Chapter 60 Chapter 60
Hailey’s POV
Days blurred into weeks, each one feeling longer than the last.
My mother had settled into the guest house and refused to leave, spending every day trying to convince me that we needed to run away together. She’d bring up my father’s death, Elena’s suspicious accident, the violence that seemed to follow the Crimson Syndicate everywhere.
“You’re running out of time,” she’d say every morning. “The longer you stay, the harder it will be to leave.”
But I couldn’t bring myself to go. Not yet. Maybe not ever.
My pregnancy was becoming impossible to hide now. At sixteen weeks, my bump was clearly visible, a constant reminder of the life growing inside me and the complicated future that awaited us.
Benita was going through her own struggles. She and Marco were on and off so frequently I couldn’t keep track anymore. One day they’d be inseparable, the next she’d be crying in my arms about how she couldn’t do this anymore, how the danger was too much.
I understood her pain more than I wanted to admit.
One morning, Benita showed up at the penthouse with a determined expression. “We’re going shopping,” she announced.
“I don’t really feel like….” I started.
“I don’t care,” she interrupted. “We’ve been cooped up in this place for weeks. We need fresh air, normal activities, a reminder that we’re still human beings and not just prisoners in a gilded cage.”
She had a point.
“Fine,” I agreed. “But the guards are coming.”
“Obviously,” Benita said, rolling her eyes. “I’m not suicidal.”
An hour later, we were at one of the upscale shopping districts downtown, surrounded by four of Damien’s guards who tried to maintain a respectful distance while still keeping us in sight.
It felt almost normal, walking through stores, picking out clothes, making silly jokes about fashion.
“This dress makes me look like a tablecloth,” Benita declared, holding up a particularly ugly floral print.
“Then don’t buy it,” I said, laughing.
“But what if Marco likes tablecloths?” she countered. “What if that’s his secret fantasy?”
“If that’s his fantasy, you have bigger problems than I thought,” I said.
We were both giggling, lost in the simple pleasure of friendship and normalcy, when a man suddenly rushed toward us.
He was young, maybe mid-twenties, dressed in worn clothes that had seen better days. His hair was messy, his face unshaven, and he had the desperate look of someone who’d been living rough.
“Please,” he said, reaching toward me. “I just need a dollar. Anything. I haven’t eaten in two days.”
Immediately, two of the guards stepped between us, their hands moving to their weapons.
“Step back,” one guard ordered firmly.
“I’m sorry,” the man said, holding up his hands. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare anyone. I’m just hungry.”
Something about his desperation touched me. I’d been so consumed by my own problems, I’d forgotten that other people were struggling too.
“It’s okay,” I said to the guards. “Let me through.”
“Miss Hailey,” the guard protested. “We can’t…”
“It’s fine,” I insisted, stepping around them.
I pulled out my wallet and found a five dollar bill, holding it out to the man.
“Here,” I said. “Get yourself something to eat.”
His face lit up as he took the money, his fingers brushing against mine briefly.
“Thank you,” he breathed. “You’re an angel. A beautiful angel.”
Then he looked directly into my eyes, and something shifted in his expression. “You have the most amazing eyes,” he said, his voice taking on a softer quality. “I could just get lost in them.”
I felt my cheeks flush with unexpected pleasure at the compliment, a silly smile spreading across my face.
“Oh please,” Benita’s voice cut through the moment. “Hailey, look at this dress. Does this make my ass look fat?”
The spell was broken, and I turned to look at the truly hideous dress Benita was holding up, clearly trying to break up whatever moment had been happening.
“Everything makes your ass look fat in that dress,” I said. “Because that dress is a crime against fashion.”
The man laughed, and I found myself smiling at him again.
“Could I maybe get your number?” he asked, his tone almost shy now. “I’d love to take you out sometime.”
I gestured to my visible baby bump. “I’m pregnant.”
“Oh,” he said, but he didn’t look deterred. “That’s okay. I just want to be friends, honestly. You seem really nice, and I…” He paused, then smiled. “Actually, you look familiar. I think I’ve seen you in some of my classes at the university. Are you a student there?”
“I was,” I said. “I’ve been missing a lot of lectures lately because of… complications.”
“Maybe we could meet up sometime,” he suggested. “I could help you guys catch up on what you’ve missed. And we could do like a triple date thing, you know?”
