?Chapter 102:


    Honestly, when those first test results came in, she had considered terminating the pregnancy. But her resolve wavered the moment she saw the small, flickering heartbeat on the ultrasound. She knew she couldn’t give her baby up.


    Strength had always been Lauretta’s hallmark—she never needed a husband, but she knew she wanted this baby. Confidence in her ability to raise a child on her own never wavered.


    Yet, her father had been unyielding, issuing threats of disowning her if she refused to end the pregnancy. Presented with that stark choice, she had walked away from the Gomez family without a backward nce.


    Those memories brought a sting to her eyes as she looked lovingly at her son, tears silently slipping down her cheeks. Her hand reached out, fingers gently curling around his tiny one. She regretted not ever reaching out to her family in the past five years, but she didn’t regret keeping her son.


    Calvin’s words echoed in her mind, giving her the strength to exhale deeply and finally press the call button to her father’s number.


    Ringing filled her ears—uncertainty creeping in, she almost wavered and hung up, her finger trembling above the screen. But before she could act, the call connected.


    “Hello?” That familiar voice crackled through the line, wearier and rougher with age.


    Lauretta’s throat clenched, hot tears streaming down her face. A shaky hand covered her mouth, muffling the sobs that threatened to escape. Somehow, her father, Aldred Gomez, sensed it was her. “Lauretta? Is that you?”


    Background noises filtered in—another voice, gentle and concerned,


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    “‘Who’s calling sote, dear? You need your rest. The operation is soon—just hang up if it’s not important.”


    Lauretta’s tears came harder, but she pressed her lips together, determined to stay silent and not let her heartbreak spill out. Aldred’s voice came again, softer now, threaded with hope. “Lauretta, is that really you?”


    Emotion overwhelmed Lauretta atst, and a sob slipped past her lips. Noise crackled on the other end—Lauretta’s mother’s voice rang out, trembling with shock and excitement. “Lauretta? Is it really you, sweetheart? Did our Lauretta finally call?”


    Tears thickened Lauretta’s voice as she struggled to answer. “Yes, it’s me. I’m so sorry.”


    Regret weighed heavy in Aldred’s reply. “No, Lauretta, I’m the one who owes you an apology.” Sobs broke up Lauretta’s words, but she insisted, “It wasn’t your fault. I was being stubborn.”


    Urgency cut through as Lauretta’s mother, Doris Gomez, jumped in, her question breathless. “Lauretta, where are you right now? Are you in Lorbridge?”


    “No, I’m in Dorfield. Once Caspien gets better, we’ll transfer him to a hospital in Lorbridge,” Lauretta replied, wiping her cheeks.


    Their surprise echoed down the line. “Caspien?”


    “Yes,” Lauretta replied gently. “My son’s name is Caspien. Your grandson.”


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