Chapter 150 Wild Child Part II
Sarah POV
A woman emerged from the house, her voice sharp and angry. "You really got some nerve, acting like I'm nothing! If you hate it here so much, why don't you go find your real parents and see if they even want you!"
The small girl's response hit back just as hard. "I will find my real mom and dad, and I don't need you to take care of me, Anna!"
The girl turned as if to run, but the woman grabbed her arm and yanked her back. "Ashley, you really think you can just take off like that? Get back in your room!"
So this is Ashley. The pieces clicked into place from Noah's files. And this must be Anna, her adoptive mother.
I stepped forward, hoping to calm the situation, but before I could say anything, Ashley's voice pierced the air. "Child abuse! Anna's abusing me! Someone help!"
Anna dragged the struggling girl back inside and slammed the door behind them.
Jessica and I stood there in stunned silence. "Sarah," Jessica whispered, "that's supposed to be your daughter? This kid has some serious attitude problems."
She wasn't wrong. I'd expected maybe some shyness, some uncertainty. Not this level of... drama. "I guess now we know what Noah meant by 'these situations can be very delicate.'"
I pressed the doorbell again. When Anna answered, her expression was guarded, suspicious. "Who are you? What do you want?"
"My name is Sarah Martinez. I spoke with Noah Walker from Sunshine Children's Home. He gave me this address. You must be Mrs. Madison?"
The transformation was immediate. Anna's entire demeanor shifted, and she quickly stepped aside. "Oh! Come in, come in. I've been waiting for someone to come."
The inside of the house matched the exterior: worn furniture, peeling wallpaper, and the smell of something burned in the kitchen. Anna gestured toward the living room just as Ashley appeared at the top of the stairs.
"Get back in your room," Anna snapped. "Stop staring."
Ashley's response made my stomach drop. "My real parents are coming to get me, and you're just a poor nobody who doesn't deserve to be my mom anyway!" She then flounced back to her room.
I frowned, turning to Anna. "Mrs. Madison, is she always like this?"
Anna sank into a chair, looking exhausted. "Actually, it's gotten much worse. When we first adopted her, she was sweet enough. But once she figured out she wasn't my biological child, it's been nothing but tantrums and demands. She keeps saying she wants to find her 'real family' because they'll give her a better life. Last week she nearly burned down the kitchen trying to 'cook something fancy' like rich people eat."
Jessica and I exchanged uncomfortable glances. This wasn't exactly the reunion scenario I'd imagined.
"To be honest," Anna continued, "I was planning to send her back to the system, but they won't take her. If you're here to take her off my hands, that would actually be a relief. The sooner you take her, the better."
I blinked. This woman was ready to hand over a child to complete strangers? "Mrs. Madison, we should probably do a paternity test first—"
"Fine by me. Whatever you need to do."
Suddenly, Ashley came flying down the stairs and threw herself at me, wrapping her small arms around my waist. "Mommy! You came for me! Please, please take me home with you. I want to live with you instead of her!"
The word "Mommy" sent an uncomfortable chill through me. How could she just attach herself to a stranger like this?
"Ashley, right?" I said carefully. "We need to do some tests first to make sure—"
"I don't care about tests! You're my real mom, I can tell. Look at my eyes! They're just like yours! Anna always said I got them from somewhere else."
I looked at Anna. "Would it be alright if I took Ashley to get the paternity test done today?"
"Sure, sure. Take your time. Maybe the house will stay in one piece while she's gone."
Ashley was practically vibrating with excitement as we walked to Jessica's car. She chattered nonstop about how she'd always known her real parents would come, how she was going to have nice clothes and her own room and maybe even a pony.
The testing facility was efficient, if clinical. The technician explained that standard results would take five to seven business days, but for an additional fee, they could rush the process and have results within two days.
"We'll take the rush option," I said immediately.
Ashley barely flinched when they drew her blood sample. She was too busy planning our life together, asking if I lived in a big house, if I had a swimming pool, and whether she could get a different name because Ashley Madison sounded "too boring."
When we returned to Anna's house, Ashley's enthusiasm crumbled the moment she realized I wasn't taking her home with me.
"Ashley, I only brought you to get the test done today. We have to wait for the results before I can make any decisions about where you'll live. Can you stay here just a little longer?"
"No!" Her voice turned shrill. "I don't want to stay here anymore. Mommy, please just take me with you!"
She turned to Anna with a look of pure defiance. "I'm going to live with my real mom now and have a good life. And if you ever hit me again, I'll tell my mom to call the police on you."
Anna stood up abruptly. "You little brat, say that one more time and see what happens!"
Ashley immediately darted behind me, clutching my legs. "Mommy, you see? She wants to hit me! Take me away from here before she hurts me!"
I awkwardly patted Ashley's shoulder, trying to project calm while feeling completely out of my depth. "Ashley, she's just trying to scare you. She's not going to hurt you."
Jessica stepped in and firmly pried Ashley's hands away from me. "Ashley, if you keep acting like this, your mom definitely won't be able to take you anywhere. You need to be patient."
Ashley reluctantly let go, her eyes filling with tears. "Mommy, you promise you'll come back for me soon?"
Something twisted in my chest. "...Yes."
I exchanged contact information with Anna and told her we were currently living at Skyline Heights. "We were supposed to move in a couple of days, but I think we can hold off on that until we get the test results back."
On the drive back, Jessica's questions were direct and uncomfortable. "Sarah, honestly, what do you think of that kid? If she really is your daughter, are you planning to bring her home?"
I couldn't shake the image of Ashley's demanding behavior, her manipulative tears, and the way she'd instantly latched onto me.
"She's only five years old, and she's already acting like that. It's kind of scary." Jessica paused at a red light and looked at me seriously. "I noticed something else. The whole time we were driving back and forth to the lab, she kept checking out your clothes, your jewelry, and the car. I think she might just see you as someone who can give her a better lifestyle, not as her actual mother."
The observation stung because it felt accurate. Ashley hadn't shown any real emotion or connection—just calculated interest in what I could provide.
"If the test confirms she's mine, I'll bring her home and work on teaching her some discipline and values."
"Sarah, you're pregnant and dealing with a high-risk pregnancy. Do you really think you can handle a kid with behavioral problems on top of everything else?"
I cut her off. "Let's just wait for the test results."
When we arrived back at the apartment, Mom was waiting in the living room, her face full of expectation. "How did it go? What was she like?"
Before I could answer, Jessica jumped in. "That kid is completely out of control. Screaming, throwing tantrums, zero manners or respect, and she's obviously just interested in what Sarah can buy her."
Mom's expression grew complicated, worry lines creasing her forehead. "But if she really is your flesh and blood, you'd bring her home, wouldn't you?"
I sank onto the couch, my mind spinning. I honestly don't know. Part of me hopes she's my daughter, and part of me hopes she's not.