The mont I stepped into my apartnt, a wave of exhaustion crashed over . I shut the door and leaned against it, exhaling slowly as if that would make the weight in my chest any lighter. My body ached in places I didn’t know could hurt, but it wasn’t just physical. It was emotional and ntal.
I fished out my phone and dialed Papa Nuro.
"Hello, my dear," his voice ca through.
"Hey Dad, I’m not feeling too well,"
"Have you seen a doctor?" Concern laced his words.
"I just need rest."
Papa Nuro sighed, "You shouldn’t be doing this by yourself, Sweetie. I’m sorry."
"Its okay. I will see you tomorrow at the final hearing."
"Alright, but don’t hesitate to call if you need anything."
After ending the call, I headed to the nursery to see my baby. Her nanny was in there too taking a nap. Queen can be a handful during the day especially now that she is gaining so movents.
She lay in her crib, her perfect little lips slightly parted as she breathed in peaceful slumber. My heart clenched at the sight of her. She was everything to . Our love child, as Richard had once called her. Back when he still loved .
I used to think love like ours was untouchable. That it could withstand anything. But love, as I had learned the hard way was glass, beautiful but fragile. It shattered with just the right amount of pressure.
And now, here I was—alone, pregnant again.
I had sent the nanny ho earlier than usual, needing solitude to process everything. But instead of clarity, all I felt was loneliness. The evening stretched into night and I was still sitting in a place, thinking, processing.
Then my phone rang. A video call from Richard.
I hesitated for a brief mont before answering. His face appeared on my screen, his eyes scanning my face.
"Hey, hi," he said as if we were old friends catching up.
I swallowed hard. Small talk would betray . I couldn’t risk blurting out the truth. "Queen is asleep already. Do you want to see her?"
"Actually, I thought we could talk," he said instead.
My heart clenched. Now he wants to talk.
"About what?" I asked.
"Everything. Anything," he shrugged. "My dad said you aren’t feeling too great. How’s work going?"
"It’s fine."
An awkward silence stretched between us, filling the space with everything left unsaid.
"Is everything alright?" he asked eventually.
"Yes. Why wouldn’t it be?"
"I don’t know... I get this weird vibe that you’re mad at ."
Mad? That didn’t even begin to cover it.
"When are you coming back?" I asked, changing the subject.
He hesitated. Too long. Too noticeable.
"Uh... well... about that," he exhaled. "I’m not coming back, Nita. I plan on moving Nuro Headquarters here, so I can handle things from here."
Everything after I’m not coming back blurred into white noise. The room tilted, the walls closing in. My fingers clenched around the phone as the reality of his words sank in.
"So let get this straight," I said, "You trick into getting pregnant, dump , and run away, saddling with a child."
"That’s not what it is."
"Then tell exactly what it is, because that’s what it looks like."
He exhaled sharply, "I was thinking of making an arrangent for Queen to co here and stay with for a while when she stops breastfeeding."
I laughed.
"You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you? It’s long-distance co-parenting now, isn’t it?"
"Nita, we have a private jet. It’s not so difficult."
"Right. Right..."
"Are you crying?" he asked suddenly, his voice softer now.
I hadn’t even realized.
"No," I lied.
"Nita, I’m sorry."
I sucked in a shaky breath. Don’t fall apart. Not in front of him.
"I’m not crying because of you," I shot back. Perish that thought, Richard. If he didn’t want , then I sure as hell wouldn’t sit here crying over him.
"Then what is it?"
Maybe I should tell him. Maybe if he knew, he’d co ho. Maybe if he realized I was carrying his child, we could co-parent here instead of thousands of miles apart.
"I’m..." I started.
"Yeah?" he pressed.
"I’m dating Victor."
Silence.
A heartbeat.
Two.
Then..."Wow... uh... congratulations."
Congratulations?!
I stared at the screen in disbelief. Did he just...
Sothing inside snapped.
