.

Abraham and his friends were hanging out at a bar, completely relaxed. They were seventeen, almost eighteen, in their final year of school. And as daddy's boys, they could get into bars even though they were underage. They were about to graduate from senior year, and as a last-year dare, the challenge was to seduce the quietest, most studious girl in school. The bet was simple: make her fall in love over the course of a month, get her into bed, and then act like she never existed.

"Here's the thing" "this isn't your typical story where the popular guy falls for his target. Unfortunately for Abraham, that's all it ever was: a damn bet."

"Dude," one of his friends said, "what if we do one last game this year? Next year we'll be in college."

"Speak clearly and be specific," Abraham snapped. He hated when people beat around the bush. "What kind of game?"

"A bet. Let's make a bet. You have one month to get any girl you want into bed."

Abraham burst out laughing. No woman could resist his charm.

"That's easy. Any girl falls for my sweet talk," he said with a cocky grin.

"Not all of them. There's one who's never even looked at you. One who's never drooled over you or your muscles," his friend said, trying to provoke him and wound his ego.

"Oh, really? And who is this woman who supposedly ignores me?" Abraham asked.

"Emilia. The class bookworm. The know-it-all. The one who swallowed the entire dictionary and takes nearly an hour on every presentation."

"Ha! Seriously? You want me to get that girl into bed? Easy," he said, laughing and taking a sip of his drink.

"Why do you say it's easy?" his friends asked.

"Because Emilia -- even though she tries to hide it -- I know she's in love with me. I always catch her staring. She's insignificant to me, which is why I've never bothered getting close to her, not even to take her to bed. But since you guys want me to prove I can sleep with her and destroy her, I'll do it. I only need two weeks to make her mine."

"Then two weeks it is!" they all said, dying of laughter.

And so Abraham began slowly getting closer to Emilia. First by asking her about schoolwork, then making her laugh, telling her how pretty she looked that day, asking her to help him study for exams, and so on.

One day, Abraham asked Emilia out. She obviously said yes, because she saw nothing wrong with how he'd been acting.

"Where are we going, Abraham? I'm asking so I know what to wear," she said, all nervous excitement.

"Relax, gorgeous. We're going to the movies, then grabbing something to eat. Wear something comfortable -- you look beautiful in anything."

And it was true. Emilia was beautiful. She was simply a studious girl who didn't like getting involved in drama. She hadn't even had her first kiss, because her whole world revolved around her studies, and she wanted to make her parents proud.

The weekend finally arrived, and a very -- very -- nervous Emilia was waiting for the gorgeous Abraham, her prince. Her mother had obviously helped her get ready so she'd look beautiful for her first date. Her father, of course, was not happy, but that was just typical dad jealousy.

"And this boy you're going out with today, sweetheart -- does he want something serious?" her father said. "I want to meet him. Invite him inside."

"Daddy, I can't invite him in right now. It's our first date -- we're just getting to know each other. Please, Daddy. I've always liked him."

"Oh, is this the kid you're always talking about? The one you're always telling your mother is handsome? That one? The one you're in love with and all that?"

"Yes, Daddy. That's the one, and he finally noticed me."

"Well, he's an idiot, because you're beautiful. And if he didn't notice you before, it's because he's simply an idiot -- an imbecile who doesn't recognize what's right in front of him."

Ding dong. The doorbell rang, and poor Emilia's heart leapt with excitement. When she opened the door, she saw an incredibly handsome Abraham standing there. God, that man is perfect, she told herself.

"Ready?" he asked without even looking at her, without admiring all the effort the girl had put into looking pretty.

"Yes, I'm ready. Let me grab my bag and we'll go." But before she turned around, Emilia said, "Would you like to come in? My parents want to meet you."

"There's no time, Emilia. Another day," he said, cutting her off. Because there was absolutely no way he was going inside to meet that girl's parents. He didn't even care about her as a girlfriend, let alone meeting her family. How stupid, Abraham thought.

"Oh! Another day, then," she said with a sweet smile.

The girl ran inside to grab her bag, said goodbye to her parents, and left with Abraham for their date.

