Chapter 17 - Rain and Desperation
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Heavy rain lashed against the windows of my car as I pulled into the underground parking garage beneath Natalie’s office building. I was now thirty-six weeks pregnant, my body heavy and weary, but my mind clearer than it had ever been.
As I opened my car door and stepped out into the dimly lit garage, a figure stepped out from behind a concrete pillar.
"Lydia! Wait!"
I froze, my hand instinctively dropping to my stomach.
It was Adrian.
He looked unrecognizable. The crisp, tailored charcoal suits were gone, replaced by a rumpled jacket and faded jeans. His hair was messy, dark circles bruised the skin beneath his hollow eyes, and his hands trembled violently as he stepped into the light.
"Stay back, Adrian!" I yelled, taking a step back toward my car. "I have a protective order! If you come closer, I will call the police!"
"Please, Lydia, just listen to me for two minutes!" Adrian begged, his voice cracking with desperation. He didn't sound arrogant anymore; he sounded utterly terrified. "They're going to indict me! The SEC, the DA... I'm facing five to ten years in federal prison!"
"You did this to yourself, Adrian," I said coldly.
"You can fix it!" Adrian pleaded, taking another step forward, his hands raised in supplication. "Tell the DA you don't want to press charges! Tell Natalie to drop the forensic audit! If you pull the complaint, I can negotiate a deal with Lumina's board! I can rebuild the company, and I can pay you whatever child support you want!"
I looked at the man I had once loved, the man I had spent six years trying to please, and felt nothing but profound pity.
"You still don't get it, do you?" I said softly over the sound of the falling rain outside. "You think everything can be bought, fixed, or manipulated. You tried to starve your own child to protect your corporate stock."
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"I was stressed, Lydia! I made mistakes!" he cried out, tears mixing with the rain dripping from his hair.
"No, Adrian," I said, my voice firm as iron. "You made choices. And now, you're going to live with them."