"I have to catch so sleep. Good night, Richard."
I ended the call before he could respond. My phone slipped from my grasp, landing softly on the couch beside .
"Congratulations?! What the fuck."
*****
This was it. The day was finally here. The final hearing for Chayara’s custody battle.
We already knew how it would end. Papa Nuro would win. The law was on his side and morally, there was no argunt. Chayara belonged with him. But knowing the outco didn’t make this mont any easier.
What none of us expected was Sam.
He was led in under ard guard, his hands and feet bound in cuffs. The chains rattled with every step he took, an eerie reminder of how far he had fallen. The once-proud man was now just a prisoner.
Lilian rushed to him the mont he entered. Her voice cut through the hushed murmurs of the courtroom.
"You still have ti, you stupid bastard! You can fix this!" she hissed, gripping his arm. "Don’t throw everything away!"
He didn’t answer her. Didn’t even look at her.
But I saw it then. What everyone had been saying. She was the mastermind. The one pulling the strings. The one who had led her son down this path. She should be in cuffs beside him.
I turned around and saw my mother’s eyes were on . She had been looking at suspiciously since I arrived at the courthouse. I knew she sensed sothing was off. She always did. She knew I was hiding sothing.
The judge entered, and we all took our seats. The room fell into a hush, the kind that always cos before sothing life-changing happens. The closing argunts ca with a brief speech from the judge about doing what was best for the child. And then the mont we were all waiting for ca.
The judge’s voice was steady and final.
"I hereby grant full custody of Chayara to Mr. Nuro. It will be at his discretion whether her grandmother is allowed visitation rights."
That was it.
It was over.
For a second, no one moved. Then Lilian exploded.
"This is ridiculous! You crazy woman! Have you experienced what I have before? You stupid bitch!"
"Enough!" The judge banged her gavel. "Don’t let hold you in contempt of court, Miss. Moore."
A soft murmur of congratulations filled the space as we turned to Papa Nuro. The relief on his face was clear. We had won. We had fought for this, fought so hard. But the victory was bittersweet.
We had lost soone along the way.
Abby. The brightest star of a mother-in-law. Her absence was a wound that would never fully heal.
Papa Nuro took Chayara in his arms and walked her over to Sam.
This was his first ti eting Chayara and I held my breath as Sam’s eyes landed on her. His child. His daughter. His lips parted slightly but no words ca. Then a single tear slipped down his face.
It was silent. Just one tear, one tear that carried heavy emotions.
And it was enough.
"Do right by her," Sam said.
"Always," Papa Nuro responded, his grip tightening around the little girl in his arms.
Sam nodded. Then turned and followed the guards out.
Papa Nuro still had Chayara in his arms when I turned to him. Without thinking, I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around them both.
"We did it," I whispered.
"Yes," he said. "We did."
I quickly kissed my dad and muttered a rushed goodbye.
"Why are you in such a hurry?" he asked.
I forced a smile. "I just have sowhere to be. Say goodbye to Mom for , okay?"
He didn’t look convinced, but he nodded. I was a grown woman and I was still running away from my mother.
*****
One week later, I picked up my phone and called Dr. Sanders.
I had made my decision.
She scheduled in. The appointnt was set.
There was a dull numbness in my chest as I ended the call, but I ignored it. I had no other choice. Or maybe... I was just taking the coward’s way out.
Either way, I was done being strong.
I had no energy left in to be a single mother to two children, even though their father was one of the top ten most influential businessn in the country. Money didn’t raise children. People did. And I didn’t have it in to raise another one alone.
If I called him up and said, "Hey, I’m pregnant," he’d probably think it was entrapnt. He’d say I planned this.
I wasn’t Gwen. I wasn’t going to use a child to keep a man. Queen was all the baby I needed.
Besides, I had just gotten my career back on track. This pregnancy would only complicate everything. No. I had made the right choice.
At least, that’s what I told myself.
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