Love under the shadow of power/ Kylian Mbappé

chapter2: Silent Confessions

"Hey, can I come in?"

I looked up, surprised. Standing at the door was a young woman about my age, with striking black hair and piercing blue eyes. I hadn't expected to see anyone else, especially not someone who seemed so familiar with this place.

"You already came in, so yes," I said, trying to sound casual. "Did you hear my conversation with my parents?"

She nodded slightly, an apologetic look on her face. "Yes, I heard it. I'm sorry, but my parents told me they picked up a young woman today. They don't want you to feel alone, so I'm going to stay with you for the next two weeks. Does that bother you?"

"No, of course not," I replied, though my mind was racing. "But there's only one bed here."

"Don't worry, I'll bring an air bed," she reassured me with a smile.

"Oh, okay." I hesitated for a moment. "And who are you?"

"My name is Laurin," she said, offering her hand. "I'm 19 years old, studying medicine in Strasbourg, and I'm the youngest daughter in my family."

"Oh, nice to meet you, Laurin," I said, shaking her hand. "My name is Inaya, I'm 18 years old, and the oldest daughter in my family. I'm planning to start training as a Biotechnical Assistant soon."

"That's nice to hear," she said warmly. "But we should go to sleep now. Otherwise, my parents will be mad at me tomorrow if you look tired."

"Ja, ja, alles gut," I replied with a yawn. "I'm already asleep. Good night!"

"Good night!" Laurin said, turning off the light.

Just as I was about to drift off, a thought nagged at me. "Btw, before I go to sleep, tell me what you heard of my conversation with my parents?"

Laurin hesitated for a moment. "The most important thing I heard is that your father apparently has two wives."

"Dang! You heard that too?"

"Yes," she admitted. "But don't worry, I don't care about your privacy. I have my own problems to deal with."

"That's reassuring," I said, though my curiosity was piqued. "But what kind of problems do you have, if you don't mind me asking?"

"It's better if you don't ask," she replied, her voice tinged with sadness.

"OK, then I won't ask you," I said with a shrug, deciding to drop it.

"Good night!"

"Good night!" I echoed, trying to settle back into sleep.

................................................................................................................................................................

while I was sleeping, a loud crash shattered the silence. I bolted upright, my heart racing. It was around midnight, and I saw Laurin curled up on the floor, trembling. Fear gripped me as I rushed to her side.

"Laurin, are you OK? What happened?" I asked, panic rising in my voice.

"Nothing is OK," she sobbed. "I am doomed!"

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, my concern growing deeper.

Through her tears, she whispered, "I'm pregnant by a bastard. He cheated on me, and I broke up with him last week. Now I'm 19 and pregnant with his child. It feels like my whole life is falling apart."

Inside, I was reeling. **Are you kidding me?** This was not something I was prepared for.

I ran to the window, grabbed my water bottle, and gently dabbed some water on her face. Then I sat down next to her, speaking softly, "How about we think about aborting the baby? If you think it's making your life unbearable, we could discuss the options together and figure out how you want to proceed."

As soon as the words left my mouth, I felt a pang of guilt. Why would I even suggest harming an unborn baby? But then again, it's not fully formed yet, I reasoned. I knew it was a terrible idea, but what other options did we have?

"Laurin, how many months are you pregnant?" I asked carefully.

"I'm only about two months pregnant," she said, wiping her tears. "And that's good because there's absolutely no problem if I decide to have an abortion. In France, it's legal to do so up to 14 weeks into the pregnancy, and the decision is entirely up to me. The father has no legal say in the matter, so I can make this choice on my own."

I felt a slight sense of relief. "That's a bit of a relief. I know this is incredibly difficult, but we don't have any other choice. If you want to keep the baby, that's fine; no one is forcing you to do otherwise."

Laurin looked at me, tears streaming down her face.

"Do you really want to do this?" I asked.

"Yes," she nodded firmly. "I want to do this now. The baby is just making my life more difficult, and I'm not ready to raise a child alone."

"How about tomorrow, after we finish work, we use the excuse that you want to show me the city? Then we could drive far away to another city where a doctor can treat you," I suggested.

"That's a good idea. Let's do it that way," Laurin agreed.

"Before we do this, did you tell anyone about your pregnancy?" I asked, a little worried.

"Yes, my ex," she admitted. "I only did it because I was so angry and wanted him to feel guilty too."

"I think that might not have been a good idea," I said, concerned.

"We might need his consent to abort the baby."

"No," Laurin shook her head. "I just explained you we don't need his consent. He's the one who cheated on me, and I know he doesn't care about the baby."

"OK, then let's do it as we discussed. Sleep now; you need to rest," I urged, trying to comfort her.

I took my blanket and pillows and prepared to sleep on the air bed. "You can use my bed so you can rest better. I will sleep here on the air bed."

Laurin smiled gratefully and lay down in my bed. "Thank you for your help," she whispered.

"No problem," I replied, though my mind was in turmoil.

This was definitely a problem, and I was in shock.

I didn't know what to do...