Chapter 80
Maya's POV:
I opened the message Chloe sent me.
The headline made my stomach drop.
#Baby Mama Drama - Gold Digger Hides Truth to Snag Billionaire Heir#
Below it: photos. So many fucking photos.
Me and Adam at a party. Me and Amy at the park. Me, heavily pregnant, walking out of a clinic in Cleveland. The entrance to Cleveland Clinic's maternity ward, dated five years ago.
And Adam.
Jesus Christ.
This was the first time the public had ever seen Adam Sterling's face. The comments section exploded—half of them calling me every name in the book, the other half... practically drooling over him.
"OMG he's gorgeous"
"Those eyes though"
"She doesn't deserve him"
"Gold digger bitch"
I scrolled through, my hands shaking.
After a long moment, Chloe's voice came through the phone. "Who the hell did this? Someone dug deep on you. Hospital records, old photos—this is seriously invasive."
I couldn't answer. My brain was stuck on one thought: Does Adam know? Has he seen this? Does he know Amy is his?
"Maya?" Chloe pressed. "You okay?"
"Yeah," I managed. "I'm here."
"Look, it's already trending. Number one on Twitter. You need to prepare yourself—people are going to be brutal."
"I know."
"And Maya? Don't read the comments. Seriously. Don't torture yourself."
I almost laughed. "I won't."
I meant it. Those people didn't know shit. Yeah, I had Amy out of wedlock. So what? I didn't break any laws. I didn't trap Adam. I didn't even tell him.
I'm not the villain here.
"Okay," Chloe said, still worried. "Call me if you need anything. I can come over—"
"No. I'm fine. Go to work."
She hesitated, then hung up.
I set the phone down, staring at the ceiling.
Then it rang again.
The number on the screen made my chest tighten.
Mom.
I hadn't heard from her in... God, how many years? Six? Nine?
I'd tried calling her a few times after Amy was born. She never picked up. I got the message.
And now, after all this time, now she calls.
I took a sip of water, forcing down the bitter taste in my mouth, and answered.
"Do you have any idea what you've done?!"
Her voice hit me like a slap.
"I can't even show my face in this neighborhood! Everyone knows now—everyone! My daughter, knocked up, no husband, and now this... this circus online!"
My throat closed up.
"You couldn't just keep your mess private?" she hissed. "You had to make it a spectacle? You don't care about your reputation, fine. But what about mine? What about your brother's? His wife's? We have to live here, Maya!"
I pressed my palm against my chest, trying to breathe.
"Mom," I said hoarsely. "If you're so embarrassed, just tell people we're not related. Tell them we cut ties. It's basically true anyway."
Silence.
Then: "You want to disown me? Is that it?"
I laughed—sharp, humorless. "What's the difference? We haven't spoken in years."
She hung up.
I sat there, phone still pressed to my ear, listening to the dial tone.
Why does she hate me so much?
I never understood it. She's my mother. Not a stepmother. Not some stranger. My own flesh and blood.
And she treats me like I'm... nothing.
The door creaked open.
Amy peeked in, her little face scrunched with worry. "Mama? Are you sick?"
I forced a smile, blinking hard. "I'm okay, sweetheart."
She climbed onto the bed and touched my face. "You look sad."
"Well," I said, pulling her close, "maybe a kiss would make me feel better."
She kissed my cheek, then wrapped her arms around my neck. "You have to be okay, Mama. Okay?"
My chest ached.
This kid. My God, this kid.
"I will," I whispered. "I promise."
I kissed the top of her head and slid out of bed, forcing myself to move.
"Come on, baby. Let's make breakfast."
---
Adam's POV:
My phone rang at 8 a.m.
Ethan.
"Adam," he said without preamble, "I thought you said that kid was Maya's niece."
I frowned, still half-asleep. "What?"
"The internet says it's her daughter. With receipts."
I sat up. "What the fuck are you talking about? Someone's spreading bullshit about Maya online?"
"Maybe," Ethan said carefully. "Or maybe you got played. Again."
My jaw tightened. "Send me the link. I'll have James deal with it. Whoever posted this is getting sued into oblivion."
"Adam, just... look at it first. The photos don't look fake."
"Photos can be photoshopped—"
"Hospital records aren't," Ethan cut in. "Look, I'm just saying—this woman has a history of playing you. Maybe take a second before you go full white knight."
I hung up and opened the message.
The headline alone made me scoff.
Bullshit.
I scrolled down, ready to screenshot everything for the legal team.
Then I froze.
Wait.
I scrolled faster.
No.
My heart started pounding.
I kept scrolling, my hands shaking now, barely registering what I was seeing but feeling it—the timestamps, the locations, the dates—
Holy shit.
No, no, no.
I was in my car before I even realized I'd grabbed my keys, tearing out of the driveway like a fucking lunatic.
How did I not see it?
The first time I met Amy, I felt... something. Like I knew her. Like she was mine.
And Grandma—she said Amy looked like me. She said it.
But I didn't listen.
I thought about all the times Maya tried to tell me something. All the times she started a sentence and got cut off.
She was trying to tell me.
She was trying to tell me Amy is my daughter.
I slammed my hand against the steering wheel.
How could I be so fucking stupid?
Amy doesn't look anything like Maya's brother. She barely even acknowledges him. And Ryan and his wife? They don't act like parents. They act like strangers.
Because they are.
Amy is mine.
Mine and Maya's.
Fuck.
And Julian—that bastard knew. He knew this whole time. That's the "secret" he kept throwing in my face.
Everyone knew except me.
My chest felt like it was caving in.
She said she wanted to marry money. She said she was done with me. So why the hell would she keep my baby? Why go through pregnancy alone? Why raise her for four years without saying a word?
None of it makes sense.
I grabbed my phone, dialing Maya's number.
No answer.
I called again. And again. And again.
Voicemail every time.
By the time I pulled up outside her building in Somerville, I'd called her ten times.
I took the stairs two at a time and pounded on her door.
"Maya! Open the door!"