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Victoria's Run

Victoria's Run

img Young Adult
img 5 Chapters
img Thuto Ntlaloe
5.0
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About

She ran to survive. She stayed to fight. And in the chaos, she found love. Pregnant. Rejected. Betrayed. When seventeen-year-old Victoria Adams discovers she's pregnant, the last person she expects to turn his back on her is the baby's father. But when he does-and her own father tries to marry her off to an older man to save their family's reputation-Victoria makes the only choice she can: she runs away. Alone and scared, Victoria starts a new life in Bloemfontein, where survival isn't easy, especially for a young pregnant girl with no place to call home. But then she meets Michael-a quiet, powerful stranger with secrets of his own and a heart that slowly begins to understand hers. He offers her kindness when she least expects it, protection when she most needs it, and something even more dangerous: hope. As love begins to bloom, threats from the past return to haunt her. Anonymous messages. Obsessive exes. Family betrayal. And a secret that could destroy the fragile new life she's building. Victoria must choose between disappearing again or finally standing her ground-for herself, for her child, and for the future she's starting to believe she deserves. A story of heartbreak, strength, and healing, Victoria's Run is a deeply emotional journey of a girl who risked everything for freedom-and found something even more powerful: a reason to stay.

Chapter 1 The Lines That Changed Everything

Victoria clutched the pregnancy test in her hand. It's edges digging into her palm as if the pain might wake her from the nightmare. Two pink lines. Bright, bold and unrelenting. She blinked once. Twice. But the results didn't change. She was pregnant. She sat on the closed lid of the toilet in the small upstairs bathroom, her back pressed against the cool tiles. The room smelled like lavender soap and lemon cleaner, too clean for the chaos unspooling inside her. Her heart thudded, like a drumbeat out of sync. Her hands trembled.

This can't be happening, she thought. Not me. Not now.

But it was. The test didn't lie. She was seventeen, in her final year of high school, and pregnant. Tears welled in her eyes, but she fought them back. Crying won't change anything. She had known deep down, over a week. The nausea in the mornings, the fatigue, the missed period. She had denied it, as long as she could, hoping it was stress, or maybe a stomach bug. But hope had run dry this morning, and the truth stared right in the face now.

She closed her eyes and breathed in slowly. Okay. One thing at a time.

Her thoughts jumped to Charles. He had to know. He was the father. They had been dating for almost a year, sneaking moments between classes, holding hands when no one was looking, texting late into the night with whispered, I love yous. He'd tell her she was his everything, that they'd figure out life together. She had believed him.

She still wanted to believe him.

Maybe he would be scared at first, he wouldn't turn his back on her. Not Charles. He was charming, confident, sometimes reckless, but he wasn't cruel.

Right?

She stood up, wiped her face and slipped the test into the pocket of her hoodie. Her reflection in the bathroom mirror looked pale and tired. Her curly hair falling in loose disarray around her face. She barely recognized herself. With a deep breath, she turned off the light and stepped into the hallway, the soft creak of the floorboards beneath her bear feet like a warning bell.

She found him leaning against the hood of his car, in the school parking lot, arms crossed, phone in hand. He wore that confident smirk she used to find irresistible. Today, it made her stomach turn.

He looked up as she approached. "Hey Vee, you okay?"

" I need to talk to you." She said, trying to keep her voice steady.

He pocketed his phone, straightening . "What's up."

She paused. This was it. The moment that would divide her life into a before and after.

"I'm pregnant"

The words hung in the air like smoke.

He blinked. "What?"

She repeated it, this time stronger. "I'm pregnant, Charles."

There was a long silence. A bird chirped somewhere in the trees overhead. Charles rubbed the back of his neck, Laughed nervously, then stepped back.

"No, you are not"

She didn't smile. "I am"

His expression shifted. The smirk fell away, replaced by a guarded stare. "That's not mine"

Her heart dropped. "What do you mean it's not yours?"

He shrugged. "We were careful mostly. You probably messed around with someone else."

"Charles you know I haven't. I haven't been with anyone but you."

He shook his head. "I'm not getting involved in this. This is your mess not mine."

The words hit harder than she thought possible. She didn't cry. Not there. Not in front of him.

"Charles, you know it's yours. Don't do this." She whispered.

But he was already turning away, heading for the drivers seat. "I've got things to do."

-

That night, she stared at the ceiling above her bed, the pregnancy test hidden under her pillow, like a dirty secret. Her parents moved around downstairs, talking and laughing. They didn't know. Not yet.

But by the end of the week, everyone would.

Her mother's voice floated up the stairs. "Victoria! Dinner's ready!"

"I'm not hungry!" She called back, voice thick with emotion.

She had footsteps on the stairs a few seconds later. Her mother knocked gently on the door.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?"

"I'm fine, Mom. Just tired."

