"Congratulations, Miss Neroni. You're pregnant."
Renata froze at her spot, her breath caught in her throat as those words fell from the doctor's mouth.
"What? There must be a mistake with the filing. How can I be pregnant?" She panicked. "I—I can't be. I'm not even married."
The doctor offered a polite smile to her. "The tests are positive. You are three weeks along, and you are the only Renata Neroni on our charts. The HCG levels don't lie." He slid the folder across the mahogany desk. "I suggest you inform the father. We'll need to see you back at the clinic next month for a formal ultrasound."
Renata's fingers trembled as she gripped the report. She stumbled out of the cabin, her mind filled with impossible questions. She had a one-night stand with a man after drowning herself into the alcohol that night.
'Why didn't he wear the protection? How am I going to–' her thoughts abruptly stopped upon seeing a shadow fall over her. Before she could react, the report was ripped from her grasp.
"Natasha!" Renata gasped, her heart leaping into her throat.
Her stepsister stood there with a smile playing on her lips. Without a word of greeting, Natasha flipped the pages open, her eyes scanning the results with wicked delight.
"My, my. Pregnant?" Natasha's voice was a low, dangerous purr that carried across the waiting room. "Our father is going to disown you before the sun sets, little sister. You've dragged the Neroni name through the mud."
"Give that back," Renata hissed. She lunged for the paper, but Natasha stepped back gracefully, holding it high like a trophy.
"Oh, I'll give it back," Natasha mocked, her eyes glinting with malice. "Right after I show it to the our father, Renata"
Before Renata could bridge the gap between them, Natasha dashed through the hospital lobby.
Renata ran after her, but two of the family's towering bodyguards stepped into her path. They hauled her toward the waiting black sedan and shoved her into the backseat, locking the doors just as Natasha's car drove ahead of them.
The drive back to the Neroni Estate. When the car screeched to a halt on the porch, the guards dragged Renata out of the car.
"Father! Look at what your prideful daughter has been hiding!" Natasha's voice echoed through the vaulted living room the moment she crossed the threshold.
Paolo Neroni stood by the fireplace, mid-conversation with his wife, Luisa. He turned, his brow furrowing as his eyes shifted from Natasha's triumphant expression to the guards forcibly holding Renata. "Natasha, what is the meaning of this scene?"
"What happened, darling?" Luisa walked toward her daughter, her silk gown trailing behind her. She took the crumpled report from Natasha's outstretched hand, her eyes scanning the text.
"This… this can't be. Renata, you're pregnant?" Her face went pale.
"What?" Paolo's voice was a low rumble. He snatched the document from his wife, his grip so tight the paper threatened to tear. His gaze snapped to Renata, burning with fury and disbelief.
"Who is the father? You are unwed, a Neroni! Have you no dignity and no shame left for the blood in your veins?"
Luisa stepped closer to her husband, her sneer deepening as she watched her stepdaughter tremble. "I warned you, honey. I told you Renata was nothing but a stain on this family's reputation. The day she accused Natasha of adultery, I knew she's brewing something in her head."
"Why the fuck are you quiet?" Paolo's voice thundered through the living room this time as he marched to Renata. "Tell me, what is this?"
"Dad, please listen to me," Renata's eyes brimmed with tears.
"I'm listening. Tell me, this isn't true," Paolo said, his eyes fixating on her daughter.
"Dad, I-I don't… I don't..."
A sharp slap stung across Renata's face, making her stumble and vision go blurry. She almost stopped breathing as her entire body shook.
"Who is the father of this child?" Paolo questioned in a much louder voice this time.
"She doesn't even know who it is, Dad. She was all alone at the hospital. I bet it was some pathetic one-night stand with a nobody," Natasha remarked with mock pity.
Paolo's face contorted with pure rage. "You're aborting this child. Either you live, or this mistake dies!"
"Honey, I have a much better idea," Luisa intervened as she stepped toward her husband. "Why not marry her off to Giovanni? He's been obsessed with Renata since the day she graduated. Think of the empire, Paolo. A union with him would make our business flourish overnight. He's already offered to invest millions."
"I won't marry that old man!" Renata cried, her voice trembling. "Please, Dad, don't do this. I'll leave. I'll go far away and never—"
"So you can drag the Neroni name through the mud even more?" Luisa cut her off sharply. "You'll get rid of the brat and you'll marry Giovanni!"
"Then marry your own daughter to him!" Renata snapped defiantly. "He's my father's age!"
The words had barely left her lips when Luisa's hand lashed out, the second slap stinging Renata's other cheek. Before she could recover, Luisa gripped her hair, yanking her head back.
"Your tongue is far too sharp for your own good. If you weren't a Neroni by blood, we would have discarded you like trash years ago."
Renata ignored the pain, her blurred vision searching for her father. "If my mother were still alive, she would never have let this happen to me, Dad."
"Don't you dare speak that whore's name in this house!" Luisa hissed into her ear. "Your mother betrayed Paolo's trust. That's why she's dead."
"Dad, please... my life will be over if you force me to marry that man," Renata sobbed, the tears finally streaming down her bruised cheeks.
Paolo didn't even look at her. His heart had turned to stone. "You're marrying Giovanni. You already ruined your life the moment you let an unknown man touch you. A disgrace like you can't be set free to cause more scandals. Luisa, call the doctor. Have the procedure done immediately. I'm going to call Giovanni to finalize the arrangements."
Without another glance at his broken daughter, Paolo turned and stormed out of the living room.
Renata fell to the floor helplessly. One mistake ruined her entire life. And Natasha and Luisa were enjoying her downfall.
"I won't marry," she murmured.
~~~~
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