Today, Emeera left for the office fairly early. She had covered her puffy eyes with serum and foundation, though it was still obvious she hadn't slept peacefully the night before.
The girl now sat alone at a bus stop, staring blankly at the street in front of her.
Her mind was filled with all kinds of worries.
What would become of her if she failed to find the baby's father?
Could she really raise her child alone, without a husband?
And that wasn't even mentioning what would happen if her neighbors or coworkers found out she was pregnant out of wedlock.
So many people would surely condemn her.
Even Evan's parents, whom she had always believed were kind, had been able to insult her without knowing what had really happened. What about strangers who didn't even know her?
Thinking about it made Emeera's chest feel tight again.
Honk!
Honk!
The sound of a car horn shattered her thoughts.
“Minibus, miss!” called the driver of a minibus that had stopped right in front of the bus stop.
Emeera quickly stood and walked toward it.
Once she boarded, she chose a seat along one side of the passenger bench. However, not long after the vehicle started moving, Emeera began to feel uncomfortable.
A middle-aged woman kept staring at her.
Emeera tried to ignore her by lowering her gaze.
But the woman finally opened her mouth.
“Hey, Emeera, how did your marriage proposal go yesterday?” she asked sarcastically. “I heard you turned it down, huh? Because you're pregnant with another man's baby?”
Emeera froze.
The woman only grew more enthusiastic.
“Poor Evan. He must be heartbroken after being completely deceived. He thought you were an innocent woman...” She let out a small laugh. “But it turns out you're just a cheap woman.”
Every passenger immediately turned to look at Emeera.
Some stared curiously. Others looked at her with disgust and judgment.
Emeera clenched her hands so tightly that her skin turned pale.
She knew exactly who the woman in front of her was.
The woman was one of her neighbors, notorious for gossiping and always looking for something to talk about concerning Emeera and her family.
Emeera lifted her face.
“If you don't know anything about me, then don't talk so much,” she hissed, her eyes sharp. “You'd be better off taking care of yourself instead of meddling in other people's lives.”
The woman fell silent at once.
“Driver, stop! I'll get off here.”
Emeera handed the driver her fare, then got off the minibus.
She chose to walk rather than keep listening to the woman's snide remarks and endure the other passengers' mocking stares.
After walking for about thirty minutes, Emeera finally arrived at the office.
Sweat had soaked her face down to her neck. Her hair stuck out in every direction, while she had pulled her shirt sleeves up to her elbows.
Emeera hurried inside the office.
There was no way she could enter the work area looking like that. Her supervisor would surely scold her if they saw her disheveled appearance.
Emeera went straight to the restroom to fix herself up.
Once she felt presentable enough, she headed toward her department.
However, the moment she reached the door, everyone's eyes immediately turned toward her.
Just like what had happened on the minibus earlier.
Now Emeera understood.
All her coworkers already knew about her situation.
Ever since she entered the lobby, several staff members from other divisions had kept staring at her until she disappeared from their view.
Her suspicions immediately fell on Evan.
It had to be her former lover who had told all their coworkers because he was bitter about her rejection yesterday.
But what was done was done.
Whatever happened, things would never be the same again.
Emeera drew a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.
She walked casually toward her desk, ignoring the stares of people who seemed intent on stripping her naked with their eyes.
When she reached her desk, Emeera immediately sat down and turned on her computer.
She tried to work as usual.
“Emeera!”