Nica took a deep breath as she stood before the building with a heavy heart. She never thought she would ever come here. It had been her who scolded Dimitri when she visited, urging her to be careful, as it was a practical way to end lives.
She despised it, but what could she do? She couldn’t keep it, even though she tried to convince herself otherwise.
She could barely take care of herself, and now she was pregnant? It was better not to bring a child into a world of suffering.
She checked her small mirror, ensuring her swollen, red eyes were covered.
“Don’t do it!” a girl called from behind her. Beside her stood a guy holding a sign that read, “Abortion is bad.” They were here the last time she came with Dimitri, contemplating the same choice.
Nica recalled Dimitri shoving the girl aside before storming in.
She sighed; she didn’t want to either, but having the baby would only complicate things. It was good that she found out early, so it wouldn’t further complicate her feelings. Besides, Vincent would never accept her.
Not after all the crazy things Sienna had done to him. His definition of love would have been shattered if he saw the affection she had for him.
Ignoring the girl, Nica turned to leave.
“What if it’s your salvation?!” the girl shouted again. Nica paused. “Think about it!”
With a heavy sigh, Nica continued into the building, not looking back.
“You can’t be heartless to take innocent lives. You should have been careful not to have it in the first place!” The girl’s voice faded as Nica stepped inside.
After what felt like an eternity with the doctor, Nica headed out, relieved not to encounter those protesters outside. The girl’s words echoed in her mind, but she felt she had no choice.
Now she just had to wait for the doctor’s verdict on whether she was suitable for an abortion.
Deep down, she was in a tumultuous internal conflict.
Everything would be alright… wouldn’t it?
–
The doorbell rang, and Morticia, who was in the kitchen, quickly came out. “I’ll get it,” she said to her mother, who was in the living room.
Opening the door, her smile vanished upon seeing a delivery guy on the doorstep.
“Ah… is that my pizza?” Ava exclaimed.
“Yeah,” Morticia took the box from the man and stepped back inside, handing it over to her mother.
“Hmm,” Ava salivated at the sight. “You want some?”
Morticia shook her head, disappointment in her eyes. “No, thanks.” She turned to leave but paused, facing her mother, who was now focused on the screen.
“When is Klaus coming over?” she asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe he’s not coming,” Ava replied, taking a bite of her pizza.
Morticia sighed. After the incident with the strange girl, she had walked away, not wanting to speak to him. The girl’s words were disturbing, and familiar worries washed over her.
What if the girl was right? Oh God, Morticia, Klaus is now yours.
Perhaps she should visit his home tonight; she just needed to find an excuse for her mother.
She glanced at her phone, wondering if she should call or text him first. What was he doing? Did he miss her?
Sighing, she gave up her pride and decided to text him instead, but the doorbell rang again. Morticia almost stumbled as she rushed to the door, thinking it was Klaus, only to be disappointed again.
“Josephine! Hi!” Morticia forced a smile, stepping aside to let her friend in.
Ava, hearing her friend’s voice, jumped from her seat.
“Josie!” Ava exclaimed, practically bouncing as she rushed over to embrace her. “What are you doing here? I thought you had that thing today.”
“Yeah, but the shoot is postponed until next week due to some system problems,” Josephine explained to Ava while Morticia glanced at her phone again, still debating whether to call Klaus.
“How are you doing, Morty?” Josephine asked, and Morticia put her phone away.
“I’m good,” she replied with a smile.
Soon, Morticia served drinks for her mother and friend, but the conversation revolved around their modeling careers, a topic Morticia felt out of her depth discussing.
She sighed, finally texting Klaus:
*Hey*
She bit her lip, waiting for a response. The read receipt showed he had seen it, but there was no reply. Minutes passed with no sign of him responding.
“The wedding is next week. Wow, time flies,” Josephine chuckled, but a flash of sadness crossed Ava’s face for a moment before disappearing.
“I’ll come with you,” Ava announced, making Morticia look up. Ava had sworn never to step foot into that wedding.
“Really?”
“Hm, you can’t go there and have all the fun. I should be there too so we can get drunk together,” Ava muttered, taking several sips from her drink.
“Aww, you know I love you, right?” Josephine said.
“I love you more, my sweet jelly bean.”
“I told you not to call me that,” Josephine nudged her, and they both laughed. Silence settled between them while Morticia tried her best to focus on the television. The wedding was on the same date as the end-of-year school party.
“Klaus said he’s not coming. I really wish I could go with him; I have something important to tell him, but he isn’t listening,” Josephine said, with Morticia pretending to be uninterested in the conversation.
“I tried to talk to him once, and he warned me never to bring it up… Phew, your son can be scary sometimes,” Ava mumbled, her head resting on Josephine’s shoulder.
“Yeah, he is,” Josephine agreed, both women forgetting Morticia was with them as they got lost in their thoughts.
Morticia wondered why Josephine wanted to attend the party so badly and why she wanted Klaus to come with her. Her heart ached at the sight of Josephine’s expression.
Josephine seemed lonely-divorced and not on good terms with her only son. The only person close to her was Ava.
What if the wedding was a chance to help mend their mother-son bond?
“I would have asked Vincent to convince him, but my boy is not around. I’ll try talking to him once again,” Ava’s voice broke the long silence.
“No, I don’t want him to hate you… just let him be…”
“How about I talk to him?” Morticia blurted out before she could stop herself. The two women turned to her in surprise.
She didn’t know if it would work, but she had to give it a try-at least for Josephine.
“Really? I would love that! He seems like an older brother to you. He might listen…” Josephine said.
Morticia’s face paled at the thought of being seen as an older sister. She cleared her throat, suppressing the urge to correct her.
“I don’t know if it will work, but I’ll try,” she said, her voice barely audible.
“Thank you so much,” Josephine said, her eyes filled with relief and admiration.