Runaway Mothers

My best friend and I both got pregnant by accident at the exact same time. She was carrying her movie star ex-boyfriend’s baby, while I was pregnant with a high-society billionaire tycoon’s child. Since neither of those men seemed to want the kids, my best friend had a brilliant idea. “How about we keep the babies and ditch the dads?” “Deal!” I said. “Wherever you go, I go!” So, we packed our bags, fled the country with our baby bumps, and kicked off our dream life living together. Until three years later, when my best friend’s toddler went viral because he looked like a carbon copy of the famous actor. The camera accidentally caught my daughter and me in the background, too. That very night, a squad of men in black suits completely surrounded my lounge. I pulled out my phone to dial emergency services, but before I could touch the screen, someone bound my wrists behind my back with a leather belt. A powerful hand clamped around my waist, pulling me close as a ruthless voice rasped into my ear: “Go on, call them! Guess how many times I’ll break you before the cops even show up?” 1 Fresh off a messy breakup, my best friend Piper dragged me to a high-end lounge to drown her sorrows. She was just about to run her fingers over a boy toy’s sculpted abs when a towering figure materialized at the entrance. It was Harrison, the silver-screen heartthrob. Tucking his cap low, Harrison stormed over, his face dark as thunder. He glared at the young model who bore a striking resemblance to himself. “Who the hell is he, Piper? You using some cheap knockoff as my substitute?” Piper glanced up, a cold, mocking smirk playing on her lips as she stood up. “Why not? You replaced me with Serena. What makes you think I can’t find someone to replace you?” “Besides, your family’s precious heirloom bracelet is sitting on another woman’s wrist right now.” Harrison choked on his own breath, his face turning pale. “I told you, I didn’t give her that bracelet.” “Great,” Piper shot back, her voice sharp as glass. “Then go get it back!” Silence stretched between them like a suffocating blanket, cutting through the thumping bass of the club. Harrison stood frozen for a long moment before letting out a defeated sigh. “I’m sorry. I can’t do that.” Even though she had seen it coming, the mask on Piper’s face fractured. Her eyes rimmed with red, she grabbed her bag and gave me a quick nod. Then, she turned on her high heels and strode out of the lounge without looking back. Harrison gave me a tight nod before rushing after her. Knowing how easily he usually talked her round, panic surged through me. I yelled after her, “Piper! Don’t you dare go soft on him! This is a dealbreaker!” “Dump him for good this time!” I screamed until my throat was bone dry. Suddenly, a hand with long, elegant fingers reached out from behind, holding a slice of chilled watermelon. I stared at the hand, my mind wandering. Man, these young models really knew how to pamper a girl. I turned around with a bright smile. “Hey handsome, what’s your name?” The words died in my throat. My smile froze, and I turned entirely to stone. The handsome model sitting beside me had vanished. In his place stood Fred Pierce. He had razor-sharp facial features, a sculpted jawline, and an gaze so cold it felt like ice running down my spine. Terrified, I took a step back, but his firm grip caught my wrist instantly. Fred looked down at me, a dangerous, mocking smile curling his lips. “You like younger guys?” “Fine. Let’s go home. I’ve got plenty to show you.” 2 That night, Fred pinned me against the floor-to-ceiling glass window, showing no mercy until the crack of dawn. Outside, the glittering city skyline stretched endlessly, a playground for the impossibly rich. Without Fred, I wouldn’t even have the right to set foot in a penthouse like this. Of course, I wasn’t his girlfriend. At best, I was just his caged songbird. During my first year trying to break into the entertainment industry, a shady director tried to force himself on me. Despite my polite rejections at the dinner table, the guy kept pushing, his hand sliding toward the hem of my dress. That was when Fred stepped in. A single, quiet word from him was all it took to crush the director and pull me out of the fire. He was an untouchable billionaire tycoon, and I was just a nobody struggling at the bottom of the ladder. His pursuit wasn’t flashy. There were no grand, public declarations or overwhelming romantic gestures, but he quietly cleared every obstacle in my path. Paired with a face that could easily outshine any Hollywood A-lister, it was impossible not to fall for him. Still, I knew where I stood. A gilded bird was never the same as a real girlfriend. Deep down, I knew we were a dead end. Leaving was only a matter of time. “Distracted again?” Perhaps to punish my wandering thoughts, Fred’s thrusts grew heavier behind me. “What are you thinking about? Still daydreaming about those younger guys?” A sharp gasp escaped my lips. I reached back, my nails digging into his muscular arm as I bit my lip and shook my head furiously. My response failed to satisfy him. He flipped me around to face him, his eyes dark with possessiveness. “Even if you weren’t, you’re taking all of it tonight.” It felt like an eternity before the storm finally settled. Fred carried me to the master bathtub, wrapping his arms around me from behind as the hot water washed over us. As my senses slowly returned, I couldn’t help asking, “I heard your older sister, Victoria, is back in the country?” “Yeah.” Fred had been close to Victoria since childhood, and she held immense sway in the Pierce family. More importantly, rumor had it that Victoria hadn’t returned alone. She had brought a woman with her, the woman meant for an arranged marriage with the Pierce family. My chest tightened as I tested the waters. “Can I meet her?” Fred’s closed eyes snapped open. His piercing gaze searched my face, but his voice remained flat and distant. “There’s no need.” Just as I thought. A secret lover wasn’t worthy of meeting his family. I masked the pang of disappointment in my chest and forced a small smile. “Okay.” That afternoon, Piper, who had promised to call me, remained silent. It wasn’t until noon the next day that a text finally popped up on my phone. [Don’t worry. We didn’t get back together.] 