Claire lifted her chin, her voice suddenly steady despite the tears. "I have already decided."
Her father stopped pacing. Her mother froze mid-breath. Her grandmother’s cane hovered in the air like a judge’s gavel. And her grandfather, he moved closer and patted her back slowly, with a reassuring smile.
Claire’s words cut through the tension like a blade. "I am keeping the baby." She watched their faces for reactions in the silence.
It seemed to be the same all around: shock!
"No." Her mother snapped, almost tripping over her feet to get to Claire. She put her hands on Claire’s shoulders, keeping her daughter grounded with a firm grip. "You are not thinking straight."
Victor pulled Claire back, while warning his wife to tone down her reaction with his eyes. "Donna, take it easy. It’s not your decision to make."
Donna looked at her husband like he had just stabbed her in the heart. "Not my decision! I am her mother, Vic. I want what is best for my daughter." She looked at Claire, with wary eyes. "Are you planning to get back with Andrew by leveraging the pregnancy?"
Claire tightened her jaw for a second. She tried to interpret the meaning of the wariness in Donna’s eyes. Was her mother worried that she was going to mess up Ritah’s love life? The question came from her mouth before she could stop it. "Why? Are you worried that I am about to steal Ritah’s happiness?"
Donna stiffened, her eyes widening in surprise.
Victor raised his hands. "No--no, it’s not that." He looked at his wife. "Right, Donna?"
Donna nodded frantically. "It’s not that, absolutely not that. Ritah knew the truth two years ago and she didn’t say a word to us. These past two years, she has barely contacted us, claiming she was busy with this or that. When we did meet her, she would find a reason to leave within thirty minutes. Anything we gave her, she threw away, including her old clothes and toys.
Vic drove them to that house and he was told to leave them at the gate. As he was driving out, he saw one of the guards dumping them in the trash. We thought she had changed because of Heimi and Alden’s influence, now we know she was aware of her true parentage and looked down on us. She is not part of this family anymore. I would never make you sacrifice your happiness for that ungrateful child."
Victor nodded eagerly. "See, your mother is not on Ritah’s side."
Wilder groaned as she took a seat. "Thank God your mind is not mashed potatoes, Donna."
Donna moved closer to Claire, saying softly. "I am worried about you, not Ritah. If they find out that you are pregnant with Andrew’s child, they will claim that it’s a scheme to force a marriage. Even if you do marry a man like that, he will never give you happiness. Once a cheater, always a cheater. And there is no guarantee that Andrew will marry you just because the baby is his. He could marry Ritah and demand shared custody for the child. Then, Ritah will be your child’s stepmother! Given how much she despises you, what do you think she will do to your child?"
Every point she raised made someone in the room grow paler or hold their breath. Only Claire remained undisturbed.
"Mom, I will raise my child." Claire confidently clarified. "I never mentioned wanting to raise it with Andrew or even informing him about the pregnancy." She touched her belly and rubbed it in circles. "This is my baby. I moved to the countryside to protect him or her."
A few relieved sighs went around, only to be broken by a gasp as someone else walked into the house.
"Sis, you are pregnant!" Benedict shouted in shock.
Claire sighed softly, wondering if she would have to repeat everything from the very beginning.
Before she could respond, Donna asked an important question.
"How do you plan to hide the news of your pregnancy from them? You can keep a lid on it for a moment but not forever." The worry in her eyes deepened. "Once they get wind of it, you will never have a moment’s peace. Ritah lives in fear that you will return to your old home and take back your old place. The reason she doesn’t want you near is because she is scared Andrew might change his mind and come back to you. If you have a child, I am afraid of what she will do."
Claire clenched her fists. "If she dares anything, I will destroy her."
Vic put his hand on Claire’s back, as did her grandfather. They seemed to be protecting her already, even though the enemy was yet to attack.
"Maybe we should move to another country," Benedict suggested.
The suggestion earned him some raised brows and eyerolls.
Donna shook her head. "That’s a little extreme."
Wilder looked at Claire and asked softly, "Are you one hundred percent sure that you want to keep that baby?"
Claire nodded firmly. "Yes."
"You know that it won’t be easy being a single mother, even though we are going to support you as much as we can. There are moments that will still shake you." Wilder added.
Claire nodded again. "I have some small savings that I am going to set aside as an education fund. It won’t leave me with much, so I am planning to work. Go fishing, open a few seafood shops in town. It may not make me a billionaire but it will be enough to feed us."
So far, that was the most she had come up with. Claire had even calculated how much she would need to pay a full time nanny and two highly skilled bodyguards to watch over her child. The points her mother was raising, she had long considered.
Her grandfather smiled. "It is a very solid plan, but not enough. Andrew has money, and so does Alden. If they want custody of your child, it will be a difficult fight for us."
Wilder snorted, "Blast it, you lot are acting like the sky’s falling! This is very simple. You want the baby and Claire safe? Then stop wringing your hands and get her a fellow to claim the child. A father’s name, even borrowed, will keep mother and child breathing easier until we are strong enough to fight money with money."