I exchanged a curious glance with Benita who have the same expression.
“I’m Tyler, by the way,” he said as we started to walk away.
“Hailey,” I replied. “And this is Benita.”
“We could meet up anywhere, anytime,” Jake said as we prepared to leave. “I’m pretty flexible with my schedule, and I’d be more than willing to help you both catch up on what you’ve missed.”
“That’s really kind of you,” I said, smiling. “I’ll text you once I figure out when works best for everyone.”
“Sounds great,” he said, returning the smile. “Looking forward to it.”
We walked back to the car, the guards maintaining their protective formation around us, and I felt lighter than I had in weeks.
The moment we were inside the vehicle and the doors were closed, Benita turned to me with a serious expression.
“Are you actually considering this?” she asked. “In the midst of everything that’s happening, you want to meet up with some random guy we just met?”
“I’m not giving up on my education,” I said firmly. “Are you? Because we’ve missed so much already. If we don’t find a way to keep up, we’re going to fail out completely.”
Benita sighed, leaning back against the seat. “I know. I’ve been worried about that too.”
“So here’s what I’m thinking,” I continued. “We don’t have to actually go out to meet him. We could have him come to us, maybe to the guest house where you’re staying. We’d have security right there, guards watching everything. And we could get tutored, sign attendance sheets if he brings them, find a way to stay on track with our academic goals without having to physically go back to campus where it’s dangerous.”
Benita considered this, her expression thoughtful. “You really think Damien would go for that? Letting some stranger into his house?”
“It’s worth asking,” I said. “The alternative is dropping out completely and throwing away everything we’ve worked for.”
“You’re right,” Benita admitted reluctantly. “I just… I have a weird feeling about this. I can’t explain it.”
“You’re paranoid because of everything that’s happened,” I said gently. “Which is completely understandable. But we can’t let fear control every decision we make.”
We rode the rest of the way in silence, each lost in our own thoughts.
When we arrived back at the penthouse, I was immediately confronted by my mother, who’d been waiting in the main living area.
“We need to talk,” Barbara said, her expression serious. “Now.”
I followed her to a quieter corner of the room, and she turned to face me with determination written all over her face.
“I’m leaving in a few days,” she announced. “I’ve stayed as long as I can, tried to convince you to see reason. But I can’t stay here indefinitely watching you throw your life away.”
My heart sank. “Mom….”
“It’s up to you whether you come with me or stay here,” she continued. “But I need your decision. Final decision. Are you coming with me or not?”
I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of this moment settle over me.
“I want to stay,” I said quietly.
Pain flashed across my mother’s face. “Hailey…..”
“I can’t bring myself to leave Damien,” I interrupted. “I can’t separate my baby from their father before they’re even born. That’s not fair to anyone.”
“Fair?” Barbara’s voice rose. “You want to talk about fair? Is it fair that your child will grow up surrounded by violence? Is it fair that you might not live to see them turn one because the Morellis are hunting you?”
“Please don’t leave me,” I said, my voice breaking. “Stay here. We could work together to complete what Dad started. You have all that evidence. Damien has the resources and power to actually do something with it. Together, maybe we could finally bring the Morellis down.”
Barbara stared at me like I’d lost my mind. “You think it’s that simple? You think we can just team up with the Crimson Syndicate and take down an entire mafia family?”
“I think it’s worth trying,” I said desperately. “I think Dad would want us to try.”
“Don’t you dare,” Barbara said, her voice shaking with emotion. “Don’t you dare use your father’s memory to justify this insanity. Thomas would want you alive, Hailey. Safe. Far away from all of this.”
“You don’t know that,” I argued.
“Yes, I do!” she shouted. “Because I knew him! Because he spent his last days trying to protect us from this world! And now you’re diving headfirst into it like it’s some kind of adventure!”
“It’s not an adventure,” I said, tears streaming down my face now. “It’s my life. My baby’s life. And I’m not running away from it.”
“Then you’re throwing your life away,” Barbara said, her voice breaking. “You’re throwing it away for a man you just met, for a world you don’t understand, for a future that will probably end with you in a grave next to your father!”
“I agree with your mother.”
We both turned to see Isabella standing in the doorway, her expression cold and composed as always.