3 I thought life would just drag on like this. Until a month later, when both Piper and I realized our periods were late. We went to the clinic together. The moment the ultrasound results came out, we stared at the words “Pregnancy Confirmed” on the paper, dropping into an absolute silence. Piper snatched my report, looking at me with pure frustration. “We agreed you’d just grab some industry resources and break it off! How could you not use protection?” “I did use it!” I argued defensively. Then, remembering how wild that night by the window had been, my voice dropped to a whisper. “It… might have broken.” Piper rolled her eyes, completely speechless. Now it was my turn to grab her report. I raised my voice. “You’re scolding me? What about you! You don’t even have a boyfriend! Who’s the wild daddy here?” Piper’s eyelashes fluttered nervously. She avoided my eyes, muttering under her breath, “Harrison’s.” “Whose?” I scowled, doubting my own ears. She squeezed her eyes shut, took a deep breath, and shouted right into my ear, “My ex! Har-ri-son!” My ears buzzed from the noise. I rubbed my ears and grumbled, “Fine, Harrison it is. Why are you screaming!” Piper was already broke up with him, and Harrison had his untouchable childhood crush, Serena. As for me? I was just a hidden mistress kept in the shadows, and Fred’s high-society fiancée had just arrived in town. We exchanged a look and let out a synchronized sigh. Neither of those men would ever welcome these babies. After a long pause, Piper grabbed my hand, hesitation in her eyes. “What if… we keep the kids and trash the dads?” I thought about it for a second. “Deal. Fred has been pretty generous over the years. Plus, with the money I saved from acting, we can easily buy a nice villa abroad.” “We’ll get a dog, a cat, two moms, and two babies in one big house.” Isn’t that the ultimate retirement dream for two best friends? 4 We moved fast. Even though Harrison kept bothering Piper, they were already broke up and living apart, so she could pack up and leave whenever she wanted. My situation was much trickier. I kept looking for the right moment to end things with Fred, but the opportunity never came. Until one night, Fred came home completely wasted. The moment the front door swung open, the smile froze on my face. Fred was leaning heavily on a stunning woman. I recognized her instantly from the news photos taken the day Victoria returned. It was Fred’s arranged fiancée, Samantha. “Hi there. You must be Sienna, right? Fred had a bit too much to drink, so I brought him back.” She looked at me with a warm, gentle smile. Unlike what I had imagined, Samantha seemed to know everything about my relationship with Fred. I managed a tight, polite smile and took Fred from her, helping him onto the couch. Samantha didn’t leave immediately. She looked around the spacious living room, smiling softly. “Could I trouble you for a glass of water?” I walked over to the kitchen island without a word. Behind me, her voice drifted over casually. “I heard you’ve been taking good care of Fred while I was away. Thank you.” “I’ve watched your movies, by the way. It’s really not easy for a woman to make it in the industry without a backing. Victoria and I actually admire you a lot.” “She mentioned wanting to invite you to the Pierce family dinner sometime soon. Did Fred tell you?” My hand holding the pitcher froze mid-air. I turned around and met Samantha’s gaze calmly. In her eyes, there was no mockery for my hidden status, nor was there any arrogant display of her wealthy background. There was only the quiet confidence of a true future mistress of the house. It was a kind of security I could never feel, no matter how long I stayed by Fred’s side. In that instant, the heavy boulder that had been weighing on my heart finally crashed down. I knew it was time to leave. That night, after Fred fell into a deep sleep, I packed up my belongings. Expecting this day to come eventually, I hadn’t kept much at his place. I left behind all the expensive gifts Fred had bought me, taking only a hand-woven red wristband. We had gotten a pair from a quiet chapel in Florence years ago, a prayer for safety and peace. I had spent so much time wondering how to say a proper, dignified goodbye. But maybe a face-to-face scene wasn’t necessary after all. On the gray silk sheets, Fred’s sharp features were as striking as the day I first met him. He always thought he was the one who pursued me. He never knew that I had fallen for him at first sight, too. A wave of bitterness and sorrow washed over me. I pulled out my phone and sent him one final text message. [I’m leaving. Our paths diverge here. May we never meet again.] Before