Chapter 27 Chapter 27
The morning sun poured gently through the thin curtain in Savannah’s new apartment. The room smelled fresh, nothing like the place she had stayed before. The bed was soft, the walls were clean, and for the first time in weeks, she felt a little safe.
Still, her heart carried heaviness. She sat on the edge of the bed, holding her belly with one hand. The baby. Her secret strength. The only reason she kept pushing forward.
A knock came at the door. She froze for a second, fear rushing through her. Every knock made her think of Nathaniel or Cassandra finding her. Slowly, she stood and opened the door.
It was Adrian.
He stood there tall and calm, dressed neatly, his dark hair falling just above his forehead. He held a small bag in his hand. When he saw her pale face, his lips curved into a soft smile.
“Good morning, Savannah,” he said. “I thought I should come check on you.”
Her eyes widened a little. “Mr. Adrian… you’re here again?”
“Yes,” he answered simply, stepping inside when she moved aside. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you after leaving yesterday. I wanted to make sure you’re fine.”
Savannah looked down, shy. No one had ever cared like this since her world broke apart. She closed the door and whispered, “I’m okay. Thank you.”
Adrian placed the bag on the table and opened it. Fresh fruit, a small flask of warm soup, and some bread.
“I brought this for you,” he said. “You need food that will give you strength, not the kind that makes you weaker.”
Savannah blinked at the bag, then at him. Her voice shook. “You don’t have to do all this for me.”
“I know I don’t have to,” Adrian replied calmly. “But I want to.”
His words made her chest tight. She sat slowly, pressing her hand on her belly. For a moment, the silence between them felt heavy. Adrian sat across from her, watching her carefully.
Finally, he spoke again. “Savannah, can I ask you something?”
She nodded weakly.
“About the baby…” His voice was soft but firm. “Does the father know you’re carrying his child?”
Savannah’s eyes filled with tears at once. Her lips trembled, and she looked away. “He knows. But he didn’t care.”
Adrian leaned forward. “What do you mean he didn’t care? He’s the father. How could he not?”
Tears rolled down Savannah’s cheeks. She tried to wipe them quickly. “It was supposed to be our anniversary,” she whispered. “I wanted to tell him that night. I thought he would be happy. Instead… he gave me divorce papers.”
Adrian’s jaw tightened. He stared at her like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Divorce papers? On your anniversary?”
“Yes,” Savannah whispered, sobbing now. “When I told him I was pregnant, he called me a liar. He said I was trying to trap him. He left me for his mistress. He didn’t even look back at me.”
Her voice broke, and she covered her face with her hands. “He treated me like trash. Like I was nothing.”
Adrian’s hands curled into fists on the table. His chest burned with anger for a man he didn’t even know. He wanted to ask more, but he didn’t want to push her too hard. Instead, he stood and walked closer. Slowly, carefully, he sat beside her.
“Savannah,” he said quietly, “you’re not nothing. And your baby is not nothing either. Whoever this man is, he doesn’t deserve you.”
She cried harder, leaning her head down. Adrian reached out but stopped halfway, unsure if he should touch her. In the end, he just sat there, giving her space but making sure she felt his presence.
Minutes passed. Her tears slowed. She finally raised her head and looked at him. For the first time, she noticed something different.
The way his golden-brown eyes softened when he looked at her. The way he didn’t rush her, didn’t mock her, didn’t demand anything. He just sat there with patience, like her pain mattered to him.
Her heart thudded. She looked away quickly, wiping her face. Why is he looking at me like that? she thought.
Adrian noticed her unease and leaned back a little, giving her space again. But inside, his chest ached. He didn’t know why he cared so much, why her tears pulled at him this way. She wasn’t just a stranger anymore.
Savannah took a deep breath. “Thank you,” she whispered, still avoiding his gaze.
“For what?” Adrian asked gently.
“For listening… for not judging me,” she said. “You don’t know me, yet you’re here.”
Adrian’s lips curved faintly. “Maybe I want to know you.”
Her head jerked toward him at those words. His eyes held hers for a long moment, calm but deep, as if they were speaking words without sound. Savannah’s stomach flipped, and she quickly looked down at her hands.
Silence filled the room again, but this time it wasn’t heavy. It was soft, almost warm.
Adrian cleared his throat and stood up. “I should go now, let you rest. Eat the food. Please, Savannah, take care of yourself. And the baby.”
She nodded slowly, still not lifting her head. “I will. Thank you, Mr. Adrian.”
At the door, he paused, looking back one last time. Her thin frame, her tired eyes, her courage even in pain — all of it made something stir deep inside him.
He wanted to protect her.
But he said nothing more. He just left quietly, his footsteps fading down the hallway.
Savannah sat there, staring at the food he brought. She touched her belly again, whispering to herself. “Why does he look at me like that? Why do I feel something when he does?”
Her heart raced, confused and afraid. She didn’t want to trust anyone again, not after what Nathaniel did. But Adrian’s eyes… they told a story her heart couldn’t ignore.
The baby moved lightly inside her, as if reminding her she wasn’t alone. She leaned back, tears slipping again — but this time, they weren’t only of pain.
They were also of something new. Something she couldn’t name yet.