“…the contract ends in two months,” William’s voice came from behind the office door.
“And the child?” another voice asked.
A pause.
Then—
“She’ll be taken care of financially.”
Maya’s world stopped.
“That’s not what I asked,” the voice pressed.
Another silence.
Then the words that shattered everything:
“The child complicates things.”
Maya didn’t wait to hear more.
She walked away.
Slowly.
Quietly.
But inside—
Everything collapsed.
That night, she packed.
Not everything.
Just what mattered.
When William returned, she was waiting.
“I heard you,” she said.
He froze.
“Maya—”
“No,” she interrupted. “Don’t explain. Don’t justify it.”
Her hand rested on her stomach.
“You said the child complicates things.”
He exhaled sharply. “You don’t understand the situation.”
“Then make me understand,” she said.
But he didn’t.
Because there was nothing he could say.
“So that’s it?” she whispered. “After everything… I’m still just part of a contract to you?”
His silence answered.
Again.
She nodded slowly.
“Then we’re done.”
“The contract isn’t over,” he said.
“I am.”
And just like that—
Maya walked away.
Pregnant.
Alone.
But no longer bound.
PART 4 — Five Years Later
Five years can change everything.
Maya Porter no longer struggled to survive.
She built something.
Quietly.
Relentlessly.
Her research gained recognition.
Her work saved lives.
Her name carried weight.
But her greatest achievement…
Was her son.
Eli.
