CLAIMED BY THE BILLIONAIRE WHO BROKE ME

Something was wrong. I felt it. The moment I stepped out of Noah’s school gates, his small hand tucked into mine, something in the air had changed. My instincts had never lied to me. So I didn’t look back. I had learned not to. “Mommy, can we get ice cream?” Noah asked, swinging our joined hands. “Maybe later,” I said, forcing my voice to be steady. We walked toward the car. I unlocked it quickly, ushered him inside, my eyes flicking across the street in short glances. That was when I saw it. It was a black sleek and expensive car which screamed money. It was parked across the road with the engine still running. My chest tightened. It was nothing, I said to myself. Just another car and paranoia. I got into the driver’s seat, started the engine, and pulled out and immediately the car pulled out too. My grip on the wheel tightened. That was not a coincidence. I took the first turn earlier than usual and the car followed. A cold, sharp edge sliced through my chest. Noah hummed beside me, completely unaware. “Seatbelt tight?” I asked. “Yes, Mommy.” I pressed the accelerator and took another turn which was not my usual route. It was a longer one with narrower streets and less traffic. The black car didn’t stop, it followed me My heartbeat spiked up. Okay. Okay. Think. I took a sudden left, then a right, weaving through back roads I hadn’t used in months. My breathing became shallow as I calculated every move. But the car mirrored me with no delay. It knew I was trying to lose it. Fear crawled up my spine, slowly and suffocating. “Mommy?” Noah’s voice was small now. “Why are you driving fast?” “I’m not,” I lied. “It is just a little shortcut.” My eyes flicked to the rearview mirror again and this time…I saw him. It was clear enough but I knew that profile, the sharp jawline with dark glasses. I recognized that face anywhere. My stomach dropped. No. No, no, no. I thought to myself as I panicked. He was one of Adrian’s men. I had seen him before—standing behind Adrian at events, silent and watchful. He was not important enough to remember his name… but dangerous enough to never forget his face. My hands went cold. Adrian? After all this time…Why now? My thoughts spiraled fast. Had he found me? Did he know? Did he know about Noah? My chest tightened so hard it hurt. I pressed harder on the accelerator and the engine roared as I moved it faster but the car was still on my trail I made one last sharp turn into a crowded street, forcing myself into traffic, squeezing between two buses. I blared the horns blared so loud. Someone shouted. The black car stopped for a second, then it disappeared. It was gone. Just like that. But I didn’t stop driving. I kept going. I passed two streets, three, four. My heart didn’t slow until I was certain, absolutely certain, that I was alone, only then did I pull over. My hands were shaking. “Mommy?” Noah’s voice came again, softer this time. I turned to him quickly. He looked scared and that broke something in me. “I’m okay,” I said, forcing a smile. “We’re okay.” But I was lying. I wasn’t okay because I knew what I saw and I knew what it meant. ***** That night, I didn’t sleep. The apartment felt too quiet and every sound too loud. I checked the locks, once, twice and three times. I checked the windows, the balcony, and the hallway but there was nothing. Still, the feeling didn’t leave. Noah slept peacefully, curled under his blanket, his soft breathing the only thing keeping me grounded. I sat beside him, brushing his hair back gently. “You’re safe,” I whispered. But the words felt hollow because if Adrian had found me…nothing was safe. My old memories hit me in flashes—Adrian’s voice which was cold as ice. The way he had looked at me like I was nothing and disposable. The night everything shattered. The accusations I never got to defend. The humiliation and betrayal. He hadn’t even let me speak. He just decided and used that to destroy my life and then walked away like I meant nothing. My throat tightened. I forced the memories back, but they kept coming. I stood abruptly, pacing the room. Think. I yelled in my head. If that man had been following me, it wasn’t a random thing which meant…they had been watching. But for how long? Days? Weeks? My stomach twisted violently. My eyes snapped back to Noah. I crossed the room in two quick steps, crouching beside the bed, checking him again. His breathing, his pulse and his warmth. He was fine. But for how long? My chest tightened painfully. I wouldn’t let Adrian take him. I wouldn’t. I didn’t care what I had to do or what I had to become. He would not touch my son. My phone buzzed. The sound sliced through the silence like a blade. I froze. For a second, I just stared at it. Then slowly… I picked it up. It was an unknown number. My heart started pounding again like it was trying to warn me. Don’t open it. But I did. Of course I did. The message was short with just one line. I read it once, then again and again. My blood ran cold because the words didn’t change. He knew. My whole body went numb. No. No, that wasn’t possible. He couldn’t know. He couldn’t… a noise echoed faintly from outside. It was a car engine. My head snapped toward the window. I moved toward it carefully as I tried to be quiet as possible. My heart was beating so loudly I was sure it would give me away. I reached the window and looked. The black car was back and was parked across the street. This time…..the driver’s door opened. My breath stopped as the man stepped out. He looked up, straight at me. Then….he smiled.