why do you even need to ask that? Don’t act like you don’t know what I mean—you already have a kid!" I said sarcastically.

"I’m just kidding," she replied with a laugh.

"Let’s go already. I want to get this over with and go home early," I said, inviting her, and she agreed.

We were now inside the hospital, walking toward the OB-GYN’s office.

"I hope you’re pregnant so you can finally experience having a child," she teased, so I smacked her on the head.

"Don’t wish for that!" I shouted at her, annoyed. She just laughed at me, which made me even more irritated.

"Just stay there. You’re so annoying," I said and left her behind.

"Hey, wait for me!" she called, running after me.

I’m now standing in front of the OBGYN's office. I decided to knock on the door.

Knock Knock Knock someone spoke from inside.

"Come in." I entered. I admit, I was nervous.

When I entered, I saw a woman in her 40s cleaning.

"How can I help you, dear?" she asked with a smile.

"I'm here to check if I'm pregnant or not," I said and smiled. After a while, Laila arrived carrying her baby.

"You're so slow, you didn’t even wait for us," she complained.

"Come on, over here, dear, I’ll check you. My assistant isn’t here," she said. I went to her, and she asked me to lie down on the bed.

I lifted my shirt, and she started putting gel on my stomach. She then turned on a machine, and I saw a small screen, like a TV, beside me.

"You're pregnant, dear," she happily announced. I didn’t know how to react.

I sat up properly, and tears started to fall.

The woman came closer to me. "Why are you crying, dear? Aren't you happy?" she asked, worried. Laila also approached us.

"I am happy," I replied.

"Why are you crying then? Is there a problem?" she asked.

"I'm scared of what my parents will think. What if they disown me?" I said, crying.

"Where is the father of your baby?" she asked.

"I don’t know who he is," I replied.

"You don’t know who he is?" she asked, confused. "Can you tell me the story, dear?" she added. I nodded as an answer.

"We, my friends and I, went to a bar to drink. I got drunk, and a man approached me. He pulled me until we were outside, and I didn’t know where he took me. When I woke up, I was in a hotel, naked, and alone," I told her, still crying.

"I pushed him away, but I couldn’t because I was drunk," I added, like a child telling on someone.

"Shh, it's okay, stop crying. It’s not good for the baby. Whoever that man is, karma will come for him," she said, trying to comfort me.

"We’re leaving now," I said, preparing to go. She just nodded at me.

"Come back tomorrow for your vitamins, dear."

"Yes, ma’am," I replied.

"Don’t call me ma’am, just call me Tita."

"Okay, Tita. We’re leaving now," I said.

"Take care, dear," she said. Just a few steps away, the door opened, and a woman and a man, who seemed to be around the same age as me, entered, along with other people.

My attention was drawn to the last person who entered. We made eye contact, but I quickly looked away.

Laila started walking ahead of me, and I followed, but I stopped when someone blocked my way.

"Ouch," I winced, hitting my forehead.

"What's your problem?" I asked, out of breath.

"Don’t you remember me, woman?" he said.

"Who are you?" I asked calmly.

"When did this happen?" he pointed to my stomach.

"Why does it matter to you?" I asked, getting nervous as I slowly recognized him.

"We’re leaving now," I stammered.

I was about to leave when he blocked my way again, and I bumped into him.

"What's your problem? Why are you always blocking my way? I’ll kick you!" I threatened him, irritated. Tita Ava, the one who checked me, came over.

"Hey, what’s going on here? Don’t treat her like that, she’s pregnant," she scolded the man.

"I know, Tita," he answered.

He approached me, and I backed away, until I couldn’t go any further.

"Tell me now," he whispered, and I knew we were the only ones who could hear it.

"I’m going home, just leave us alone," I said, still crying.

"So, it’s mine now?" he asked, referring to my stomach.

"Just let me go home," I sobbed.

"I will take responsibility for you. I won’t abandon you," he said.

"You! It’s your fault that I’m suffering now!" I yelled, and I knew everyone heard me. I punched him in the chest, but he didn’t try to stop me. He just gestured for the others to stay back.

