Chapter 3 - The Ghost from the Past
The rest of the week passed in a blur of frantic preparation. Claire resigned from the call center, paid off her landlord for the remaining month of rent with the advance Ethan had authorized, and bought Sophie three new outfits that actually fit her growing frame.
By Thursday evening, the apartment felt different. The air was lighter. Claire was in the kitchen, preparing a bottle of formula from one of the cans Ethan had bought, humming a quiet lullaby.
Then, a heavy, demanding knock rattled the front door.
Claire’s humming stopped. It wasn't Ethan’s polite tap, nor was it Maya’s familiar rhythm. This knock was loud, aggressive, and familiar in a way that made Claire’s blood run cold.
She walked slowly to the door, her hand shaking as she looked through the peephole.
Standing in the dimly lit hallway was Derek Vance.
Derek, the man she had met during her second year as a CNA. The man who had promised her the world, moved into her apartment, and then vanished the exact hour the pregnancy test showed two pink lines. He had packed his bags while she was at work, leaving a note that said he "wasn't built for the domestic trap." He hadn't contributed a single dollar to the prenatal care, nor had he shown his face at the hospital during Sophie’s six weeks in the incubator.
Claire pulled the door open, keeping the security chain firmly attached. "What are you doing here, Derek?"
Derek looked different than he had eight months ago. His hair was slicked back, and he wore a brand-new leather jacket. He offered a charming, practiced smile that used to make her weak, but now only filled her with disgust.
"Come on, Claire, open the door. Is that any way to greet the father of your child?" he said, leaning against the doorframe.
"You lost the right to call yourself that when you walked out on a pregnant woman," Claire said, her voice steady and hard. "Get off my property before I call the police."
"I made a mistake, okay?" Derek said, his tone softening into an act of deep contrition. "I panicked. I was young, I was scared of the responsibility. But I've been doing a lot of growing up, Claire. I've got a steady job now working construction management. I want to be in Sophie’s life. I want to be a family."
"No," Claire said flatly. "You don't get to skip the incubator, the medical bills, the sleepless nights, and the starvation, and just walk back in when things are stable. Sophie doesn't know you, and she never will."
Derek’s smile vanished, replaced by something sharp and malicious. "That’s not your choice to make, Claire. The law says I have rights. And I’ve been doing some reading. You’ve been living on food stamps, your car is junk, and you’re drowning in debt. A judge isn't going to look kindly on a mother who can barely keep the lights on."
"I have a job, Derek. A good one," she spat back.
"Yeah? With who? That billionaire tech guy, Ethan Cole?" Derek sneered, stepping closer to the crack in the door. "I saw you leaving his building on Wednesday. I know all about it. A single mother suddenly getting a massive promotion from a billionaire after a 'midnight visit' to her apartment? How do you think that’s going to look in a custody deposition? It looks like an arrangement, Claire. It looks dirty."
Claire’s heart slammed into her throat. "You were spying on me?"
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"I'm protecting my interests," Derek smiled coldly. "I’m filing for full custody of Sophie next week. If you want to avoid a massive public scandal that will destroy your new career and ruin your little billionaire friend's reputation, you’ll let me in right now and we can talk about an amicable custody and support agreement."
Claire didn't answer. She slammed the door shut, throwing the deadbolt into place. She collapsed against the wood, her breath coming in ragged gasps as Sophie began to cry from the bedroom, awakened by the shouting.
