Chapter 332: Kayla’s Dilemma

Kayla’s POV

I placed the last box in the middle of the living room of the new apartment I got and exhaled, wiping sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand.

The place still smelled like fresh paint and new carpet. It wasn’t fully unpacked yet, but it felt like a fortress compared to my old place.

That day after dropping Holly, David, and Caden off at the airport, I’d started searching like my life depended on it.

I needed something with tight security…24/7 guards, cameras everywhere, gated underground parking, the works.

I finally found it at Parque Manquehue Tower on Apoquindo Avenue in Las Condes.

The complex was one of those sleek, modern high-rises with electronic key cards, concierge service, and enough CCTV to make a spy jealous.

It was expensive as hell…way more than I could comfortably afford on bakery money…but I didn’t care.

As long as Caleb couldn’t just barge in and ransack my place like he’d threatened in those messages, it was worth every peso.

Caleb. Fucking stupid Caleb Donovan.

I sank onto the edge of the couch, staring at the stack of boxes.

My mind kept drifting back to college, like it always did when the anger bubbled up.

Holly and I were in the medicine department, buried in textbooks and lab hours. Caleb was in business, the typical rich nerd type…glasses, expensive sweaters, always carrying that quiet confidence that came with money.

He’d sneak into our lecture hall sometimes, dropping notes, little gifts, expensive chocolates, even jewelry once.

The love letters were the worst. They made you feel like a queen and a goddess at the same time…poetic shit about my smile lighting up his world, how he couldn’t stop thinking about me even while he’s sleeping.

Thinking about it now, that was probably the dumbest lie ever. Like…how can you be thinking of someone while you’re sleeping?!

I’d ignored him for months. Until that night.

I went out with a couple of friends after class. Holly had bailed early because Ava called her about something family-related. We were walking back toward campus when a group of four drunk guys started harassing us on the street…catcalling, grabbing arms, blocking the sidewalk.

Things were getting scary fast. Then Caleb appeared out of nowhere. The rich nerd. He didn’t hesitate. He jumped in swinging, taking all four of them on by himself.

I still remember the shock watching him beat them to a pulp…fists flying, precise and brutal. He didn’t seem like some fragile book guy…he was strong, fast, and capable.

By the end, the guys were on the ground groaning, and Caleb had a split lip and bloody knuckles but looked like he’d do it again in a heartbeat.

That night changed everything. I saw him differently…like a knight in shining armor. Four days later, I gave in. We went back to his place, and yeah… I slept with him. I’m not proud of how fast it happened, but it felt real in the moment.

Then my period didn’t come.

The pregnancy test was positive. I went to him, heart in my throat, thinking we’d figure it out together. Instead, he looked at me like I was a stranger and denied everything…denied we’d ever dated, denied we’d even hooked up. Said I was making it up for money or attention.

His mother made it ten times worse. She showed up at the meeting, threw a fat cheque at me across the table, and told me to “terminate it and leave my son alone you golddigger.” Like the baby was some mistake to erase with cash.

I didn’t give up. I kept showing up at their gate, begging for a real conversation.

Until one day the house was empty. Caleb had moved to another country for “further studies,” and the whole family had relocated. Ghosted. Just like that.

The losses after that still hurt to count. I had to drop out of med school. Cut ties with most of my friends including Holly because explaining everything was too exhausting.

Moved back to Chile to take over my dad’s struggling bakery. Then Dad got sick and died not long after.

I would never forgive Caleb Donovan. That bastard only ever brought me pain and sorrow.

And now, after all these years, he was back trying to claim Caden? Over my dead body.

My hands shook as I fished through my purse and pulled out the old, folded cheque his mother had thrown at me.

The paper was worn at the edges from years of carrying it around like a talisman. A reminder of the pain, the abandonment, the betrayal.

I stared at the numbers…enough money to solve a lot of problems back then…but I’d never touched a cent. It was proof. Cold, hard evidence that they’d wanted my son gone before he even took his first breath.

I tucked it back safely and forced myself to keep unpacking.

The apartment had two bedrooms, unlike the previous one that had three.

I had wanted to rent a one bedroom apartment, but I considered Holly too. At least when she got back, she could crash here with me.

From our last call, they were already on their way. That thought made me smile a little. Holly had been a lifesaver, getting Caden out of here fast. The fact that I’m not alone in this fight anymore made me feel a little bit better.

I still needed to do grocery shopping. I wanted to make something nice and hot for her when she arrived…maybe her favorite empanadas or a big pot of cazuela. She deserved it for helping me keep Caden far away from this mess.

Grabbing my purse and phone, I headed out. The elevator ride down to the ground floor was smooth and quiet.

I crossed the lobby, nodded at the security guard, and took the stairs down to the underground garage. Sliding into my car, I zoomed out onto Apoquindo, still turning everything over in my head.

Caleb and his family, plus their fancy lawyers, kept threatening me. Saying I didn’t have the money or power to fight them. But no way in hell was I letting them touch my child. They’d rejected him. Tried to pay me to abort him. And I still had the cheque as proof.

The drive felt longer than it should. My mind wouldn’t shut off.

By the time I reached the big mall, I was on edge. I parked in the crowded lot and headed inside, basket in hand, trying to focus on the shopping list.

But something felt wrong.

I kept feeling eyes on me. Like someone was following. Watching.

I picked up my pace, weaving through the crowd near the food court, hoping whoever it was would get lost in the sea of people.

My heart started hammering. What if they grabbed me? Would they go after Caden next? I couldn’t let that happen. He was safe with Ava for now, but the fear clawed at my chest anyway.

Tears started falling heavily down my cheeks before I even realized it.

I was so lost in the panic that I didn’t see the solid wall of a person in front of me until I crashed straight into it…hard.