Not once was Abraham tender, but to her, he was absolutely perfect. God, how naive. She talked and talked and talked, and Abraham pretended to listen, but the truth was he was already sick of it. All he wanted was to get her into bed, win that damn bet, and finally be rid of that fool.

For Emilia, the afternoon was perfect. She was by the side of her dream guy, the only love she'd ever known. Ever since they were young, Abraham smelled incredible -- he wore a cologne that drove her crazy, something like pine and wood with a citrus note. He truly was perfect.

Abraham wasn't even paying attention to his date or the person sitting beside him. Once everything was over, he simply dropped her off at home and sped away.

Emilia, on the other hand, walked into her house glowing with happiness. She told her mother every detail about how perfect the date with Abraham had been. They were very close, which is why her mother knew how her daughter felt about the boy. But if she had known that this kid would be her daughter's downfall, she would have done something. Unfortunately, Emilia painted Abraham as nothing short of a god.

To be continued...

Abraham at 18 years old.

Abraham at 28 years old.

Emilia at 17 years old.

Emilia at 27 years old.

After the first date, several more followed, but now Abraham no longer picked her up at her house. Instead, they met at a specific spot. He did this to avoid any risk of meeting the girl's parents. He wasn't about to let Emilia's father corner him into introductions, much less formalize something that was nothing but a game to him.

"My sweet Abraham, can I ask you something?" the beautiful Emilia asked.

"You're already asking," he replied rudely. "Go on -- what do you want to know?"

"Why do you ignore me at school? Why don't you want anyone to know you're going out with me? Am I an embarrassment to you?" she finished, lowering her gaze, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Of course not, my beautiful princess. I'm just protecting you. You know how popular I am, and I wouldn't want the girls who are obsessed with me to hurt you. Embarrassed by you? Ha -- never. You're the prettiest girl I've ever seen," Abraham finished, lying through his teeth with such conviction that even the smartest woman in love would have believed him.

And of course, Emilia believed every damn word.

"Princess, tomorrow I'll have the house to myself. I'm inviting you over so we can watch some movies, talk, and get to know each other a little more. How about it -- want to come to my place tomorrow?" Abraham asked, caressing her face and tracing her lip with his thumb.

"You'd really invite me to your house?" Emilia asked.

Abraham was annoyed by such a stupid question. He had just told her he wanted to invite her over -- why the hell was she asking again? Of course he was inviting her to his house. He took a deep breath to keep from snapping and scaring her off.

"That's what I'm telling you. Tomorrow I want us to spend the whole day together. Instead of going to school, we'll come to my place and spend the whole day together, just the two of us. Sound good, gorgeous?"

"I love the idea of spending the whole day with you, baby. Of course I accept, my handsome prince."

The next day, she was happy, radiant. She would spend the day with her beautiful prince, her beautiful Abraham.

"I'm a block away from your house. Sneak out so your parents don't realize you're not going to school."

"Yes, my handsome prince. Don't worry, I'll play it cool."

As planned, Abraham was waiting for her a block from her home. He wasn't about to risk her father spotting him and demanding explanations. He had no patience for that -- he just wanted to finish this damn bet and be done with the girl.

"Bye, Dad! Bye, Mom!" Emilia called out, kissing each of her parents on the cheek.

"Have a good day at school, sweetheart! Please come straight home as soon as you get out. Love you!" they both called back.

"Yes! Love you too!" she yelled over her shoulder.

And just like that, she literally ran to Abraham's car to have her morning and afternoon with her love, her handsome prince.

When Emilia reached the car and got in, she tried to kiss Abraham, but he casually turned his face so the kiss landed on his cheek.

"Not here, gorgeous. Someone might see us and go running to your parents," Abraham said smoothly, putting Emilia at ease.

"You're right, my prince. I'm so sorry -- I just got too excited when I saw you."

"Whatever, Emilia. Let's go enjoy the day together."

They finally arrived at Abraham's house, and just as he'd said, it was empty. His parents had gone on a trip, and he had the place to himself for a full week. Obviously, Abraham planned to use every day to get the fool Emilia into bed.

