Chapter Twelve: The Weight of Legacy

Mia's POV – A Door Left Closed

Mia sat at the edge of her bed, staring at the email notification on her phone.

Another rejection.

Her fingers tightened around the device, her other hand absently resting on her belly. She'd lost count of how many companies had turned her away, each polite email a reminder of what she already knew—no one wanted to hire a pregnant woman.

She had an interview today. A rare opportunity. But did it even matter?

Would they even bother looking at her résumé once they saw her growing belly?

Her heartbeat was unsteady as she reached for the dress she had ironed the night before, but the moment she stood, nausea twisted inside her. Whether it was morning sickness or the weight of disappointment, she didn't know.

Then the baby kicked.

Mia exhaled, pressing her hand against her stomach. It's just us now.

She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, she made her decision.

She wasn't going.

Not because she didn't need the job.

But because she already knew how this would end.

Adrian's POV – The Hunt Begins

Adrian didn't realize how tightly he was gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white.

His grandmother's words echoed in his head—not because she was right, but because a small part of him feared she was.

Was he chasing a ghost?

No. Mia was real. The night they shared was real.

But why did it feel like the harder he searched, the further away she slipped?

As Adrian pulled into the Sinclair Enterprises parking lot, Caleb was already waiting at the entrance, his expression unusually tense.

"Sir," Caleb started, hesitating. "There's… been a development."

Adrian narrowed his eyes. "What kind of development?"

His assistant handed him a sleek manila folder, the Sinclair logo embossed in gold at the top. "Your grandmother asked me to look into the woman from that night."

Adrian's stomach twisted. "What?"

"I know you didn't want her involved, but… she's resourceful," Caleb muttered, clearly uncomfortable.

Adrian opened the folder—and his heart nearly stopped.

There was a photo inside.

Not of Mia.

But of someone else—a woman named Clara Donovan.

His pulse quickened. "Who is this?"

Caleb's voice dropped to a whisper. "She works at a café in Everdale. Your grandmother thinks she might know Mia."

Everdale.

A small town. Not a place Mia ever mentioned that night, but it was a lead—the first real lead he'd had in months.

His fingers hovered over the photo. Clara looked familiar—had he seen her that night? Or was this just another dead end?

Before he could process it, his phone buzzed.

A message from Eleanor.

"You have one week to clean up this mess. If you won't let go of this girl, I will."

Adrian's pulse thundered in his ears.

This wasn't just about finding Mia anymore.

It was about stopping his grandmother from finding her first.

Because Eleanor Sinclair didn't just want Mia out of Adrian's heart—she wanted her erased from his life.

And Adrian couldn't let that happen.

Mia's POV – The Storm Before Life

The pain was unlike anything she had ever felt. It stole her breath, left her gasping as she clutched the hospital bed's railing.

She had done this alone. No father in the waiting room. No nervous partner pacing the floor. Just Clara, gripping her hand, whispering reassurances between contractions.

"You're almost there, Mia. Just one more push."

And then—relief. A sharp cry filled the room, piercing through the haze of exhaustion.

Her son.

Mia barely had the strength to lift her arms, but when the nurse placed the tiny, wriggling body against her chest, everything else faded.

His small hands clenched in the fabric of her hospital gown. His heartbeat, strong and steady, thumped against hers. And when she looked into his face, the breath left her lungs.

Blue eyes.

The same haunting, unforgettable shade as Adrian Sinclair's.

A lump formed in her throat.

She had convinced herself she would never see him again. That she didn't need him.

But looking into her son's eyes, she realized one painful truth:

A part of Adrian had never left.

And now, it never would.

Mia pressed a trembling kiss to her baby's forehead, a silent promise forming in her heart.

They didn't need Adrian.

But one day, she would find a way to give her son the life he deserved.

Even if she had to do it alone.