The pain slowly turned into numbness. I couldn't even tell if I still had any pity left for someone like him who was full of lies. I no longer recognized the Jake I had once loved and given my life to. Now, all I saw was a dark nightmare I desperately wanted to escape.
“Jake, let's go! The rain’s getting worse, and I'm starving!” Charise’s voice was sharp and impatient.
“Please, Charise! I need to fix this,” Jake pleaded.
“No need, Jake! Don’t worry. She’s all yours now!” I shot back, my voice cold.
I turned my back on him, clutching the evidence I had gathered. I knew exactly where I was going to send it—to the higher-ups. Everything I did was for my child; I had to make sure whatever was rightfully ours wouldn’t be stolen away.
My phone rang again, and this time, I had no choice but to answer. I was sure my mother was worried sick. She’s the only one who’s ever truly loved me.
“Finally, you picked up! Nicole? My child, you had me so worried! Where are you? I called earlier, but you didn’t answer. I’m here at the mansion, but you’re not around. Where are you? I brought your favorite food.”
I took a deep breath. I couldn’t let my mother worry. If she found out where I was and what was happening, it would break her heart.
“Yes, Ma. I hear you... I’m sorry I missed your call earlier. Jake and I are just... at a new restaurant we wanted to try. Don’t worry, Ma, I’m fine. And Jake’s with me.”
The lie tasted bitter on my tongue, but I had to keep it up. I couldn't bear to see my mother in the same sorrow she had felt when my father left us when I was just a child. She raised me alone, with so much love, without a single complaint. And though I longed to give my own child the complete family I never had, it was becoming painfully clear that it might never happen.
“Alright, as long as Jake’s with you, I feel at ease. But, sweetheart, your pregnancy is delicate. It’s already late, and the weather’s turning bad—it looks like a storm. Make sure you head home soon, okay?”
“Yes, Ma... Please just leave the food at the mansion. Thank you so much,” I replied, I tried to calm myself, forcing steady breaths, but I could tell my mother sensed something was off. It hurt so much, but I had to be strong—especially now. In just a few weeks, I would finally hold my baby, the one light in my dark world.
“There’s something off with your voice, my child. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine, Ma, really. Maybe it’s just the bad signal... Don’t worry, Jake’s here with me.”
“Alright then, just call me when you get home. I’ll be heading out too. Take care, and be safe. I miss you, my dear.”
“You too, Ma. Please take care, and I miss you so much...”
As I waited for her to hang up, tears began to stream down my face uncontrollably. Her loving words made the pain of Jake’s betrayal feel so fresh, like a wound torn open again. I broke down, sobbing with my hands cradling my swollen belly. The agony was suffocating, and the rain outside seemed to weep along with me, pounding against the pavement like the shattered pieces of my heart.
I decided to shift into my wolf form to get home faster, but I underestimated how hard it would be. I was weak, and my pregnancy made it so much harder. The downpour only grew worse, and I searched for shelter. I tried booking a taxi, but nothing was available in the storm.
As I stood there, drenched and desperate, I heard someone calling my name. At first, I couldn’t make out who it was through the sheets of rain. But as he came closer, his face became clear.
“Nicole!”
