Chapter 30%
I bought a pregnancy test on the pharmacy and took it the moment I found a private bathroom. My hands trembled as I held the test, staring at the result.
Positive.
A rush of emotions slammed into me all at once–shock, fear, disbelief. Of all the times for this to happen, why now? Why, when everything was already falling apart? My grip tightened around the test as I tried to steady my breathing. This couldn’t be real. Not now.
I shoved the test into my bag, splashed cold water on my face, and forced myself to push it aside. Right now, I needed to focus on Amara and Darius X
Stepping out of the bathroom, I expected to see Amara waiting outside where I had left her. But the hallway was empty.
I froze. My heart slammed against my chest. She was just here.
I looked around, “Amara?” My voice echoed down the corridor, but there was no answer
Panic gripped me, I turned and rushed toward the waiting area, my stomach twisting, I spotted Ronan near the nurse’s station, his sharp gaze flicking to me as I approached.
He immediately caught the distress on my face. “What’s wrong?“)
“Amara,” I gasped, barely able to get the words out. “She’s gone.
His expression turned to steel. “What do you mean she’s gone?”
“I left her outside for just a minute My words cut off as my phone rang in my pocket. The sound made my blood run cold.”
I didn’t recognize the number. But I didn’t have to. I already knew who it was.
With shaking fingers, Lanswered. “Where is she?”
soft, mocking chuckle filled my ear, one that sent a cold shiver down
my spine.
Valeria, Miranda’s smooth, taunting voice came through the line. “I’m just taking my child back.
y breath caught.
No!
No, she couldn’t have.
“You’re lying,” I whispered
A small cry echoed in the background, fragile and desperate.}
“Mommy!” Amara’s voice cracked with fear. “Please! I wanna stay with Mommy!“}
“Shut up.” Miranda snapped, her voice turning sharp.}
Then a loud slap.
Amara whimpered,
I saw red.
“You monster!” I screamed, my grip tightening around the phone. “Let her go!!
Miranda only laughed. “You don’t seem to understand, Valeria She’s my–daughter. And you should call her by her real name–Penelope.”
The name sent ice through my veins.
“As you see, Lorenzo and I had a beautiful past, you know? Shame Isabella ruined it. But before I left, I made sure to have one last gift from him.”
I felt sick. My stomach twisted violently.
“You abandoned her,” I hissed. “You threw her away, and now you want to use her?”
“She’s useful,” Miranda admitted, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “And she adores me. That’s all that matters.”
In the background, I could still hear Amara’s small, frightened sobs.!!
I pressed my hand to my chest, trying to breathe, trying to keep myself from shattering into pieces.
“You heartless–T
The call disconnected.
A dead silence followed.
My entire body went numb.
My legs buckled, and I would have collapsed if Ronan hadn’t grabbed me at the last second. His grip was firm, steady, the only thing keeping me from sinking into the floor.
“Valena,” his voice cut through my haze, sharp and full of urgency. “What happened?”
Tears blurred my vision. “She took her I choked out. “She took Amar.”
Ronan’s face darkened, his expression lethal “Where?”
“I don’t know,” I gasped. “But she called her Penelope. Said she was Lorenzo’s daughter. I don’t- My chest tightened, a sharp pain. stabbing through me I can’t-
“We’ll get her back,” Ronan said, his voice firm, leaving no room for doubt!:
But his words barely reached me.“.
323 PM c d
But his words barely reached me ⠀
Then the hospital doors swung open.
A doctor stepped out, pulling down his mask. His eyes scanned the room before settling on me!!
“Miss Valeria?
I turned, my body stiff, my pulse thundering in my ears!
“Yes?”
He hesitated. Then, in a calm, clinical voice, he said the words that shattered me completely.2
“Danus fell into a coma.“T
The world tilted
The sounds around me became distant, muffled, as if I were sinking underwater. The doctor kept speaking, but I couldn’t process a single word.
Darius was unconscious.
Amara was gone.
And I was pregnant!
The weight of it all pressed down on me, crushing the air from my lungs. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.
Then the world blurred-
And everything went dark.2
-MIRANDA-
The little brat wouldn’t stop crying.
Miranda’s grip on the steering wheel tightened as a smirk tugged at her lips. She could still hear Valeria’s screams ringing in her ears, the way the woman’s voice had cracked when she realized her precious Amara was gone. It was almost too easy. Pathetic.
She should have just killed Valeria right there, ended the miserable bitch and taken everything away from her in one swift move. But where was the fun in that? No, she wanted to play. She wanted to draw out her suffering, make her beg, make her fall to her knees and shatter? A broken voice rose from the back seat. “P–Please… I w–want to go back to Mommy
Miranda flicked her gaze to the rearview mirror, rolling her eyes at the sight of Penelope–Amara–hugging herself, tears streaming down
her face.
“Mommy?” Miranda mocked, her lips curling in disgust. “Let me remind you, sweetheart, you don’t have a mommy. You have me.” The little girl whimpered, curling further into herself.
Miranda let out a sharp laugh and turned her attention back to the road. It was amusing how quickly the girl had warmed up to Valeria. Just a few years away from her and suddenly, she was ‘Mommy?%
How disgusting. Eww.
Her phone rang. Without taking her eyes off the road, she pressed the speaker button. Tell me, Rafael, do you want Darius dead in bed? Because I can have his head ready by morning.
A deep chuckle came from the other end
