Nobody ever spoke of the next route of action to take after everything you had been was suddenly grabbed from you and you had to do the job of moving on, making a life for yourself and the new life that now relied upon your decisions.

“So what will you do now?” her best friend’s voice cut through her violent sobs, calming her just a little.

She had just narrated everything that had happened to Mabel, the one person who was always prepared to listen.

“I don’t know,” Hailey managed to let out through her sobs.

She was huddled in the corner of her large room—the room that had always seemed large to her from the first time she stepped foot in it- with her face between her knees which were pulled up to her chest.

Her left foot was bruised from the fall while she was running upstairs after seeing something she obviously wasn’t meant to.

“Just come get me. Please.”

The call ended a few minutes after and Hailey stayed there on the floor, motionless. She was yet to come to terms with everything that had happened within such a short period of time.

Hailey was used to the feeling of being in control of her life affairs, knowing what route to take, outlining her next possible steps of action as soon as she was able to think straight but even she hadn’t seen this coming, neither had she drawn up a possible conclusion of things coming down to this. Even after she had lost her job, she didn’t feel half as lost as she did now.

Just a day before, she was basking in relief, enjoying the feeling of finally being free after all the hurdles she had to overcome to finally attain freedom, and now, just a few hours after, everything came crashing down, reminding her that there was nothing like true, long-lasting happiness.

Orphaned at a young age, she had not the faintest idea of what motherhood looked like and the things it should entail but she would push through, it was the least she could do at this point anyway.

Her hands shook violently and her vision was blurred by tears but she didn’t falter. She shoved every last piece of my clothing into my travelling box, hissing when they kept falling on the floor due to how much she tried to hold. You couldn’t blame her, if you were in her shoes you’d probably feel the same way too.

She felt like she needed to be out of here, fast, before she lost what little piece of sanity she had left. Her life had been suddenly thrust into a nightmare and to top it off the one person she had grown feelings for had just left with another woman.

She was left to wonder if that was all she amounted to. Though keeping in mind that this was all an arrangement yet, she dared to think that somehow, someway, maybe something more had begun to bud somewhere in their arrangement. Something genuine, at least, but alas, she was wrong and she was paying dearly for her wrong assumption.

This was a disaster, nothing made sense to her anymore and trying to contemplate the reason behind the things that happened only took her back to a place of frustration.

She pushed down on the box when it wouldn’t zip properly with as much strength as she could muster. If she wasn’t out of this godforsaken building soon she just might rent this place apart—not that the thought wasn’t satisfying.

“Oh for fuck’s sake!” Hailey bit out when the box still wouldn’t close.

Had she taken her time to fold the clothes properly, perhaps she wouldn’t be having this problem now but she didn’t have the time for such care.

Her best friend’s yelling downstairs brought a slight smile to her lips. Mabel would always fight for her, even on days she was too broken to do anything for herself, Mabel stood strong.

‘Fine then’ she thought ‘I would just leave without any property. Better even, I don’t want any reminder of this place’

With that, she ran out the door and headed downstairs, burdened heart, bruised feet and a heavy stomach. If only she had known it would end like this, maybe, just maybe, she wouldn’t have taken any stupid proposal.

Love in itself was a curse, and trust was but a poisoned dagger.

“What is going on?” his voice grated on her eardrums, sending a wave of anger and hurt to cascade down her entire form.

How dare he ask that? When he knew exactly what he did. Why was he still trying to feign innocence?

Before she was able to step into the sitting room to answer his dumb question, Mabel beat her to it, stealing the words right out of her lips.

“You ask yourself that and don’t bother to contact us again,” Mabel hissed at him and Hailey couldn’t be more pleased with her best friend. They were the same.

Hailey stepped in then, only making brief eye contact with him before she walked out of the house, Mabel in tow. He looked so genuinely confused, so much that Hailey almost ran back to ask him for an explanation.

But she knew better, he was an excellent trickster and things like this weren't so difficult for him. She had to give it to him though, he sure was a good actor, an excellent one at that.

Once she got into Mabel’s car, she broke down again. This time, she didn’t bother to hold back or muffle her sobs. She would move on from this and start a new beginning with her child.

It wasn’t an end, it was only a challenge she would once again overcome just like she did many others.

She is Hailey Peters, after all, only one of the most determined women you’d ever meet.

It all began with a proposal.