Unraveling Truths

The tension in the house was unbearable. Felix had returned, but the atmosphere remained cold, his sharp words still lingering in Grace's mind. She sat in the living room, staring blankly at the TV, but her thoughts were elsewhere.

Juan watched her daughter carefully. As a mother, she knew when something was wrong. Grace had been avoiding heavy tasks, feeling nauseous every morning, and looking exhausted.

"Grace," Juan finally said, breaking the silence.

Grace flinched. "Yes, Mom?"

Juan hesitated, then spoke gently. "Are you pregnant?"

Grace's heart pounded in her chest. "What? No! Of course not!"

Juan's sharp eyes narrowed. "Don't lie to me."

Grace looked away. She had planned to keep it a secret for as long as possible, but her mother's intuition was too strong.

Juan sighed. "Grace, you're my daughter. You've been acting differently, and I know the signs. Who's the father?"

Grace swallowed hard. "Xu Kai."

Juan closed her eyes, shaking her head. "Does he know?"

"No… I haven't told him yet."

Before Juan could respond, Felix walked into the room. His usual cold expression darkened when he saw the tension in their faces.

"What's going on?" he asked sharply.

Juan turned to him. "Felix, Grace is pregnant."

For a second, there was complete silence. Then, Felix's jaw tightened, and his entire body went rigid.

"Are you serious?" he said, his voice dangerously low.

Grace felt her throat tighten. "Felix—"

"Shut up, Grace."

His voice was sharp, filled with anger and disappointment.

"What do you even do? I pay the house rent, I pay for electricity, I pay for the water running in the house, I pay for the food you eat, the water you drink, the clothes you wear. I pay for Huahua and Joseph's school fees, Mom's medication, and now you're telling me you're pregnant?!"

Juan placed a hand on his arm. "Felix, calm down—"

He pulled away. "No. I work every day to keep this house running, and she gets pregnant by some guy who probably won't even take responsibility."

Grace's tears spilled over. "You think I wanted this?!"

Felix scoffed. "It doesn't matter what you wanted. You were irresponsible."

The room was filled with silence. Grace's sobs were quiet, but they echoed in the tense atmosphere.

Felix turned away and stormed toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Juan called after him.

"Anywhere but here."

And with that, he was gone.

Lisa sat in class, staring blankly at the board. The words being written by the teacher blurred together, her mind unable to focus.

"Lisa," a voice whispered beside her.

She turned to see Baskhar.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Lisa forced a small smile. "Yeah, just tired."

He didn't look convinced but didn't push.

At lunch, Lisa walked toward her usual spot, only to see Iris already sitting there. Baskhar was beside her, and they were laughing at something.

Lisa hesitated before joining them.

"Hey, Lisa," Iris greeted with a smile.

Lisa nodded, trying to ignore the pang in her chest. "Hey."

Baskhar looked between them, sensing something unspoken, but he didn't comment.

Before Lisa could say anything else, the Barbie Girls approached.

"Wow, look at this," Elsa sneered. "Loser Lisa with her little group."

Erica giggled. "Baskhar, you could do so much better."

Lisa tensed, but before she could respond, Baskhar sighed.

"You guys are exhausting," he said bluntly. "Don't you ever get tired of talking?"

Linda rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Just don't waste your time on her, Baskhar."

They walked away, leaving Lisa humiliated.

Iris reached for Lisa's hand. "Don't listen to them."

Lisa nodded, but her stomach churned.

Why does everything feel so complicated?