Chapter seven

~A MOTHER’S PANIC~

AMAYA’S POV

The older woman disappeared briefly, returning with a first aid kit in one hand and a small folded towel in the other before placing them on the table.

Then she carefully took Ariel from Ethan’s arms. My body tensed, but the woman offered a gentle smile. It was the kind of smile that reminded me there was still good left on this earth.

“I’ll clean her up and tuck her into bed,” she said in a warm, motherly voice.

For a second, panic rose in me automatically. My body almost moved to take Ariel back.

But Ethan noticed. “It’s okay,” he said quietly. “Maria has been with me for years.”

The woman—Maria, gave me another reassuring smile before carefully taking Ariel from his arms like she weighed something precious. I watched until they disappeared upstairs, my chest tightening at the sight of my baby finally resting peacefully after everything that happened tonight.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

Ethan guided me toward the couch.

“You need to breathe first before going upstairs,” he said.

I sat down slowly, every part of my body aching.

“What happened to you?” he asked after a moment. “Was it the robbers that did all this?”

I froze. My mind felt too exhausted to talk or explain properly anymore. I stared at my hands instead, one rested on my lap while the other clutched my bag like it was the only thing keeping me grounded.

Where would I even begin?

My head pounded so badly it felt like it would split open. I couldn’t think. Couldn’t breathe properly. Couldn’t even organize the chaos in my chest into words.

Ethan sat down beside me.

The movement alone made me flinch hard and instinctively shift away from him.

I hated that reaction and how normal it had become.

His eyes flicked to me immediately.

“You don’t need to say anything,” he said quietly. “Just let me tend to your wounds.” He paused briefly. “And you don’t need to be scared of me.”

A small, bitter, and tired laugh escaped me before I could stop it, because men always said things like that before proving otherwise.

I finally looked at him properly.

“I need a bath first,” I said softly. “I probably smell terrible.”

I glanced down at myself. Blood stains, sweat, dust, dried tears. I felt disgusting. “And my wounds…” I swallowed. “I can take care of them myself.”

For a moment, he looked like he wanted to argue.

“But…” He stopped himself and leaned back slightly. “Alright. I’ll let you.”

His eyes stayed on me though, steady and unreadable. “If you need anything, tell me or Maria.”

I nodded slowly and stood up, reaching for the first aid box Maria had left on the table and gripping it tightly. My legs still felt weak beneath me.

“Thank you,” I said again, more sincerely this time. “For letting us stay.” I turned slightly. “I should go to the room now.”

As I moved, I heard the younger staff tell him which room had been prepared for me. He quietly instructed her to bring fresh clothes and toiletries.

Something about that small detail almost made my chest hurt. Brown would have yelled at me for bleeding on his furniture. He would have forced me to clean up the mess and serve him dinner first.

Ethan stood up and gestured toward the staircase.

“I’ll show you the room.”

I followed him upstairs slowly. The mansion was quiet, the soft lighting making everything feel unreal after the nightmare I had just escaped from. My bare feet sank slightly into the expensive carpet as we walked down a long hallway. Finally, he stopped in front of a large door and pushed it open.

The room inside was beautiful. It had warm lights, cream walls, and a massive bed with big windows overlooking the city lights. But I barely noticed any of it, because Ariel wasn’t there.

Fear hit me instantly.

“Where’s my baby?” I asked quickly, turning toward him with panic already rising in my voice.

“Maria must have taken her to another room,” he said calmly, noticing the panic on my face almost immediately.

“No—” I stopped myself and took a breath. “Please… I want her to stay with me. At least for now.”