Chapter 61 Chapter 61
Without looking at Lucien again, I just started my car and drove away. My fists clenched the steering wheel tightly, and my eyes were fixed on the road as I felt pure rage pulsing through my veins.
I couldn't believe Lucien's incompetence to stand up for his own daughter. He just watched his father and that plastic doll, Sophia, treat our daughter like a mistake that needed to be erased.
Earlier, I used to feel bad about how his father had molded him, but today what he did was his own mistake. He would have to understand that he is no longer that small kid whom his father used to abuse.
Contributing a sperm doesn't make you a father. It comes up with a lot of responsibilities.
How could he listen to those vile words from Sophia and say nothing!
"Mumma," the soft voice of Aurora snapped me out of my thoughts.
I turned my head toward her while keeping an eye on the street.
"Yes, baby?"
"Where are we going?" she asked innocently.
For a moment, my heart stopped beating.
Where were we going?
I had left Lucien's house without thinking about the fact that we had nowhere to go.
She looked up at me with such innocence and hope that my heart clenched. Because of us, this little soul had to suffer. To her, I am home, but I didn't have a permanent place to give her.
Today she was so calm and silent. I had never seen her like this. My baby usually chirped with excitement and I want her that way only.
"Strawberry shake from your favorite cafe?" I asked.
Her eyes instantly lit up and she clapped twice, jumping in her seat. My heart flushed with happiness. Her one smile was enough to light up my whole world.
I drove to her favorite cafe and bought her a strawberry shake. It bought me some time to think while she was busy with her drink.
The smell of roasted beans and sugar that used to calm me felt suffocating.
I pulled out my phone and dialed a number. It rang twice before the man picked up.
"Hello," came a grumpy voice from the other side.
"Hello, Mr. White, it's Cynthia."
"Hello, Cynthia. How are you?" he asked.
"I’m good," I swallowed. "I wanted to ask if the apartment where I was staying before is still available?"
He paused for a second, and my heart dropped. I didn't know where I would go if he said no.
"It is, but..." He took a long pause before adding, "The rent has been increased by 40%."
Forty percent!
Was he serious?
"And you will have to pay three months' advance before shifting."
My ears turned red. He was taking advantage of my situation. The apartment wasn't worth that much, but he knew it wasn't easy to find a place for rent in this city. It seemed I would have to sell my car.
It was fine.
I would buy a luxury car for myself once my business flourishes.
"Okay, fine. Give me one week. I will pay you the advance."
"Okay, Cynthia," he said. I released a deep breath, only for it to catch in my throat again. "Then you can shift into your apartment next week."
"Next week?" The words tumbled out of my mouth in surprise. "But I wanted it today."
He fell silent for a long moment before saying, "Right now, it's under renovation."
My teeth clenched. He wasn't going to spend a single penny on that apartment. If I paid him the three-month advance, he would hand over the keys instantly.
"Next week. Come with the advance payment and the apartment is yours."
He hung up.
Fuck!
"Mommmaaa," Aurora's voice pulled me out of my thoughts before I could dwell on anything else. "What happened?"
I shook my head and stroked her cheek. She offered me a sip of her drink, and I took it just to make her happy.
I would have stayed anywhere if it were only about me, but Aurora? I needed to keep her safe, especially now that Sophia knew about her.
"Mumma! Let's go home," she smiled up at me.
My throat contracted as I asked, "Which home?" I was trying my best not to cry in front of her.
She slapped her forehead.
"AD's home!" she smiled. "He forgot us," she pouted. "Let's give him a surprise."
My breath hitched. I had already used him enough. I didn't want to go to his home, especially while he was in a coma, but right now it seemed like the only option. I needed a roof over our heads for a week.
I nodded my head. "Okay."
She beamed with happiness, jumping down from the chair and walking toward the exit. I settled her into her seat before starting the car and driving toward Adrian’s home.
Every time I am in trouble, he becomes my savior, conscious or not.
Stopping my mind from racing too much, I parked the car and stepped out before taking Aurora with me.
I punched in the security code before opening the door, and all I met was silence. The sound of our own breath felt too loud.
I sighed and walked inside to find everything exactly as I had left it.
Suddenly, I heard a sound from inside the house. My eyebrows drew together in confusion, and Aurora clutched my shirt so hard her knuckles were white. "Mumma, why is it so dark, and where is AD?"
"He is out for work, remember?" I told her.
She just stared at me, not buying my lie anymore.
I turned around, opened the door, and made her stand at the doorway.
"Stay here, and if I yell 'Run,' you go straight to the car and lock the doors. Do you understand?" I asked her in a low whisper.
"You, mumma?" she asked.
"I will catch up to you, okay?"
She nodded, but her tiny eyes still held concern for me. I hated leaving her there, even for a second, but I couldn't drag her into a potential ambush.
I slipped off my shoes before walking inside. I didn't want to make any unnecessary sound.
Thud.
My heart leaped into my throat. The sound came from the direction of Adrian’s private study. It was a dull and heavy sound as if some drawer was forced open.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and looked around frantically for a weapon. My eyes landed on a heavy vase kept aside.
I had the option to take Aurora and run but my inner consciousness didn't allow me. Adrian has always helped me in need, I can't leave his house just like this for a burglar to take away everything he has built with so much hard work.
I held the vase tightly in one hand before pushing open the door.
The man's head turned toward me, and for a moment, my soul left my body!