Chapter 149 149
Chapter 149 149
RYAN
The moment I walked away from the living room with Zara in my arms, I knew none of them believed I was serious.
They all thought I was bluffing.
Unfortunately for them, I had reached the point where I no longer had the patience to argue with people who refused to respect my boundaries.
Zara rested her head against my shoulder as I climbed the stairs, and I couldn’t help wondering how much of the conversation she had actually understood.
She was only four years old, but children had an incredible way of piecing things together, especially when adults underestimated how closely they listened.
When we reached her bedroom, I pushed the door open and carried her inside before setting her gently on the bed.
She looked up at me with sleepy eyes, the confusion on her face making my heart ache.
“Daddy,” she asked quietly, “is Grandma angry?”
I smiled despite the knot tightening in my chest and brushed a curl away from her face.
“Grandma and Daddy just disagree on a few things,” I said gently. “Sometimes adults forget how to talk without arguing, but none of that has anything to do with you.”
She studied my face for a moment before nodding, although I wasn’t entirely convinced she believed me.
“What about the lady?”
I already knew which lady she meant.
“She’s going home soon.”
“The baby too?”
I took a slow breath.
“We’re going to let the grown-ups figure that out, okay?”
She accepted the answer with a small nod before wrapping her tiny arms around my neck.
“I love you.”
“I love you more, Peanut.”
I kissed her forehead before helping her under the blanket.
“I need you to stay in your room for a little while. Lock the door, and don’t open it unless you hear my voice.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll come back as soon as I’m done.”
She gave me another sleepy smile, and I quietly left the room.
The warmth I always felt around Zara disappeared the second I closed her bedroom door behind me.
I reached into my pocket, pulled out my phone, and dialed the police.
The operator answered after only a few rings.
“Emergency services. How may I help you?”
“My name is Ryan Thompson,” I said calmly. “I have people inside my home who entered without my permission and have refused to leave after being asked several times. I would like officers dispatched to remove them.”
The operator asked for my address before confirming that officers were already on their way.
After thanking her, I slipped my phone back into my pocket and leaned briefly against the hallway wall.
For the first time that morning, I felt completely at peace with my decision.
Some people only understood consequences after they faced them.
A few minutes later, the distant sound of police sirens drifted through the windows.
I made my way downstairs, unsurprised to find everyone exactly where I had left them.
My father noticed me first, and from the apologetic look on his face, I suspected he had spent the last few minutes trying unsuccessfully to convince the other two to leave.
My mother looked at me the moment I reached the bottom of the stairs.
“You actually called them.”
There was genuine disbelief in her voice.
“I told you I would.”
She stared at me as though she had never seen me before.
“Ryan, this is ridiculous.”
“No,” I replied evenly. “What was ridiculous was barging into my house, refusing to leave, and involving my daughter in a conversation she never should have heard.”
“I am your mother.”
“And this is still my house.”
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
“I can’t believe I gave birth to someone who would call the police on his own family.”
I held her gaze without flinching.
“I didn’t call them because you’re family. I called them because you refused to respect me after I repeatedly asked you to leave.”
Before my mother could respond, Miranda stepped forward.
“This has gone far enough.”
I looked at her.
“No, it hasn’t.”
She folded her arms.
“You’re embarrassing everyone.”
“I think you managed that on your own the moment you showed up here with moving boxes.”
Her face tightened.
“I’m carrying your child.”
“And whether you are or you aren’t is something we’ll find out very soon.”
She frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“My hospital will perform every examination necessary, and the results will determine exactly where we go from here.”
She swallowed.
“I already told you I’m pregnant.”
“And until qualified doctors confirm that, I don’t want another phone call from you.”
Her confidence visibly faltered.
“I don’t want another message.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but I continued before she had the chance.
“I don’t want you showing up at my house again, and I certainly don’t want you involving my daughter in whatever this situation turns out to be.”
The sound of a vehicle pulling into the driveway interrupted the silence.
A few seconds later, the front door opened, and two uniformed officers stepped inside.
One of them looked around the room before his eyes settled on me.
“Mr. Thompson?”
“That’s me.”
“We received a report regarding trespassers refusing to leave your property.”
“That’s correct.”
Before I could explain further, my mother let out an impatient scoff and picked up her handbag.
“That won’t be necessary,” she said, walking toward the entrance. “We’re leaving.”
The officers stepped aside to let her pass while my father quietly followed behind her. Miranda shot me one last glare before dragging her boxes toward the door, muttering something under her breath that I couldn’t quite make out.
I remained where I was, watching them head toward the driveway.
Just as my mother reached her car, one of the officers’ phones rang.
He answered immediately, listening without interrupting while his expression slowly became more serious with every passing second.
By the time the call ended, the casual professionalism he’d worn moments earlier had completely disappeared.
Without saying a word to his partner, he slipped his phone back into his pocket and hurried across the driveway.
“Ma’am,” he called.
My mother stopped with one hand on the driver’s door and looked back at him with visible annoyance.
“Yes?”
The officer came to a stop a few feet away before straightening his posture.
“I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to come with us.”
She frowned.
“For what?”
He met her gaze without hesitation.
“Ma’am… you’re wanted at our station for questioning.”