Two red lines
"No… no, this can't be possible," she muttered, looking at the pregnancy test kits in disbelief.
She was just 22!
"This is stupid. These things malfunction all the time."
"Valerie!" her aunt called, startling her.
She hurriedly shoved all the tests under the sink.
"I'm coming!"
Her aunt was standing in her room with arms crossed.
Her conservative aunt was dressed in a ankle-lenght dress with a scarf neatly pinned around her neck. Not a single strand of hair loose from her tight bun.
Elenor's eyes dropped to Valerie's pajama shorts, stopping on the slight bulge of her stomach.
Her frown deepened.
"Go change. It's almost noon," she turned to her closet. "Join me for pilates from tomorrow. You have holed yourself up at home since your graduation..."
Her palm felt sweaty as her vision got hazy. Her uncle and aunt had raised her and her brother since their parents died in an accident.
"...I get that you are in a slump, but look at yourself! You don't see your friends. Some days you go on hunger strikes, then some days you eat like you've been starved, and you sleep like a cat! Your uncle won't stop..."
The room suddenly felt too hot. Her vision blurred slightly. The next second, everything went black.
"Valerie?...Valerie...!"
....
When she opened her eyes, she was staring at a white ceiling.
Hospital.
Her heart dropped immediately.
"...At this stage, fainting episodes are often circulation-related," a calm voice said. "The fetus seems stable, but the patient is severely malnourished."
...Fetus? A chill went up her spine.
"We want to... resolve this condition as soon as possible," Her brother, Victor, said sharply.
"Sir... At sixteen weeks, and as I said, the patient is severely malnourished. Termination could be detrimental to her health." The doctor quickly understood the situation.
"The patient's awake," the nurse announced.
Her stomach turned.
Eleanor was quickly by her side, clutching her hand. Charles, her uncle, stood by the door with pursed lips.
"It's okay, Vivi," Eleanor barely held back her sobs. "Just-Just tell us who he is?"
Valerie froze. The staff quickly rushed out.
"Valerie," she said sharply, her grip tightening. "Who was it?"
Valerie's lips parted, but no sound came.
"Do you understand what this means?" her aunt continued, voice trembling. "Sixteen weeks. This is not a mistake that can be hidden. You need to get married soon."
"You've got to be kidding me!" Victor scoffed, eyes blazing. "We need to fucking bury him alive and get rid of this...this bastard!"
"Shut up, Victor!"
"Aunt Eleanor! She just graduated from college!"
Eleanor turned back sharply with tears streaming down her face, making him flinch.
"Your sister gets queasy at her own blood, and you want murder on your sister's conscience?" Turning, her aunt grabbed her shoulder. "Nothing stays a secret in our circle. You need to get married before the child is born."
Valerie's chest felt tight, like the room was closing in on her.
"I—"
Victor ran a hand through his hair violently. "What the fuck! Are you insane—"
"Stop it for today," Charles said coldly from the doorway. He had been glaring at the floor before turning away entirely. Without another word, he left the room.
Victor exhaled, glaring at her stomach with scorn.
"Unbelievable," he muttered, and stormed out.
Her aunt was still talking but she couldn't hear it.
Even when Leah had seen the two lines, she had never thought of abortion. She just couldn't do it.
Nor could she tell them who the father of the child was.