Carrying The Billionaire's Secret

The city was smaller. Quieter. Slower than anything Arielle had ever known.

Gone were the glass towers, the luxury cars, the glittering parties. Here, life moved differently—shopkeepers swept dusty sidewalks, children chased chickens down narrow alleys, and laundry danced from balconies in the warm breeze.

It wasn't much.

But it was far enough from him.

---

She stepped off the bus carrying a secondhand duffel bag and the weight of everything she'd left behind.

Her other hand rested gently over her stomach.

The bump was growing now—soft, small, but undeniable.

She couldn't hide it anymore.

Not from herself.

Not from the world.

"I'm going to do this. Even if I have nothing else left."

---

Three Weeks Later

Arielle Cruz no longer existed.

Now, she was Ella Martinez—just another woman renting a tiny room behind a bakery and folding clothes at a laundry shop to survive.

The room had no kitchen, just one window and a creaky fan that barely worked. But it had a lock. And for now, that was enough.

Every night, she lay on the thin mattress and whispered to the life growing inside her.

"I'm sorry you'll grow up without him."

"I'm sorry I'm all you have."

Her hand would drift to her belly.

"But I promise… I will never let anyone hurt you."

---

Morning Shift – Laundry Shop

She moved more slowly now, careful with each motion.

The other women had started to notice.

"You're glowing," one said with a teasing smile. "Are you expecting?"

Arielle gave a small nod.

"Yeah. A few more months to go."

"Where's the father?"

Her hands paused mid-fold.

"He… didn't want the baby."

The woman's smile faded. Her voice firmed.

"Then he doesn't deserve either of you."

Arielle smiled softly. Gratefully.

But inside, the bruise of Leonard's words still ached:

"Abort it."

"There is no us."

"I already have someone else."

---

That Night

Arielle sat by the open window, the breeze brushing her cheeks. The stars above twinkled softly, peaceful and far away.

She thought of Bella—now staying with an aunt in the province, recovering well.

Arielle had lied to her, too. Said Leonard had gone abroad. Said she needed space.

She hadn't told anyone the truth.

Because no one could protect her—not even herself.

"He thinks I ended this," she whispered.

Her gaze dropped to her belly.

"But you're still here."

"You're still mine."

A soft kick answered her. Her eyes welled with tears.

"I'll protect you, baby. Even if it means he never knows."

And in that tiny room, beneath that quiet sky, Arielle made a vow:

She would never let the past touch her child.

Not even its father.

---

End of Chapter 12