Secrets of Lakefront House
CHAPTER 13. STORIES OF THE PAST
Once out of the hilly area and on the main road, Jilena placed her feet heavily on the gas pedal, accelerating the speed of her car, and then on the road, trying to escape painful memories of what once happened at the lake house on that fateful night. He drives his car around the corner. Sometimes, the sound of car tires squeaking because he stepped on the brakes suddenly while at the bend, he tried to stay focused on the road. Instead of feeling free, he now feels bound, limited, past sequences of events playing out in his chaotic mind.
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Six weeks after a passionate night at the lake house, Jilena has found her pregnant. Unlike everything she heard as a teenager, it only took one — a night when she surrendered herself to Noah and now she is pregnant. Noah will be back in college in a few weeks, and Jilena has planned to finish her final year of high school and move on to college. But everything fell apart after that night—everything turned—at least for him.
The first person she tells about her pregnancy is her best friend Ramira. Ramira cries with Jilena and laments what will happen next, to her and the baby. Then Jilena told Noah. Noah came to pick her up at her house that night, and they were on their way to the movies. He drove his car into the parking lot and turned off the engine.
Jilena grabbed the lover's burly arm as she was about to grab the door handle. "Wait, Noah.” He turned and looked at her. "I have something to tell you" Jilena said.
"What's that?" A small wrinkle was frowned upon furrowing his brows, he sat back down. Jilena paused for a moment, looking for the right words to convey the news of her pregnancy rather Noah was not so surprised, but no—the exact words came out of her mouth, except. "I'm pregnant."
"Pregnant? Don't joke! We just did it that night.”
"I know it, but we did it over and over again and now I'm pregnant." He held his breath, looked at Noah's face, waiting for his response. Does Noah love her like Jilena loves her? He looked at her in silence for a long time, then finally spoke. “We can't have a baby.
Jilena shifted in her chair to stare straight at him. “We are not talking about puppies, Noah.” Jilena thinks Noah meant to get her to have an abortion.
“Of course not, I know that, but I'll be back on campus in a few more weeks, I'll have a busy football practice schedule. And you still have one more year to finish high school and go on to college. We can't get stuck raising a baby. Think of it!”
Tears drenched his face upon hearing Noah's words. Desperation shook him and Noah clasped his hand. “Maybe we can—”
Jilena pulled away from him. "Oh my God, don't tell me."
“Listen to me, Noah. We could get married. I'll finish my school and follow you to town. The college has housing for married students, we can stay there until this baby is big enough to be deposited in child care. Then I can start taking courses or college. You can work.”
His jaw was hardened, it looked like he was a little tense as he spoke. “The future and our lives are still long, Jilena. You better remove your content, it's the only best way.”
That's what Noah wanted. Yeah, she doesn't want to get married and have kids now. “I will never kill our son, how come you! ”stomach Jilena.
"Then, you can preserve your womb, but after the child is born, you have to give the baby up for adoption" she said. “Maintaining that baby will only destroy our lives.”
"What?" Jilena was surprised, her eyes widened in anger.
“Not so I mean.” He shook his head and dropped his chin in agitation. Then their gazes met and Noah grabbed his arm. “It doesn't matter if the baby is a boy or a girl, it's still a small blob, so get rid of.”
“Don't be silly, Noah. It's not a blob, it's a baby, —baby us.” He slipped out of his grasp. He could no longer hold back the tears that spilled on his cheeks. They both did not want all this to happen but they thought that they should tell their parents. Both of their parents are good friends. Actually, Noah's father was his father's biggest client and they were in the same social circle.
Scared and nervous, Jilena and Noah gather their parents in one room, in the Arsyanendra family mansion, and pass on the news of Jilena's pregnancy to them. Noah's father and stepmother were very angry, Jilena's parents were very embarrassed. None of their parents asked the couple's opinion, but Jilena expressed her desire to keep her content and get married.
Meanwhile Noah, she wants to have an abortion so that the two of them can move on with their lives. And finally, both of their parents decided it would be best if Jilena went to leave the town of Lembayung, gave birth to her baby, and handed the baby over for adoption.
It was easy for them to deny the baby's presence, without conscience saying those words to Jilena. With reason for the good of her and her future, it was as if they cared for her. She doesn't care what they call her baby, Jilena knows she will forever have an emotional bond with the child.
That night, Arsyanendra's family offered to pay for Jilena's life and medical expenses during labor. There was something strong and dark in the man's eyes that always made him uncomfortable being in his presence, but tonight's father Noah looks even worse, he is a man with no conscience. In her heart, Jilena was convinced that maybe it was the best thing for her, she was not part of the arsyanendra family. Tonight, he knows who the Arsyanendra family really are.
Jilena's father stood up and loudly said “This is your fault!” while pointing her finger at Jilena and Noah, “You have made the family ashamed!” So the final decision has been made. For the good of all parties, her parents said, Jilena will be sent to her grandmother's house and stay there until her baby is born and handed over for adoption, and Noah will continue his college and career as a football player, as he wishes. From that day on, Jilena's father changed and never treated her the same as before. He built a high, solid wall between them.
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