Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Priscilla’s POV

I had booked the flight using my mother’s maiden name, trying to leave every single trace of Priscilla Cross behind in Chicago.

I only had two small suitcases with me, filled with just the bare essentials and a heart that felt completely shattered into tiny pieces.

During the flight to Seattle, I didn't watch the tiny TV screen or read any books. I just stared out the small airplane window, watching the clouds pass by while resting a trembling hand over my flat stomach.

The air inside the cabin was freezing, but my hand felt incredibly warm against my sweater. I still couldn't entirely believe what the little paper from the clinic had said, but the constant underlying nausea was a pretty good reminder.

After landing in Seattle, the weather was exactly like my mood, gray and foggy. I didn't even check into a hotel first; I went straight to a small, private clinic on the edge of the city to get a proper ultrasound.

I sat alone on the cold examination table, the paper crinkling under me as the female doctor moved the cold gel wand across my stomach. The monitor screen was mostly black and gray shapes, but then she stopped moving the wand and turned to me with a huge, warm smile.

"Well, Priscilla, it looks like you have a double surprise here," she said, pointing a finger at the blurry screen. "You're pregnant with twins."

"Twins?" I whispered, the word tasting completely foreign in my mouth.

"Yes, look right here," she said gently. "Two healthy little heartbeats."

Instead of the happiness that most normal mothers would feel, a giant wave of grief hit me, and I just burst into tears right there on the table. The poor doctor looked so startled, quickly grabbing some tissues and handing them to me while trying to calm me down.

I couldn't stop crying because all I could think about was Creighton. I remembered him choosing Chloe without a single second of hesitation, and I remembered signing those terrible divorce papers while completely clueless that I was carrying his two children.

A horrible realization washed over me as I wiped my eyes. If the Cross family ever discovered this pregnancy, they would never let me keep these babies in peace.

They would turn my children into chess pieces for their toxic family politics and stupid image, and Creighton would probably let Chloe raise them just to please her.

I couldn't let that happen. I had to protect them from that cold, heartless world.

Right there in the clinic room, I made the painful decision to disappear completely from society.

The first thing I did was rent a tiny, cramped one-bedroom apartment in a quiet part of town using my mother’s surname. Then I bought a cheap burner phone, changed my number, deleted every single one of my old social media accounts, and completely cut contact with everyone connected to Chicago.

I was walking out of a small grocery store near my new place a few days later, holding a brown paper bag of crackers and ginger ale, when someone suddenly called out my name.

"Priscilla? Is that really you?"

I froze, terror gripping my chest as I turned around, expecting to see one of Creighton's lawyers or a reporter from Chicago.

Instead, I was looking at Darius.

He was my best friend from college, but he had been out of the country for years pursuing his professional career as an athlete. He looked exactly the same, maybe a bit broader in the shoulders, wearing a casual grey hoodie and a baseball cap.

"Darius," I breathed, the air rushing out of my lungs as relief hit me so fast my knees shook.

"Oh my god, it is you," he said, dropping his gym bag right on the sidewalk and pulling me into a massive, warm hug that smelled like clean laundry and rain. "What are you doing in Seattle? I thought you were living the high life in Chicago."

We ended up going to a quiet corner booth in a tiny coffee shop down the street to catch up. I couldn't keep it inside anymore, so I told him everything, the divorce, Chloe, the penthouse, and the pregnancy.

Darius sat there listening to me, his jaw clenched so tight I thought his teeth might break, and his eyes flashed with pure anger whenever I mentioned Creighton's name.

"That fucking idiot," Darius muttered, reaching across the table to squeeze my hand tightly. "I am on a long break from training right now because of a minor injury, so I am staying right here in the city."

"you're not alone anymore, Pris," he said, looking straight into my eyes with total honesty. "I promise you, I am going to be here for you and these babies through everything. Whatever you need, I've got your back."

Hearing those words made a tiny piece of the heavy weight in my chest feel a little lighter. For the first time in five years, someone was actually choosing to stand by me. For the first time in five years I felt I wasn’t completely alone. It almost brought tears to my eyes.

“Thank you, Darius.” I muttered, my voice trailing off.

Later that night, I stood alone inside my tiny Seattle apartment, looking out the window at the heavy rain pouring down against the glass. The room was mostly empty, just a few cardboard boxes sitting on the floor and a small mattress in the corner.

It was a million miles away from the massive luxury mansion in Chicago, but it felt safer.

I placed both of my hands over my stomach, feeling the tiny, invisible life growing inside me.

"From now on, it is just going to be the three of us against the world," I whispered softly into the quiet room. "And I will never let anyone hurt you.”

And I’d go to any length, even if I haave to make a deal with the devil to keep that promise..