After some kissing, Abraham began kissing her neck, gently easing her down onto the carpet. The girl was obviously nervous -- this would be her first time, and she wanted Abraham to feel loved by her. She was willing to show him with her body and her kisses just how much she loved him. She hoped that this act of love would make him feel what she felt for him, which was nothing more and nothing less than true love -- the kind he would most certainly never feel for any other woman.

The kisses grew more and more passionate. Abraham was undeniably a skilled teacher for that girl, and she was thrilled to be a student of the love of her life.

"From today on, your lips will be my favorite treat," Abraham said, overwhelmed by Emilia's kisses. The truth was, the girl had genuinely impressed him with the way she kissed.

Emilia smiled and captured his lips again in a passionate kiss, their tongues battling -- neither willing to lose.

Without realizing it, Abraham was falling into his own trap. But since he was still an immature idiot, he never noticed.

He didn't even bother carrying her to a bed. He didn't bother giving her a sweet first time. He wasn't the least bit interested in any of that.

Right there on the carpet, he undressed her. Right there on the carpet, he touched her like a man possessed. Right there on the carpet, he took poor Emilia's virginity.

In that moment, as he took her, she didn't notice where it was happening. She wasn't thinking about the pain Abraham was causing her. She only thought about the fact that she was giving herself to the love of her life, and that was the only thing on her mind.

Abraham thrust in and out of Emilia without noticing her tears. He just wanted this to be over so she would get out of his life once and for all. Like a man possessed, Abraham was unconsciously enjoying the girl.

Emilia thought that the foreplay before sex had been much better -- at least then Abraham had kissed her. Now he was just pounding into her like a madman.

When he finished, he came inside her. He hadn't even bothered to use protection, much less give her a beautiful first time.

She thought this was normal, that this was what making love was like. She thought every couple did the same thing.

She had never felt the need to ask her parents about sex, but now that she was having her first time with her one true love -- or so she believed -- this was simply what all couples did. At least, that's what the girl thought.

And so the afternoon went. He finished inside her as many times as he wanted, without once considering the consequences. Of course he wouldn't -- he certainly wasn't going to worry about an unwanted pregnancy. After all, he was going to get rid of this nuisance the moment he dropped her off at home.

Afterward, Abraham went right back to being the same jerk, speaking to her harshly again. They got dressed. As she put her clothes back on, she watched him -- she watched him because even though she hadn't enjoyed the moment, because it had hurt, she was still happy.

"Hurry up, we don't have all afternoon," Abraham said roughly. "We need to get back before school lets out so your parents don't suspect anything."

In the car, they rode in complete silence. Emilia's heart was pounding. She kept glancing at the man behind the wheel. She didn't understand why Abraham was angry, but she didn't dwell on it.

Abraham parked a few houses away from Emilia's home and said:

"Get out. I don't want anyone seeing you here."

"Okay. Thank you for the lovely afternoon, my love," Emilia said, her voice trembling, looking straight into his eyes. She tried to give him a kiss, and without an ounce of gentleness, he pushed her away.

"Damn it -- don't you understand?" he yelled. "I said get out! Someone might see us. Please, just get out of the damn car."

Emilia stared at him in shock, then simply got out. She watched as Abraham hit the gas and disappeared down the road. Emilia turned and walked home with a shattered heart.

When she got home, she realized her parents were out grocery shopping -- she knew from a note her mother had left. She went up to her room and lay on her bed, trying to figure out what had happened to cause such a drastic change in Abraham.

"Did I do something wrong to make my prince so angry with me? Maybe he didn't like the way I showed him how much I love him," she thought, and thought, and thought, until sleep finally overtook her.

Emilia didn't come down for dinner because she had fallen sound asleep, still fully dressed. Her parents checked on her but assumed she was just exhausted from studying. They let her sleep, carefully removing her shoes and tucking her in.

"Good night, my princess," her father whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead, with no idea of the storm that was about to descend on his little girl's life.

To be continued...