stepping out the door, I blocked his number. Goodbye, Fred. I hope we both find peace in the lives ahead… 5 This was our third year living in Australia. Both Piper and I had given birth to healthy, adorable babies. Piper had a baby boy named Toby, and I had a baby girl named Penny. When the kids turned three, Piper started posting mommy vlogs online, though she always kept her own face off-camera. As for me, I opened a cozy little lounge near the beach. Life was sweet and relaxed. We had plenty of money, total freedom, and my bar even hired a few handsome young bartenders. Everything was perfect until one day, a comment suddenly blew up under Piper’s latest video. [Is it just me, or does little Toby look insanely like the movie star Harrison?] Harrison had once posted his childhood photos on social media years ago. The moment that comment dropped, curious netizens pulled up the old photos for comparison. The resemblance wasn’t just vague, it was practically a copy-paste job! Toby instantly went viral overnight! Countless users began tagging Harrison’s official account in the comments. Some asked Piper: [Who’s the baby daddy?] Piper couldn’t resist a snarky reply: [No dad. Asexual reproduction.] When netizens started questioning if she was a mistress hiding a bastard child, she fired back sarcastically: [If you guys knew who his father was, you’d realize I’m the one who got cursed here.] The very next second, a verified account named Harrison commented directly under her post. [Are you sure about that, Piper?] The username was Harrison, the avatar was Harrison, and most importantly, he called her out by her real name. Calling it a coincidence or a super fan seemed completely absurd now. Scared out of her mind, Piper deleted all her replies instantly and locked her account so only friends could comment. That night, she rushed to my lounge in a full-blown panic, terrified that Harrison would hunt her down and take Toby away. I tried to calm her down, pointing out that Australia was huge. Even if Harrison saw the videos, there was no way he could find our exact address from a few short clips. Seeing her still sick with worry, I promised to take her out for a day trip the following morning. 6 The next day, while we were walking the kids near a popular scenic spot, a street interviewer suddenly blocked our path. Given Toby’s sudden internet fame, we instantly declined the interview and tried to leave with the kids. But we couldn’t stop the video from being uploaded online later. In the clip, Toby’s face was crystal clear, and the camera caught both Penny and me in the frame as well. The internet went wild instantly. [Holy crap, from a passerby’s angle, the kid looks even more like Harrison!] [Is this Harrison’s secret kid? Honestly, nothing surprises me with celebrity scandals anymore.] [Wait, the little girl in the frame is gorgeous too! Did her mom use to act? She looks so familiar!] Seeing the online storm spiraling out of control, I sat down with Piper to brainstorm. “Maybe we should move to a different city. Business at the lounge has been slow anyway, I’ve been thinking of selling it.” Piper nodded repeatedly. “Sounds good! Wherever you go, I go.” Piper deleted her account entirely, while I posted a notice to sell the lounge. That very afternoon, someone reached out wanting to buy the place and asked to meet me that evening. I waited at the lounge past closing time, but the buyer never showed up. An eerie gut feeling crept up my spine as the night grew quiet. Suddenly, a heavy thud echoed from the entrance. The next second, the heavy wooden doors were kicked open with a deafening bang. Dozens of muscular guards in black suits rushed inside, completely surrounding the lounge. A cold chill shot up from the soles of my feet, almost paralyzing me. I forced my voice to stay firm. “Who are you looking for?” Silence. Nobody answered. My nerves snapped. I turned and bolted out through the back door. The moment I swung the back door open, I slammed right into a solid, towering chest. A familiar, cool scent of cedarwood enveloped my senses. Stumbling back a few steps, I frantically pulled out my phone to dial emergency services. But before the call could connect, a sharp pain shot through my wrist. My phone crashed onto the pavement, its screen flickering faintly in the dark. My arms were yanked behind my back, bound tight with a heavy leather belt. A powerful hand gripped my waist, pulling me backward into a hard, warm chest. A deep, familiar voice drifted into my ear, sending shivers down my spine. “Sienna… had a good few years?” It was a casual greeting, but I could hear the deadly chill lurking underneath. My spine turned to ice. I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing my breathing to steady. “Fred, we broke up. This is Australia. Don’t do anything stupid.” “Broke up?” A dark, icy chuckle rasped against my ear. “Did I ever agree to that?” “And so what if I do something stupid?” Even after years apart, I still remembered how ruthless Fred could be. I closed my eyes, making one last desperate attempt to fight back. “I already called the cops!” Right on cue, the phone on the ground connected, and the dispatcher’s voice echoed faintly through the speaker. Fred leaned down, picked up the phone, and held it right against my ear. A low, arrogant laugh vibrated in his chest. “Go on, give him the address, sweetheart.” “Guess how many times I’ll break you before the cops even show up?”

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