✔️ MALEDETTO | 18 +

Chapter 1

I took off from work today and gave her nanny free for today too to celebrate her third birthday with her. My baby was turning three and of course I wouldn't miss her birthday, I couldn't spend a lot of time with her because of my hospital shift.

When I was on nightshifts, I would come home early in the morning and I would be exhausted as hell. And when I worked regularly and came home in the evening, she fell asleep. I wouldn't lie, it was hard to be a single parent.

I wanted to take best care of her. That was also one of the reasons I left my maternity leave early and applied for my fellowship at the same hospital as Emma and started working, leaving my baby at home with a nanny most of the time.

Sometimes, I felt bad that I couldn't give my baby the attention she needed. I knew babies needed a lot of attention and love. And I tried to spend as much time with her as possible, but I also had to keep ourselves financially stable.

I couldn't rely on Bob for the rest of my life. He'd done enough for me already. Now, he also had a son with Emma.

And I didn't want to bother them with my problems anymore. They deserved to be happy and have some peace after everything that happened because of me and my stupid generosity.

That was also the reason why I moved out of their house. They were always there for me and supported me in whatever they could, but I knew they needed some privacy too.

I couldn't live alone as we first moved to the US because I had anxiety issues and felt paranoid. I felt lonely and scared after everything that happened to me. Every time I closed my eyes I saw his face and felt like he was coming to trap me again.

I've had nightmares, lots of nightmares. But the fact that I wasn't alone, having Emma and Bob by my side, helped me get rid of them. I felt safe staying in their house and my anxiety got better with time, as I lived with them, too.

Then, I had Zia, holding her in my arms, made me strong again. She made me feel alive. She was the reason I breathed as of today.

Seriously, I would do anything for my baby. I wanted the best for her. I wanted to give her the life I couldn't have, and I knew I couldn't do that when I was living in my fear and paranoia.

That's why I knew I had to move on in life. Therefore, I moved into the house next to them, starting to build a life for my daughter and me.

And over time, I even realized that my fears were ridiculous as I didn't hear from him for a long time now. If he didn't show up until now, he wouldn't show up anytime soon either, right?

However, I still didn't know exactly if he was alive or not. The jump off the cliff seemed fatal. But I didn't think he was dead as his death would be all over the news considering he was a well-known businessman.

Maybe he hit his head while jumping and forgot about us? Maybe he couldn't find us? After all, Bob was an excellent hacker who had worked for my father in the past. He was one of the best at his job and if he made us disappear we would be hard to find.

Though, there was another man who was as good at his job as Bob, but he was dead. Esmeralda said she shot him.

Therefore, there was no reason for me to be afraid, my daughter and I were safe. He had no chance of finding me and drawing me back into this terrible life. I got rid of him. He was no longer a part of our lives and I would do anything to keep it that way.

"Mom, I'm clean," she muttered with a sweet frown on her face as I still scrubbed her head while I was lost in my thoughts.

"Oh! I'm sorry, baby," I said with a sigh, turning off the water. Then, I got her out of the shower and helped her put her pink bathrobe on.