Chapter 2
“Total BS! First you’re like ‘it’s Mia’s baby,’ now you’re all ‘oh it’s Sophia’s.’ Got any proof or what? You think you can just dump some random kid on us without any evidence? Officer, I’m telling you this dude’s straight up baby trafficking!”
I shoved that baby right back at him and crossed my arms.
Done with this crap.
Mom looked totally shook.
“Mia!”
“Mom, Dad, don’t be so gullible! There’s scammers everywhere these days!”
Mrs. Rodriguez jumped in: “Mr. Hartley, you shouldn’t fall for this. First this doc said the baby was Mia’s, now he’s saying it’s Sophia’s. Dude’s talking outta his ass!”
‘Mia’s got a point!”
‘Who knows where he snatched that baby from!”
The doc totally flipped: “I’m Harold Mitchell and I swear on everything-I never lie!”
‘Just last night your daughter Sophia showed up at my clinic begging me to deliver her baby!”
‘I’ve even got her phone right here!”
He dug through his bag and pulled out a phone.
looked-yep, that’s definitely Sophia’s.
Mom and Dad just froze.
No getting around it now-this was totally Sophia’s kid.
The neighbors started running their mouths: “Sophia’s so young and already popped out a baby! Who’s the baby daddy?”
‘Who knows? We never see her around, and she’s always in those baggy clothes. Never would’ve guessed she was knocked
up!”
“Probably got herself preggers fooling around with some rando!”
“Stop talking trash about my daughter!”
Now Mom was losing her shit. “Say another word and I’ll rip your face off!”
Harold looked disgusted. “Ugh, whatever. Sophia told me to drop the kid off here after she gave birth, said her sister would take care of him. Officer, I got a letter Sophia wrote herself!”
He pulled another paper outta his bag.
There wasn’t any letter like this last time around.
Even when Sophia came back throwing accusations at me, Harold jumped right in backing her up, basically pushed me to my breaking point.
This piece of garbage was always rotten!
Harold curled his lip. “Shoulda never come here. What shit luck!”
The cop sighed. “This is family drama. Y’all figure it out!”
I grabbed the cop’s arm: “Hold up! This isn’t just family drama! You gonna decide my sister had a baby and bailed based on just a phone and some letter?”
“What if she’s dead in his clinic?”
The officer was like “oh crap, good point” and took Harold to check out the clinic ASAP.
Mom and Dad followed them.
I?
Just booked it inside to pack my stuff.
No way in hell I’m staying in this house.
As I’m bouncing, a neighbor spotted me: “Mia, where you headed?”
“Moving out, duh. I’m not gonna be here when Mom and Dad get stuck with that baby and try to make me raise it.”
“Sophia had her own little accident-that’s not my problem. I’m not even married yet. What happens when my future in-laws see me with a kid and think I’ve been sleeping around?”
They all nodded: “You’re totally right, Mia. Gotta look out for yourself. Get outta there!”
“Poor girl! Sophia’s got some serious balls, having a baby and just peacing out!”
“Who knows if Harold offed her or something!”
“No freaking way!”
I didn’t stick around for more gossip-I had to jet.
By the time Mom and Dad got back, I was already chilling at the company dorms.
Then Mom called.
I picked up to her totally panicked voice: “Mia, where’d you run off to?”
I could hear a baby screaming in the background. Kept my cool: “I moved out.”
“How could you just move out? What about this baby?”
