My shoulders sag in relief. “Thank you, doctor.” My voice cracks a little, and I clear my throat. “I was… I was so worried.”
“It’s natural. You’re her mother. But be rest assured, she’s in good hands.”
I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat. After a few final instructions, I thank him once more and step out of his office. My heartbeat is anything but calm as I walk down the corridor toward Liala’s room. I should be happy that she is finally cominghome today. But instead, another worry presses down on me, one I can’t keep ignoring, no matter how much I want to.Landon knows about her.
Fear coils hot in my stomach. I know Landon won’t stay quiet. What if he insists on being part of her life? Worse, what if he tries to take her away from me? Every fiber of my being shrieks in panic, desperate to shield her from the chaos I know he’ll bring.
And yet, an unwelcome piece of myself, one I wish I could silence, whispers that he did have a right to know her. Maybe Liala deserves to know her father.
No. I can’t let him be a part of her life. But I can’t keep him away either.
God, the turmoil is just too much. I try to shove the thought to the back of my mind, but it presses forward anyway.
Pulling in a steady breath, I wrap my hand around the doorknob and open the door, forcing a smile for my little girl even as the storm churns in my heart.
Liala’s soft giggle reaches me before I even step inside. The sound loosens the knot in my chest and draws me back to this moment… back to her. She’s propped up on the bed, her curls tumbling over her forehead, while Mick sits in the chair beside her, making exaggerated faces with a stuffed bunny that has clearly seen better days.
I keep my smile as I walk in, and both their heads turn.
“Mommy!” Liala chirps, reaching for me with tiny hands.
I sit down on the chair opposite Mick and lovingly brush a strand of hair from her face before she launches into a babble about the bunny’s adventure.
“So what did the doc say?” Mick asks.
“He said her fever’s under control. And we can take her home later today.”
Mick lets out a long breath, his shoulders relaxing. “Damn, that’s good news. I’ve never prayed so hard in my life.”
I offer a faint smile, but before I can say anything, there’s a knock at the door. A nurse steps in, holding a cream-colored envelope.
“Ms. Delgado?” she asks.
“Yes, that’s me.”
“This was left at the reception for you. I was asked to deliver it personally.”
I frown. “For me?”
She nods, hands it to me, and leaves without another word.
I stare at the envelope with my name scrawled across it in bold strokes. Unease prickles at the back of my neck, a warning that this is anything but pleasant. My unsteady hands fumble as I tear it open.
The moment my eyes skim the first line, the blood drains from my face. My hands tremble so badly that the paper rustles between my fingers.
“Anna? What is it?” Mick asks, his voice filled with worry.
I look up at him and swallow hard, the words lodged in my throat before they finally tumble out. “It’s… it’s the custody papers.”
Mick’s gaze snaps to the envelope clutched in my hand. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“He… he’s already started to make his move, Mick. Landon will take my baby away from me.” My voice cracks on the last word.
“Anna…” Mick starts, but I cut him off, panic surging too fast.
“No. No, I won’t let him take her.” My voice trembles, but there’s steel underneath, forged from two years of doing this alone, of surviving every worried night and exhausted morning singlehandedly. “She’s mine. I’ve been with her every day for thepast two years. I’ve stayed late nights, sacrificed so much… He doesn’t get to rip her away just because he suddenly wants to.”
Mick’s expression softens, his hand resting lightly over mine. “Hey… you need to breathe.”
