Aurora's POV
Raymond.
It had to be him. The calculation of my cycle didn't lie. A sob escaped my throat, but I quickly choked it back, replacing the grief with a sudden, icy hatred. If I kept this baby, Raymond would find out. He was a predator; he would smell the change in me, and he would use this child as a leash to control me.
He was a monster. And I would never let a monster raise my child.
"I have to kill him," I whispered to the empty stall. The words felt heavy, like a blood oath. "One for my baby. Two for what he did to my family."
I stood up, wiped my eyes with a rough sweep of my sleeve, and threw the test away. I was no longer the girl hiding in the dark. I was a mother protecting her nest.
I pulled out my phone. My fingers didn't shake this time. I typed out the message to Raymond's original line.
Aurora: I want us to see each other. It's important.
