Chapter 45

"Mrs Knight is not receiving anyone," the woman said without even looking up at Ana. Ana frowned a little.

"Ma'am I haven't even said anything," Ana said in confusion. She had come to Dorothy Knight's office so as to talk to the woman. But the secretary (or at least Ana thought she was a secretary) had not even bothered asking anything about her. Just affirmed that she couldn't see Dorothy.

"You don't need to tell me anything for me to know you want to see Mrs Knight. It won't be possible," the woman repeated and Ana held in the urge to scream or slap her– or both!

She stared at the woman for a while and when it was evident she wasn't going to budge, she turned around slowly and started walking towards the elevator.

Ana heard the shrill ringing of a clearly office phone but she didn't pay it any mind. She just wanted to Dorothy to explain things to her. To tell her she was sorry about the case she had filed accidentally, and was going to do all she could to take it down.

As Ana was about to enter the elevator, the secretary called out a "Wait, miss!"

Ana turned confused and faced the woman who beckoned her with the universal come gesture. Ana walked towards her slowly then stopped when she reached her desk.

"You can see her. She said to let you in," the woman said and Ana frowned. Meaning that Dorothy had see her or something.

"Do I get in then?" Ana asked, not wanting to show her doubts on her face.

"Yes," the woman said curtly then turned back to her machine. Turns out she wasn't even doing anything serious. She was on a Cosmopolitan page, probably reading about feelings or some other thing like that.

Ana walked to Dorothy's office and knocked. When she got a come in, she entered a bit shakily. She was intimidated by this woman. No– she was scared of Dorothy Knight. The woman looked like the type of person who could do anything to get what she wanted and not bother about the consequences.

Ana squared her shoulders and walked in. She had decided on a maternity dress that showed off her baby bump. It was a power move on her part, to remind Dorothy that she was actually pregnant. Ana had no doubts Dorothy wasn't going to make it seem tacky or something but she had prepared for that eventuality.

The woman herself was sitting behind the oak desk with a self satisfied smile on her thin rosy lips. She looked like she knew something Ana didn't know.

"Good morning Mrs Knight," Ana said softly. The woman just nodded then motioned for Ana to sit in a chair opposite her.

Ana sat then let out a sigh of relief. She had worn heels and with her swelling ankles, it was not a good thing.

"Why are you here?" Dorothy asked bluntly making Ana raise her brow. But then again, all the times she had met this woman, she had been very tactless, matter-of-factly and straight to the point. So it didn't even have to be surprising anymore.

"Concerning the case that was filed against you," Ana replied just as tactlessly. She had a feeling that beating about the bush with the woman was not going to solve or change a thing.

Dorothy smiled a sardonic smile. "Are you here to threaten me?" she asked without heat. But the fire in her eyes left no shadow of a doubt that if she could kill Ana there and then and get away with it, she probably would.

"No Mrs Knight. I don't threaten people." That was barb and both of them knew it. But the only reaction Dorothy gave Ana was to smile at her.

"Why are you here then?" Dorothy asked, with a look on her face that suggested she was tired of playing cat and dog.

"I came here to apologise. The case was filed accidentally and I am not going to go through with it. I have no proof that you did all what I'm accusing you of doing and it would be unjust to blame you," Ana said, then watched Dorothy.

The woman did not look shocked. She just laughed lightly. "Your game is stronger than I thought. You really would do anything to pin that bastard kid on Jack," Dorothy said mockingly.

Ana frowned. Her kid was not a bastard. And even if Jack wasn't the dad, which he was, the kid didn't merit to be called out of his name.

"Rest assured," Dorothy continued, "I'm the one who did all that. I did pay someone to go to your apartment and put that note there. And turns out I got more than I bargained for. So you can keep your apologies to yourself. If you thought it would soften my heart, it hasn't. It just proves how much of a desperate gold digger you are. My son will never recognize that child for as long as I live. Never," Dorothy said emphatically, her expression so scary Ana fought the urge to flinch. "Now you can stand up and get the fuck out of my office. Never come back."

Ana opened her mouth, then on second thought closed it again. She stood up with all the dignity she could muster and walked out of the office. It was shocking. To know the extent at which Dorothy could go to get her bidding done. It was scary as fuck too.

Ana didn't know what to do. Yes the woman might have been an absolute terror and bitch to her but she was still Jack's mother. And Ana knew he loved his mother. And there was no way she could separate them. Not that she wanted to anyways.

She had to call Jack. She needed to hear his voice. She missed him and she needed him to reassure her. But not in his mother's building.

She walked out and entered her car and sat for a while. She had taken an off day specifically for this quest. Ana sighed and removed her phone from her bag.

She dialled Jack's number and she was sent to voicemail about four times. She looked at the phone and frowned. What was happening?

She called last time and as she was about to cut the call, Jack picked.

"Knight," was all he said in a really cold tone. Ana frowned. Her number was saved on his phone. Then she soothed the frown. Maybe he had not checked for the contact name.

"Babe?" Ana said a bit shakily. She really needed comfort.

Jack let out a long suffering smile that Ana heard through the phone then asked, "What do you want Ana?"

Ana was shocked at the amount of hostility that Jack conveyed with his voice. "I– I just wanted to hear your voice," she said in a small voice. No she wasn't going to cry.

Jack didn't say anything for a while then he said, "I'm busy."

"Oh," Ana said softly. "I will call later then. I love you."

Jack hung up without saying the words back or even acknowledging them. Ana felt like her heart was going to burst out of her chest.

She did not understand. Just the previous day, she and Jack were okay. Now she called him and this. After all what Dorothy had said, she had really needed to hear reassurance from him. But he was being so cold. For reasons she could not even understand.

She sat there for a while. There was the temptation to call Landon. But after all what had happened with him, she didn't feel comfortable.

Why couldn't she just have a normal life? Why didn't she grow up in a loving family and have dozens of siblings who were most likely going to help her through this? Why didn't she have a loving mother she could tell everything to? Why did every single one of her relationships end up in tatters? Why couldn't she just have love? Was it too much to ask?

Ana drove to her house, not letting any of the tears she so badly wanted to let out fall. She wanted to reach her apartment in one piece. After all, the child she was carrying deserved to live. And he deserved all the love Ana was going to shower on him.

It didn't matter if after all Jack decided to reject her. She was going to make it on her own. She got out of the car and got into the elevator. She couldn't think. It was like someone had pressed an off button on her brain. She couldn't fucking think.

Ana walked into her apartment Luke a zombie and after locking the door behind her, walked to her room. She stripped out of everything she had on except her panties, turned off the lights, pulled the curtains then snuggled herself into bed.

Then she proceeded to bawl her eyes out. Maybe it was a pathetic move but she couldn't help herself. It seemed like everything was going wrong in her life. And it wasn't her fault.

She had not asked for the baby. She had not gotten pregnant for Jack on purpose. She didn't even know who he was the night they met! Yes, she had not asked for the baby, but she loved the baby. And that it why she had tried to find Jack. Because she didn't want her kid to grow up like her. Without a father.

But Jack was turning out to be everything she was dreading. And he was breaking her heart in the process. She stared at the ceiling unblinkingly and unseeing for a while, not even appearing to notice the tears that were still going down her cheeks.

After a while, she fell into a restless and dreamless sleep. But at least, it was a haven from all what was happening in her life. At least, she didn't have problems there. She was okay. She was safe. She was even loved.

***

"Hello?" the man said, picking up his phone with his greasy hands. He had been watching a movie and eating buttered popcorn when the phone had rang.

"It's almost time. Get ready," the person on the other line said then dropped.

The man smiled, exposing his stained teeth. It was time motherfucker!