There was a pause "You sure?"

"Yes"

"Alright then, sleep well."

She waited until the footsteps faded, then buried her face in the pillow. The tears came freely now, silent and unstoppable. She was seventeen. She was alone. And the walls were closing in.

-

The next morning, Victoria sat silently at the breakfast table, picking at a piece of toast while her parents chatted about the local news. Her father was in his usual button down shirt, ready for the office, his reading glasses perched low on his nose. Her mother, still in her robe, was fussing with the radio dial.

The sound of their ordinary morning was almost surreal. How could the world keep turning when hers had stopped ?

"You are awful quite this morning" her mother noted, glancing at her over the rim of her teacup.

"I didn't sleep well," Victoria said.

"Exams coming up," her father asked.

She nodded, grateful for the excuse, "yeah."

"Well," he said, folding his paper, "Your future depends on it. No distractions, Victoria."

Her hands clenched in her lap. To late for that.

-

At school, everything felt distant, like she was moving through fog. Her classmates laughed and joked in the hallway, but their words barely reached her. She sat through class without taking notes, her mind spinning with fears she didn't know how to quite.

Everywhere she looked, she imagined judgement. Would they call her names? Would they whisper behind her back when her stomach began to show?

She found herself rubbing her belly without thinking, as if trying to protect the tiny life she wasn't ready for, but couldn't bear to reject.

-

After school, she wandered instead of going home. Her feet led her to the town's small library, one of the few places that had ever felt peaceful. The librarian gave her a polite nod, and she slipped between the rows of books like a ghost.

She didn't read. She just sat in a corner with her head against the wall, hiding from a future that felt like a trap. She longed for a best friend, someone she could trust with her fears and secrets but she had no one.

By the time she got home, the sun was setting. Her parents were already at the dinner table. Her mother frowned when she walked in.

"Where have you been? I called your phone three times."

"Library," she mumbled, hanging up her back.

"Without answering your phone?" her father added, tone hardening.

"I didn't hear it."

He exchanged a glance with her mother. "Sit down. We need to talk."

Her heart sank. Did they know?

"I got a call from your school counselor," he said, sliding his glasses off. "She said your teachers are concerned. You've seemed distracted lately. Your grades are dropping."

"I'm just... overwhelmed," she said. "I'II do better."

He leaned forward. "You're not a child anymore, Victoria. You have responsibilities. We expect more from you."

Her stomach churned. She wanted to scream the truth, I'm pregnant and alone and terrified! But the words stayed locked inside.

-

That night, she knew she couldn't keep the secret any longer. She had never lied to her parents before, not like this. But the thought of her father's disappointment and her mother's heartbreak filled her with dread.

Still it had to be done.

She waited until after dinner. Her parents sat in the living room, her mother knitting, her father reading.

"I need to talk to you," She said, standing stiffly in the doorway.

They both looked up.

"What is it, Vivi?" her mom asked, sensing the gravity in her voice.

She took a deep breath so deep it shook her chest.

"I'm pregnant."

The silence that followed was sharp and suffocating.

Her mother's knitting dropped into her lap. Her father's face went blank.

"What did you just say?" he asked.

"I'm pregnant," she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper.

Her mother covered her mouth, eyes wide. "Oh my God."

"By who?" her father demanded, standing now.

"Charles."

He scoffed. "That boy."

"He doesn't want anything to do with it," she said quickly. "He... he left."

The fury in her father's eyes lit like a match. "You let some boy ruin your life and now expect us to what? Sit here and accept this?"

"No, I just".

"You have shamed this family," he snapped. You have embarrassed us. What will people say when they find out my daughter is an unwed pregnant girl? This is not how we raised you."

Tears welled in Victoria's eyes. "I didn't plan this. I was scared."

Her mom was crying softly now, whispering prayers under her breath.

Her father turned away, fists clenched. Then, suddenly, he spoke again, voice cold and decisive. "You will marry."

Victoria blinked. "What?"

"We will find someone. A man of honor. Someone who will take you in and restore our family's name."

"No, dad please. Mom say something."

Her mother just looked at her crying, not knowing what to say.

"You don't get to refuse. You gave up that right."

Victoria backed away, her heart pounding. "You can't force me to marry someone I don't love!"

Her father looked her dead in the eye. "You've made your choices. Now you will live with the consequences."

-

That night, in her room, Victoria stared out the window at the dark street below. Her mind raced.

They would marry her off. To someone older. Someone she didn't love. All for the sake of pride. Reputation.

I'II be trapped forever, she thought. They won't see me. They'II only see the shame.

Her hand drifted to her belly. She closed her eyes. This baby doesn't deserve a life built on fear and regret.

She didn't know how. She didn't know where. But in the moment ,Victoria knew one thing with painful clarity. She had to run.

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