The One She Needed

TWENTY FOUR

RAQUEL

Change.

I've feared unseen monsters lurking under my bed. Feared the bullies I hid from in bathroom stalls, wishing I had lied to stay home. But nothing has terrified me more than change.

It comes uninvited, sweeping in like a storm, upending everything familiar. One second, the world is steady. The next, it's been ripped from beneath your feet.

This morning, the world had been steady. Alex had left my apartment with a kiss and a promise—one that made my heart swell with certainty. He was willing to take on fatherhood with me, and knowing that only made me love him more. The weekend had been perfect—filled with whispered plans of our future, my decision to finally sever the last tie to Derek. I was ready. Ready to reclaim my life, to face what needed to be faced.

And yet, just as I took that step forward, something came to shove me a million steps back.

That something came in the form of Brendan Williams.

He sat in my office, completely at ease, his expensive suit uncreased, his expression smug. He had the air of a man who held all the cards, a man who owned the world. And, in this moment, it felt like he owned mine.

I never liked him. Not from the first moment he entered my mother's life. But my opinion had never mattered—her eyes had been too clouded by luxury flights, designer jewelry, and the illusion of status. To her, my distrust had been nothing more than childish resentment over my parents' divorce. But I knew better. I had always known. There was something off about him. The kind of wrong that hides in plain sight.

And now, as he sat across from me, I saw it more clearly than ever.

His eyes.

Empty. Soulless. As if there was nothing human left inside him.

"I watched this movie the other day," he said, his tone almost conversational. "One of the characters said, 'You like because, and you love despite.'" He paused, tilting his head, studying me. "That had to be the most idiotic thing I've ever heard. Emotions—feelings—they're nothing but a weakness. A liability. They have no place in this world."

I folded my arms, raising an unimpressed brow. "How would my mother feel, knowing you have such a low opinion on emotions? Considering those wedding vows you exchanged."

He chuckled, shaking his head, unfazed. "Raquel, your mother and I didn't get married for love. She wanted money, and I needed a pretty face to maintain an image. A mutually beneficial arrangement, really." He smirked. "And don't even get me started on the sex."

Disgust twisted my stomach. "Spare me the details."

"Don't worry. That's not why I'm here."

"Then why are you telling me all of this?" I asked, maintaining an air of boredom, though every fiber of me was on high alert.

His smirk widened. "Because I need you to understand why I had your baby's father thrown in jail this morning."

The words didn't register immediately.

Jail.
Alex.

My breath caught, my chest tightening. His amusement deepened at my reaction, feeding off my horror. My hand instinctively flew to my stomach. How did he even know?

"You see," he continued, "your very existence was a liability to the life I had planned. But your mother convinced me to keep you and Morgan around. Said it would help build the family-man persona I needed for my political ambitions." He sighed, almost nostalgic. "But now, you've become a problem again. Fortunately, I have the perfect solution."

I clenched my jaw. "If you so much as lay a hand on him—"

"Hush now," he interrupted, voice dripping with mock concern. "Wouldn't want to stress the baby, would we?" He stretched lazily in his seat, as if the very idea of harming us didn't weigh on him in the slightest.

I sagged into my chair, mind racing, trying to grasp at any thread of control. He had thought this through. He had planned this.

"You see," he went on, "Derek's parents have powerful connections. Their political ties could open doors for me. The only requirement? That their son marries you." He leaned in, his expression darkening. "They find your success... admirable. A good match for their golden boy."

He lifted my chin with his fingers, his grip biting into my skin. His touch was ice, his gaze colder. "I am this close to having it all. And I'll be damned if I let you ruin that because you let some boy between your legs—whose half-breed bastard you're carrying."

Hatred seared through me. I shoved his hand away, trembling with fury and revulsion.

He only chuckled. "You should be grateful," he mused. "Derek has agreed to this arrangement, despite... your unfortunate condition." He turned toward the door, straightening his suit, the picture of composure. But just as he reached for the handle, he glanced back, a smirk curling his lips. "Oh, and don't bother trying to involve the law. If you get in my way—if you try to stop me—Alex won't be walking out of that jail cell." His smirk deepened. "Let's just say I have people inside who can finish the job his sister's ex started."

His words blurred, fading into the background noise of my spiraling thoughts. Then, the click of the door. His absence.

And the weight of everything came crashing down.

Fear roped itself around me, tightening its grip, pulling me under.

Roping me in its arms of pain,

To take away all I was to gain.

Steps left winded,In ecstasy... life sweeping in,

Showing pain taking more from me.