ra took a deep breath, trying topose herself before she finally said, "Naomi." Even now, she couldn''t bring herself to call her "Mom."


    Naomi tensed up, her face seeming to age a decade in the blink of an eye. She hadn''te here to me ra. Her feelings toward her wereplicated. There was a time when she wished ra would just vanish from the Bradford family, but so much had happened that she''d long since changed her perspective.


    Spending time in solitude, reflecting on everything, Naomi realized just how wrong she''d been. Now, facing ra felt incredibly daunting.


    But she couldn''t ignore this child. Naomi sat down slowly, looking frail. "This is the Bradford family''s first child, after all. Let''s keep it. It''s not like we''re hurting for money. I even have some savings tucked away, just in case..."


    Before she could finish, ra cut in, "Sarah went after Ryan on purpose. Even so, should we really keep the child? Naomi, Ryan, let me be clear. If you both want to keep this child, I can go along with it. But if Sarah ever steps out of line with me, I won''t just stand by."


    Sarah''s game was clear-she wanted to use the baby to get a hold over ra.


    Ryan quickly raised his hand in a solemn vow, "ra, I promise, I won''t let this child cause you any trouble. Please, trust me just this once more. You''re the most important person to me. If I ever go back on this promise, I''ll never forgive myself."


    He knelt on the floor, moving closer to ra, gently wrapping his arms around her legs. "ra, I know I''ve put you through so much, and I never meant to. I wish I could slow down time so I could be stronger and handle this better."


    Tears streamed down his cheeks as he spoke. "If I force Sarah to end the pregnancy, I won''t be able to face my father. He taught me that responsibility to women is paramount, and it''s the one lesson that stuck. ra, please believe me this time. I''ll keep Sarah from causing you any trouble."


    Sarah wanted to argue but held her tongue. As long as ra let her have the baby, Sarah felt sure she could control the family.


    She smirked to herself, thinking that once she had the child, she''d be the most influential person in the household, and even ra would have to show her respect.


    Naomi couldn''t bear seeing Ryan like this, but she was too afraid to say anything. She didn''t even look at ra.


    ra didn''t hurry with her answer, waiting for Naomi to give her promise. It felt like a tug-of-war.


    Finally, Naomi sighed, "I promise you too, if Sarah or the child ever makes you ufortable, do what you need to do. I won''t interfere. ra, I''m getting older, and I just can''t be so heartless anymore."


    ra took a long, deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. After a few minutes, she said, "You can get up now."


    Ryan quickly wiped his tears, jumped to his feet, and hugged her tightly. "ra, thank you, truly. You''ll always be the most important person to me."


    ra pulled a tissue from her bag, looking at the genuine expression on his face. She realized she hadn''t handled things with Ryan well and needed to own up to that.


    Ryan took the tissue, wiping his face with a half-smile. "ra, it''s a deal then. On my twentieth birthday,e pick me up, and we''ll go meet your boyfriend together, okay?"