Chapter 1- The News "I'm pregnant." I confessed, bowing my head in regret. I sat on the floor of my parents' home, my knees folded underneath my body and my hands in my lap. My father Michael and my mother Anna held no reaction to my announcement and that worried me more than if they had yelled instead. When they were quiet, it usually meant that something bad was going to come my way. My parents were known for keeping up the appearance of a well-off, educated and proper Chinese family whether inside or outside the home, masking their true feelings. Away from prying eyes, however, they were far from keeping up with the Jones. Although we were not dirt poor by any means, we also were not as affluent as our neighbors might think. Our home was modest, a simple brick style two –story house with two bedrooms and two bathrooms. It was the smallest home in our neighborhood and stood out amongst the luxury of our neighbors' mansions. Our furniture was mostly second hand brought from the nearby thrift shop most had been torn or shredded at the time my mother had found them.  My mother had managed to sow new coverings onto the furniture so that they all looked brand new. My parents had even emptied out their savings so that I could attend the prestigious private school near my father's work. It was where I met him.  Wang Taeyeng, an eighteen-year-old senior and captain of the varsity football team. His name struck fear in the hearts of the parents and teachers in school.  As a member of the soccer team and debate team, I was friends with all types of students and because my father was vice president of the school board we were given a modest discount on tuition. Like the other students, I felt drawn to Taeyeng like a bee was drawn to honey. It did not take very long for Taeyeng to lay my eyes on my small and slender frame. I was tall, average among my classmates, but not nearly as giant as him. I wore glasses, despite my nearly perfect vision just so that I was could hide my face from all the stares that came my way, but Taeyeng saw past it and we began dating.  At the time, I was unaware of Taeyeng's past and I surely didn't pay attention to who his father was, but maybe I should have. It was my first relationship and I was captivated by it and we moved faster than I would have liked it to go. We even celebrated my sixteenth birthday together and after Taeyeng graduated from high school six months later and I entered my sophomore year, Taeyeng had changed. I had lost my ity to him and when Taeyeng broke up with me a few days later,  claiming that I was 'just a kid'. It hurt me more than anything.

I learned I was pregnant two weeks after that.  Now as I sat on the floor awaiting my parents' reaction, I couldn't help but think that if I had not been about to be murdered by them, that they would be proud that all their money spent on sending me to etiquette school was paying off. Yet, when I lifted my head to glance up at their faces, all I could see were angry and disappointed expressions and I felt my heart break into pieces. "Mom, please say something? Anything?" I begged, unable to take their silence anymore but she held up her hand to quiet me. My mother's brown eyes were wet with tears and with the wrinkles lining her forehead, she looked to have aged thirty years just over my news. She was dressed practically in a simple brown dress that reached her knees and a pair of white stocking with brown heels. "My son," She cried.