"It’s your fault!" I cried while my punches grew weaker.

He hugged me, and I buried my face in his neck.

We stayed like that for hours until I stopped crying.

I smelled his perfume, which made me dizzy, so I pulled away and ran to the sink to vomit.

"Shit, what happened to her?" he shouted.

He was about to approach me, but I stopped him.

"Don’t come near me, you stink. Haven’t you taken a shower?" I yelled at him, and the people around us laughed.

Miracle Faith Madrigal POV

Laila approached me while carrying her child.

"Miracle, are you okay?" she asked with concern.

"I'm fine," I replied with a smile.

When I looked at their faces, I could see their worry for me.

"Are you sure you're okay? Is there any pain?" she asked as she moved closer to me.

"Don't come near me, you smell bad. Go change your clothes," I said, trying to stop her.

"Brother Dwayne, don’t approach her, change your clothes first. She might vomit more," said a woman, who I think was his sister.

"Okay fine, I’ll change," he reluctantly said.

After changing, he came closer to me.

"We’ll go home now. My parents might be looking for me," I said, preparing to leave.

"I’ll take you home to make sure you're safe," Dwayne offered.

"No need, I can handle it, and I’m with Laila," I replied weakly.

"Pe—" I didn’t let him finish.

"I said I can take care of myself. Why are you being so persistent? No more arguments, we’re leaving now," I said, raising my voice.

"We’re leaving now," I said politely.

"Alright, come back tomorrow for your vitamins, and I’ll be your doctor," he reminded me.

"Okay, we’ll leave now," I said, smiling.

We walked out of the office together.

Dwayne Lexus De Villa POV

I just let her leave because I knew she was angry at me. I didn’t want to make her more upset with what I did to her.

"Dwayne, can we talk?" Aunt Ava said seriously.

"What are we going to talk about?" I asked politely.

"Are you the father of her baby?"

"Isn't it obvious from what you saw and heard, Aunt, that you’re still asking?" I said, uninterested.

"I just want to understand, I can't figure it out," she said.

"But do you know how angry she is with you for what you did to her?"

"I know, Aunt Ava. I was also drunk when that happened, so I couldn’t control myself," I replied.

"Son, what are you going to do about them?" Mom asked me seriously.

"I’ll take responsibility for her. I’m not like the others who run away from their responsibilities," I said seriously.

"You know, I like her for you, unlike your ex-girlfriend who only cared about your money."

"Mom, I regret everything now," I replied.

"Wait, son, where did you meet this woman?" Dad asked, surprised.

"At the bar with her friends," I simply answered.

"Why is she angry with you?"

"Dad, do I need to explain everything that happened between us?" I said sarcastically.

"I know what happened, and I know why she’s angry at you. She told me," said Aunt Ava.

"Alright, Aunt, I’m leaving. You’ve been asking me too many questions," I said, preparing to leave.

"Where are you going?" Mom asked.

"I’m going to find out where she lives," I replied before walking out of Aunt’s office.

I went to my office and started looking for information about her.

I found some details about her. Her name is Miracle Faith Madrigal, 22 years old. Her family is wealthy and owns a school, company, mall, beach, restaurant, and many other businesses.

I also found out where I could find her.

I smiled to myself when I remembered what happened between us at the hotel.

Miracle Faith Madrigal POV

"Where have you been, my dear?" Mom asked when I arrived home.

"I was just out with my friends," I lied.

"Okay, go upstairs and rest. You look tired."

"Okay, I’ll call you when dinner is ready," Mom said as I went upstairs. When I entered my room, I immediately locked the door.

That’s when I couldn’t hold back my tears anymore.

"Why is this happening to me?" I thought to myself.

My tears kept flowing until I eventually fell asleep without realizing it.

Knock Knock Knock I woke up to someone knocking on my bedroom door.

"Ma'am, your dad is calling you. You have a guest with him," our maid said. I frowned.

"Who could it be?" I whispered to myself.

I got up and prepared myself before deciding to go downstairs to see who it was.