Nearly a month and a half went by, and poor Emilia couldn't understand why Abraham had stopped talking to her. He wouldn't even look at her. It was as if she had never existed in his life. Abraham's behavior was worse than before -- at least before, he'd left her alone. Now he mocked her with his friends, though most of the time Emilia was simply invisible to him. Did it hurt? Of course it hurt. The love of her life wouldn't speak to her at all, and when he did, it was only to make fun of her in front of his friends.

One weekend, while she was having lunch with her parents, she suddenly felt ill and fainted.

They rushed her to the hospital, where they discovered the girl was pregnant. Her parents supported her from day one, because the baby wasn't to blame, and that baby would be welcomed by its grandparents and its mother.

"Sweetheart, are you going to tell the father that you're expecting a baby?" Emilia's mother asked cautiously, her eyes brimming with tears over her little girl's situation.

"Yes, Mom. I'll tell him. Tomorrow at school I'll tell him I'm pregnant. I just hope he doesn't react badly."

"Honey, is the father of your baby the boy who came to pick you up that one time? The one who wouldn't come inside to say hello to us? He's the father, isn't he?" her mother asked carefully, trying not to make her daughter any more nervous than she already was, since that stress would be terrible for the baby.

Her parents knew the girl had been seeing a boy, but they didn't know who he was. They had never met him in person, since Abraham had refused to come inside that time to meet Emilia's parents. Of course -- it was nothing serious to him, and he'd covered it up smoothly with a stupid excuse that everyone had bought.

Emilia's mother knew about her daughter's crush. She knew everything about the boy, even his name, but she had never seen his face. Despite the fact that they'd been classmates since childhood, she had never had the chance to see the father of what was now her grandchild.

"Yes, Mom. The boy who came to pick me up that time is my baby's father."

"I hope that young man takes the news well. But in case he doesn't want to step up, you know you have me and your father for everything. You are not alone, my love. It's going to be very hard if you end up being a single mother, but believe me, your child will give you the strength to push forward. And Mama will be right here to help you with everything, my princess."

"Thank you, Mom. Thank you so much. I'm sorry -- please forgive me for disappointing you. Forgive me for being a teenage mother. I truly love my baby's father, and I never thought about the consequences of my actions. Please, Mom and Dad, forgive me," Emilia said through gut-wrenching sobs.

Her parents wrapped her in their arms, and with that simple embrace, they told each other that everything would be okay.

"I know, sweetheart. I know you're in love -- that's why you gave yourself to him. Unfortunately, when a woman falls in love, she becomes foolish and stops thinking clearly."

For obvious reasons, since her body was still weak, she didn't go to school the next day. But she was determined to tell Abraham they were expecting a baby. She just hoped he would react well and not reject their child before it was even born.

Emilia's heart was racing. She was at school, ready to tell her baby's father that she was pregnant.

The teenager walked through the entire school until her eyes finally found Abraham.

"Hi, Abraham," she said, barely above a whisper, hoping he could hear her. "Could you spare me a few minutes, please? I need to talk to you. It'll only take a minute, and I promise I won't bother you again, if that's what you want."

"What the hell do you have to talk to me about? I don't want to talk to you. Just leave me alone. Stop bothering me. You're nobody to me. You're just some fool who spread her legs over a few sweet words. And guess what -- since you're here, I'll tell you why I ever came near you, so you'll leave me alone once and for all. You were nothing but a damn bet to me. A bet I obviously won, because getting you to open your legs was even easier than I thought. So stay away from me and don't come looking for me. Whatever you have to say, I don't care. Now get out of my sight -- just looking at your face disgusts me. You have no idea how revolting it was to kiss you. You have no idea how revolting it was to touch you. And you have no idea how revolting it was to be inside you. So, girl, if you have any shred of dignity, stay away from me and don't come looking for me for anything. Are we clear?" Emilia, for obvious reasons, didn't respond, so he raised his voice and asked again. "I ASKED IF WE'RE CLEAR."

With her eyes glistening, fighting back tears, Emilia told him yes -- it was clear. She simply turned around and walked away with the secret in her womb. That was the last time Emilia saw her baby's father.

To be continued...