CHAPTER 4: FIVE YEARS AGO: DAMIEN COLLWAY??
1500 Words
Linda leaned against the doorframe, twirling a strand of her red hair around her finger, eyes narrowed like she was solving a puzzle.
> “You said he had curly hair?” she asked, tapping her nails against the dresser. “Tall? British accent?”
Anika nodded, wiping the last of her tears.
> “Yeah. His voice was deep, kinda quiet. He wasn’t... talkative. Just intense. His suit was black. Mask too. Gold detailing. He had this look—like he could see right through me.”
Linda rolled her eyes.
> “Please. That’s how they all act at those balls. Mysterious and moody. Half of them probably rehearse in the mirror.”
She walked over to the tiny vanity and pulled open the drawer she’d stuffed with leftover brochures and event souvenirs.
> “Hold on. I think I still have that charity invite. They posted photos from the night. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”
She flipped through a few papers until she pulled out a small glossy magazine — one of those post-event prints filled with pictures, sponsors, and guest names.
Linda tossed it onto the bed.
> “Knock yourself out.”
Anika opened the pages with cautious hands.
Faces. Masks. Gowns. Flashing lights.
She scanned quickly, eyes darting between photos.
And then she saw him.
A full-page candid shot near the end. His mask in hand.
That hair. That jaw. Those eyes.
Her heart stopped.
> “That’s him.”
Her voice was barely a whisper.
> “That’s the man I slept with.”
Linda leaned over her shoulder — and froze.
> “Wait—no way.” Her eyes widened, her voice rising in disbelief. “You slept with him?”
Anika looked up, confused.
> “You know him?”
> “Of course I do. Everyone in the city knows him.” Linda grabbed the magazine and stared at the caption under the photo. “Damien Calloway. CEO of Calloway International. He’s like... top five richest men in London. Probably in Europe. He owns half the real estate in Mayfair.”
Anika’s mouth parted in shock.
Her thoughts spiraled.
> I thought he was just some rich guy at a party...
I didn’t know I slept with a man who owns skyscrapers.
She sat back, breathless.
> “I didn’t know…”
Linda shook her head, stunned.
> “No wonder you were glowing after that night.”
Anika ignored the jab.
Her fingers itched toward her phone.
> “I need to talk to him.”
> “Why?” Linda’s tone was sharp, immediate, guarded.
Anika’s voice shook.
> “Because... he’s the father of my baby.”
Linda turned sharply, her voice slicing through the room.
> “Are you actually stupid?”
Anika flinched.
Linda stepped closer, crossing her arms, her eyes sharp.
> “You think you can just show up, baby in hand, and what? He’ll swoon? Fall on his knees and marry you?”
> “That’s not what I—”
> “Because I was there, Anika. I saw what he left you with. Two thousand pounds like you were a bloody tip jar. He didn’t leave a name, a number, nothing. That man made it crystal clear—he wanted nothing to do with you.”
Anika’s throat went dry. Her grip on the phone tightened.
> “But what if he didn’t mean—”
> “No. Don’t do that. Don’t romanticize it. This isn’t some fairytale, Ani. You’re not in a romcom where the cold billionaire suddenly finds his heart and accepts his secret baby. This is real life. And in real life, men like Damien Calloway destroy girls like you.”
The room was spinning.
Anika tried to breathe.
> “But he deserves to know.”
Linda stepped forward, lowering her voice, more venomous now — soft but dangerous.
> “Do you really want to throw yourself at his feet? Humiliate yourself? End up on some blog with the headline ‘Waitress Claims Baby Belongs to Billionaire’? You want people to call you a gold digger? Trash?”
Anika blinked fast, lips trembling.
> “It’s not about money.”
> “It won’t matter. That’s what they’ll say. That’s what he’ll think.”
She paused, letting the silence crawl over Anika like cold fog.
> “And do you think he’ll take you in? Raise the child? Please. He probably doesn’t even remember your face.”
Anika’s knees nearly gave out.
Linda saw it. And moved in for the kill.
> “If you show up with that baby, he won’t see a woman. He’ll see a threat. And trust me—he’ll do everything in his power to erase it. You. The child.”
> “But he—”
> “He will ruin you, Anika. And if you think for a second that baby means something to him, you’re fooling yourself. You are nothing but a forgettable night to a man like that.”
Anika’s breath caught.
And in that fragile silence, Linda softened her tone just slightly. Just enough to pretend she was doing this out of care.
> “I’m trying to protect you, Ani. Okay? I know you’re scared. I know you want to do the right thing. But the right thing… is walking away.”
Linda didn’t say anything for a long time after that.
She just stood there, arms crossed, watching Anika unravel in silence.
The magazine was still open on the bed between them — Damien Calloway’s face frozen on the glossy page, calm, unreadable, untouchable. The very picture of power.
Anika couldn’t even look at it anymore.
Her throat burned. Her chest was a hollow drum, echoing with all the things she’d hoped for.
> Maybe he’ll remember me.
Maybe he’ll be kind.
Maybe… he’ll want to be a father.
But Linda’s words had shattered those thoughts like glass on pavement.
> “I’m such an i***t,” Anika whispered, sitting down slowly, holding her stomach. “I really thought…”
Her voice cracked. She laughed bitterly — the kind of laugh that doesn’t reach the eyes, the kind that covers heartbreak.
> “I thought maybe this baby could have something I didn’t. A father who cared. A name. A chance.”
Linda sat beside her, tone suddenly softer.
> “You’re not an i***t, Ani. You’re just… hopeful. That’s not a bad thing. But hope doesn’t pay for nappies. It doesn’t give you a place to live.”
Anika didn’t respond.
She just looked down at her hands. Pale. Shaking. Empty.
Linda reached over, touched her wrist lightly.
> “You’ve been carrying this alone. Let me help you.”
Anika blinked, unsure.
> “Help… how?” Wasn't she just advising her to get rid of the baby?
Linda gave a small smile — too small, too practiced.
> “We’ll figure something out. I mean, I know people. I could talk to a friend who has a place you can stay in for a few months. Somewhere outside the city, where the press won’t sniff around.”
Anika frowned, confused.
> “Outside the city?”
> “Just for a while,” Linda added quickly. “It’s not forever. Just until things settle. You need quiet. You need to stay off the radar — especially if you’re not telling him.”
> “But—what about school? My job?”
Linda tilted her head gently.
> “Ani… you can’t carry a baby while waiting tables. And school’s already on hold, isn’t it?” She reached for Anika’s hand. “Let me take care of you. Just for a little while.”
It was… kind.
Too kind.
And yet—after everything—Anika wanted to believe her.
Because the truth was, she had no backup plan. No savings. No support. The weight of the baby growing inside her had never felt heavier.
---
That night, after Linda had gone to bed, Anika lay awake on the couch, wrapped in the thinnest blanket in the world, staring up at the cracks in the ceiling.
Her hand rested on her belly.
Tiny. Still forming.
> I’m sorry, she thought.
Tears slipped silently down her cheeks, soaking the pillow.
> I wanted you to have a better start. A dad who’d hold you, protect you, teach you how to ride a bike, show up at school plays with flowers.
even though I figured about you today, I knew I had someone inside me.
She shut her eyes tight.
> But I guess I was dreaming too big.
She remembered the envelope again.
That crisp wad of cash left behind like a receipt.
> “He won’t love you,” she whispered. “Not the way you deserve.”
She hated herself for even wanting him to.
And yet, deep down, in some small, foolish place… she still did.
- Writer
