The taxi stopped in front of the old house. It looked smaller than I remembered. My heart pounded as I stepped out, clutching the Supreme Black Card tightly in my pocket.
Before I could even knock, the door swung open. Mrs. Larson stood there with a wide smile.
"Claudia, my dear! You came," she said, opening her arms for a hug.
I quickly stepped back and walked past her into the house. Lucas was sprawled on the couch, scrolling through his phone. The moment he saw me, he sat up straight.
"Did you bring the money?" he asked.
I ignored him and turned to Mrs. Larson. "You said you have the orphanage address and my necklace. Where are they?" I demanded.
Mrs. Larson glanced at Lucas, then smiled again. "Of course, darling. We have them. But first, the money. Mr. Williams is furious. He wants it back tomorrow."
I pulled the black card from my bag. Their eyes widened with greed.
"This is a Supreme Black Card," I said calmly. "It has more than enough. I'll send the money right now, but I want the address and the necklace first."
Lucas grinned. "Good. Mom, go get the things."
Mrs. Larson hurried to a drawer and returned with a small velvet box and a folded piece of paper. She handed them to me.
I opened the box. The familiar silver necklace with the tiny heart pendant lay inside. I closed my fingers around it tightly. The paper read: St. Mary's Orphanage, Oakwood Lane.
"Thank you," I whispered.
"Now the money," Lucas said impatiently.
I took out the card and swiped it through the machine they had ready. The screen flashed with the successful transaction.
"It's done," I said.
Mrs. Larson's face lit up with joy. She tried to hug me again. "Oh, Claudia, you're such a good girl. Now we can—"
"No," I cut her off, stepping back. "This is the last time. I'm not your daughter anymore. Don't call me. Don't message me. And if Mr. Williams asks, tell him I'm gone."
Lucas's expression darkened. "You think you're special now just because you're with Richard Cooper? That baby doesn't make you better than us."
I placed a protective hand on my rounded stomach. "This baby is my family. I will never treat my child the way you treated me."
I turned to leave, but Mrs. Larson grabbed my arm. "Wait. Stay for dinner. We can talk things over," she pleaded.
I pulled my arm free. "There's nothing left to talk about. I've given you the money. We're even now."
I walked out of the house without looking back. The cool evening air hit my face, and for the first time in years, I felt truly free. The necklace was safe in my bag, the orphanage address secure in my pocket, and the Larsons were finally behind me.
But one worry still lingered: How do I tell Richard about the card?
My phone buzzed with a new message. It was from an unknown number.
"Where are you, Claudia? The butler said you left in a hurry."
I frowned. Is this Richard's number? But I never gave him my contact, I mumbled to myself as I flagged down another taxi back to the penthouse.
At the penthouse, Richard snapped at the butler, fear and annoyance mixing in his voice. "How could you let a pregnant woman leave alone? What if something had happened to her?"
"I'm sorry, sir. She didn't even give me a chance to ask anything. She just rushed out," the butler replied nervously.
"Pedro, get me Claudia's contact number. Now."
"Yes, boss."
Richard had returned from a month-long business trip to China just two hours ago, only to find her gone. The silence in the penthouse was driving him insane.
"Here, boss." Pedro handed him a slip of paper.
Richard quickly saved the number and called. It rang, but there was no answer. He sent a text and waited. Still nothing.
He was about to lose his mind when the front door opened. The woman he hadn't seen in a whole month walked in, looking effortlessly beautiful despite everything.
His heart skipped a beat as she approached, her gaze fixed on the floor.
"Welcome back, Mr. Richard," she greeted softly, still not meeting his eyes.
Richard crossed the room in three long strides and pulled her into his arms before he could stop himself. She stiffened for a second, then melted against him, her forehead pressing into his chest.
"Claudia," he breathed, inhaling the faint vanilla scent of her shampoo. "God, I was losing my mind. You can't just disappear like that. Not when you're… we're…" He pulled back slightly, keeping his hands gentle on her shoulders. "Where were you? The butler said you left in a hurry, no note, no word. I thought something was wrong."
She bit her lip, eyes still lowered. "I'm sorry. I had to take care of something important. It couldn't wait."
He led her to the couch and sat beside her. The city lights sparkled through the floor-to-ceiling windows, but he couldn't focus on anything except the worry etched on her face.
"Important enough to risk going out alone?" he asked gently. "Tell me what happened. No secrets. Not anymore."