CHAPTER 1

 "Please sir, forgive me. I won't repeat my mistake," Peter begged his manager while kneeling over a broken vase at the restaurant.

The manager groaned at Peter, saying to him in anger, " You're lucky that we're surrendered by people, otherwise you would have gotten it hot from me, you fool."

"I'm sorry again sir."

"Get out of my sight!" The manager ordered in a loud tone.

It was night already and Peter was done with his shift for that day. He worked as a waiter in one of the fanciest restaurants in the city and always feared losing his job there.

Among all the numerous jobs he was taking, the restaurant paid him better. And due to his haste, he accidentally broke its finest vase.

With the manager's order, Peter immediately left the restaurant, feeling embarrassed over his actions.

It had gotten some wealthy customers gawking at him like he was a fool. Well, that's how they gaze at people from the lower class.

Immediately Peter stepped out of the restaurant, he raced down to the hospital on foot, arriving there to see his sick mother, who has been in the hospital for more than a month now.

Peter was escorted to his mother's room by a nurse before he was left alone with the weak old lady.

"If you need anything, Mr Coleman, do let me know," The nurse had said to Peter.

"Sure. Thank you," He appreciated, stepping into the room to see his mother.

The old lady lay in bed weakly. She had her eyes opened but couldn't move properly. She hovered it about, before settling them on her son, Peter.

Her mouth carefully came open, as she uttered his name, " Pe... Peter?"

"Mom." He smiled, drawing nearer to her.

"How are you?" He knelt before her, holding her hands.

His mother gave a curve to the side, nodding her head at her son.

At the corner of her eye, Peter could see tears streaming out.

It only showed him the intense pain his mother was in, and he too couldn't bear it. But he couldn't show his sadness to her. He needed her to see him as a strong man.

"Everything will be fine, " He promised, pecking her on the cheek.

She smiled, nodding again.

Peter took out a flask with the food he managed to get from the restaurant for his mother. It was a fancy dish he snuck out without anyone knowing.

It was his mother's wish to have a taste, and Peter needed to make that wish come true.

He fed his mother the meal, thinking of the bills he had to pay for her treatment.

"Despite my jobs, the income is just so poor. What can I do to save my mother's life?" He pondered on, still feeding her.

From the corners of her eyes, Mrs Coleman is suddenly distracted by the presence of a baby and his mother. That brightened the old woman's heart.

Peter saw this and it made him sad a bit.

It's his mother's wish to see her grandchild. But when?

"Mia, my love," He remembered his wife.

Mia is from a wealthy family, who found a poor man like Peter, worthy of her love. But this made her family mad, and they didn't hesitate to bully Peter for being a poor man with nothing.

Although they are her family, Mia always supports Peter and shields him from her family's wrath, building more love and passion in the fellow's heart.

But somehow, her behavior changed the day he brought up the decision to have a baby. Mia got mad at him for no reason and refused to have a child.

"I don't want a baby! What is wrong with you?!" She had sparked at Peter the day he asked, and Peter, deeply in love with his wife, apologized to his wife just for peace to reign.

"When she's ready we'll have our child, and Mom can have her grandchild," He said almost inaudibly, caressing his mother's head.

. 

After his visit, Peter returns to his wife's parents’ home, where he lives with her and her family, because he's not wealthy. 

On stepping into the mansion, he's welcomed by an uproar of jubilation from Mia and her family in the living room. 

They didn't even notice Peter.

He looked at them and saw how his wife kept hovering around her family while they hugged her with joy.

"Did something interesting happen?" Peter wondered, slowly feeling pleased to see Mia all happy.

But suddenly, his world came crumbling down.

"Our girl is finally pregnant! This is good news!"

"What?!" Peter exclaimed, gaining everyone's attention.

"Pregnant?" He uttered, looking at Mia, who had a frown on her face.

Feeling his hands trembling, Peter walked up to Mia and pulled her away from her family, asking, "What are they talking about? Who is pregnant?"

Mia pulled her hand off Peter's grip with a stern, and said to him, "Be careful with how you hold someone. Do you want to hurt me?"

"Who is pregnant, Mia?" He questioned, getting angry slowly.

"Were you deaf when we said she's pregnant?" Mia's father questioned Peter, leaving the poor man stunned.

He looked at Mia and saw how she tried to avoid eye contact with him.

"Pregnant? But... I've never touched you. Who... Who did?" Peter questioned, feeling his heart breaking into pieces.

Mia showed no remorse over the situation. She shrugged at Peter and asked, " So what? Is it your business?"

"Yes, it is!" He raised his voice, grabbing her roughly by the arm.

"How could you Mia?" Peter questioned, showing his anger.

"Let go of me!" Mia tried to pull off.

Her parents also yelled at Peter to leave their daughter alone, but the heartbroken man needed an answer from his wife's betrayal.

"I took care of you, showed you love... I asked if we could have a baby and you said No. But you slept with another Man?!"

"Leave her!" Mia's mother roared, pushing Peter off Mia.

Her brother, who was present, grabbed Peter by the collar and smacked his face with a punch, sending him to the ground.

"Don't you ever touch my sister you bastard! " He yelled.

As Peter was trying to get to his feet, he heard Mia's family deciding to kick him out, saying he was no longer needed.

And this time, Mia didn't fight them like she always did. She supported them. 

That, Peter, was tossed out of the house like a piece of garbage and told to never return.

Devastated and vexed by what had happened, Peter had no other place to head to but the hospital.

He needed someone to wipe the pains in his heart, and only his mother's presence could heal him.

As he sluggishly walks on the road with sadness in his eyes, Peter spots a lady on the lonely bridge in fear, with some drunk men harassing her.

She kept pushing them and yelling they should leave her alone.

"Stop acting innocent kitten. Just play with us."

"No! " She yelled, trying to fight them off.

Seeing this, Peter realized the danger the lady was in.

He would have just walked away and acted like he didn't see anything, but he couldn't allow her to be harassed by strangers. 

With no choice, he confronted the men.

"Hey, leave her alone," He yelled, getting closer to the men to save the lady.

His interference leads to a sudden fight between Peter and the men. They surrounded Peter, beating him to a pulp, but it didn't stop him from fighting back.

The lady screamed and tried to help, but one of the men held her hand and tried to take her away.

"No! Leave me!" She screamed. 

Peter heard her voice and saw the fellow pulling her away

.

Out of nowhere, Peter dealt with the others, dashed to the fellow with a tackle, and sent both himself and the latter into the river off the bridge.