Chapter 18 - New Beginnings
Two weeks later, the intense stress of the escape finally took its toll.
I went into labor in the middle of a massive, beautiful snowstorm.
My family rushed me to a small, private hospital under a completely different alias.
The labor was long and incredibly exhausting, but I refused to give up.
When the doctors finally placed my beautiful, screaming daughter on my chest, my entire world shifted.
She had bright, curious eyes and a head full of dark hair.
"Hello, little Maya," I whispered, crying tears of absolute, unfiltered joy.
She was entirely perfect, completely untouched by the darkness of the man who created her.
Noah stood by the bed, looking at his new niece with absolute wonder and fierce protection.
"She is beautiful, El," Noah smiled, softly touching her tiny hand.
Garrett was hundreds of miles away, sitting in a cold, concrete holding cell awaiting trial.
He would never meet her, never hold her, and never have the opportunity to control her beautiful spirit.
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Maya belonged entirely to me, and I vowed to give her a life filled with absolute freedom and love.
The broken bones would heal, the bruises would fade, and the nightmare was officially over.
