Chapter 24 Are You Scared?

Lev stared at Alayna sharply, their eyes meeting in deep tension.

"Why can't you admit that you have a relationship with that man?" Lev said in a very tense tone.

"Fine. Let this child be born and we'll prove it with a DNA test," Alayna said firmly, her challenge hanging in the air like a sharp knife.

"But I don't want this child to be born," Lev said those words with deep feeling. "Abort your pregnancy immediately!"

Alayna smiled sarcastically, sneering. "Why? Are you scared? Just say you're scared, Lev." Her voice was full of ridicule, and she knew that she currently had control of the situation.

Lev felt angry and frustrated, but he couldn't hide his unease.

"It's not about fear, Alayna. It's more complicated than that," he said in a low voice, trying to explain himself.

Alayna was dissatisfied with Lev's answer, and she stepped closer, making this conversation even more intense. 

"You always have reasons and justifications, Lev. But you can't avoid reality forever."

They both stood in the middle of the tense room and their feelings clashed. They continued to stare at each other and took firm stances toward each other's opinions, and the debate grew increasingly heated.

"Alayna, you have to understand that this is a big problem," Lev said in a firm tone again. "I don't want to be toyed with. If it's proven right that the baby is not my child, you will obey and serve me forever."

"Okay, Lev. I will accept the consequences if I'm wrong." Alayna smiled with strong confidence. "But, that won't happen. Because I am sure that this fetus is your child," she said with confidence, showing her determination to prove the truth.

Actually, Alayna could have done a DNA test while pregnant, but she didn't want to endanger her baby.

Lev seemed to dislike the child's presence, which made Alayna determined to give birth to him safely.

They both finally decided to postpone their debate, while they stuck to their respective opinions.

"Prepare me breakfast. Arguing with you turns out to be more draining," Lev said before leaving the kitchen looking annoyed.

Alayna rolled her eyes upwards, then she took a mask as a precaution against the strong smell that might come from the refrigerator and could make her nauseous.

She cooked quickly because she was very hungry. The right choice was fried rice.

Alayna skillfully chopped the chicken, cut the carrots into small dice, and sliced ​​the onions thinly. She cracked two eggs in a bowl and added a pinch of salt to them.

Once finished, she immediately poured the rice into the heated wok, listening to the sizzling sound of its alluring sound along with the other ingredients he had prepared.

Within minutes, the fragrant smell of fried rice began to waft throughout the kitchen. She tasted it and immediately added a little soy sauce and chili sauce to give it the perfect finishing touch.

Alayna continued by preparing a cup of coffee and filling the coffee machine with fresh coffee beans. The delicious smell of coffee soon began to fill the kitchen, providing a touch of comfort amidst the tense atmosphere.

While waiting for the coffee to be brewed, Alayna sat back at the dining table, and her mind drifted due to all the burdens she felt.

She pondered her feelings deeply, her brown eyes filled with flashes of memories. The flash brought her back to the difficult times when the people around her mocked her and her family, denigrating anyone different from them.

Her memories showed the image of her mother, a strong woman who was always by her side, but even she could not protect her from this suffering.

Her blank gaze focused on the scratches on the long-used wooden floor. "Because her tongue is too tight to respond to other people's insults." Her mother's words were remembered in her mind.

She was not the type of person who responded to insults with sharp words but preferred to bury her feelings, keeping them in her fragile heart.

However, even though she suffered in silence, her determination to be strong and fight for her daughter remained unwavering.

She exemplified the meaning of the words "steadfast" and "courageous" to her daughter, teaching her not to give up in the face of all situations.

She wanted to give the best for her child, even though inside she sometimes felt destroyed by the harsh words and cynical views of other people.

Now, with the bitterness of her feelings sinking in deeper, she truly understood what her mother had felt.

Maybe, as she felt now, her mother also felt deep pain, facing a world that was sometimes so cruel.

Even though her feelings had become intertwined in her memories, she knew that she must continue this fight, for herself and, more importantly, to protect and provide a better life for her child.

The noisy sound of the coffee machine stuttering woke Alayna from her long reverie. She took a deep breath as she glanced around the kitchen.

"Oh coffee!"

Alayna just remembered that the coffee had been around for too long until the machine was hot.

After that, she brewed coffee and served it on the pantry table with the fried rice she had made.

She called Lev to come down to the kitchen and she immediately ate her fried rice without waiting for Lev because he was very hungry.

"Alayna, why are you so careless?!" Lev looked frustratedly at the cup of coffee Alayna was making. A coffee bean fell out of the cup and made a stain on the table. "You also didn't wait for me at the table before you started eating. You have bad manners."

Alayna looked at the coffee cup with a red face. 'It's just a small coffee bean and I'm so hungry,' Alayna said to herself but didn't let it out.

"Sorry, Lev. I had other thoughts. I'll clean it up now," she said instead.

She immediately grabbed a rag and cleaned the coffee stain quickly, trying not to make the situation worse.