Winifred ran home, tears streaming down her face.
She pulled out the black-and-white, slightly yellowed ultrasound printout once more. The sight of it broke her, and she collapsed into sobs. The memories she tried so hard to bury rushed back, tearing open old wounds until they were raw and bleeding…
Back then, not long after she'd broken up with Yvan, she grew suspicious when her period, which was always regular, didn't come.
With a heart full of dread, she bought a pregnancy test from the pharmacy. The result was two clear lines.
Winifred panicked.
She never knew it could be this easy to get pregnant. One time was all it took.
In disbelief, she went to the hospital for a urine test and an ultrasound. The printout showed a gestational sac in her uterus. She was just over a month along.
At the time, Winifred stared blankly at the blurry, black-and-white image, completely at a loss.
That was her child, hers and Yvan's. Should she get rid of it?
Even though the baby was just a tiny, formless speck without a heartbeat, she already felt a strange connection to it.
She'd looked it up online and found that the university allowed students to marry and have children, though it would require taking a leave of absence. But she and Yvan had already broken up. And even if they were still together, would he even acknowledge the child?
Of course, he wouldn't.
If he didn't, could she raise the child on her own? The baby would be born illegitimate, without a father. Would it grow up with psychological issues? Would it hate her for bringing it into the world?
Winifred's mind was a mess. She didn't know what to do and had no one to turn to. It wasn't something she could just tell anyone.
But the thought of getting rid of it sent waves of pain through her heart.
Before she could make a decision, Queena found the ultrasound printout.
She screamed at Winifred, calling her indecent and shameless, a disgrace to the family. She demanded that Winifred get an abortion immediately.
Winifred refused. Or rather, she hadn't decided yet.
Queena had called her a tramp, screaming that the man didn't even want her, so why on earth would she keep the baby? She even said Winifred was just like her father—stubborn and destined to be abandoned.
Listening to Queena's relentless verbal abuse, years of resentment boiled over.
"Yes, I'm indecent and shameless! If you think I'm such a disgrace, why did you even give birth to me? Why didn't you just strangle me at birth?" Winifred cried out, her emotions raw. "You gave me life but never cared for me, so what right do you have to control me now? I'm not getting rid of it. I'm keeping it!"
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