Jauregui.

thirty three

Lauren's POV:

"You've been served."

The man turned around and left, but I couldn't. I was numb in place. Once I regained the ability of my motor skills, I turned around to face a sleeping Taylor. Slowly, I began to open the envelope but
my fear got the better of me. There were hundreds of things that could be the cause of the suit, some more painful than others.

I slowly opened the front door and walked to Camila's apartment, where Averi was as well. I couldn't do this alone. I gently knocked and the door was thrown open.

Camila's POV:

I was inside my apartment with Averi watching a movie and playing Egyptian War when I heard a faint knock.

"I'll be right back Av" I said walking to the door.

"Oh and don't look at my cards," I turned back around at the giggling child who was caught red-handed.

I opened the door to see Lauren, sickly pale, shaking with an envelope in her right hand.

"Lo, oh my god, are you okay? Come
in!" I ushered the brunette into my house. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Averi drop the cards and run to her mother's aid.

"Momma? What's wrong?" Averi asked gently, caressing Lauren's head.

Lauren just looked up at me and handed me the envelope. "Please open it," Lauren asked. I looked at the seal, immediately noticing the obvious stamp of the courthouse and the suit complain written across the top.

I pried open the sealed envelope to find a series of paper. And by the first couple words, I knew it wasn't good.

Lauren's POV:

Camila's been silent for a few minutes now. And by the looks of it, it's bad news.

"Mila, just tell me," I said.

"Lo, it's bad. They're suing you for custody of Averi," She whispered and the room began to turn around me.

"W-what?" I asked weakly, not grasping the intensity of the situation.

"Who is? Who wants to take my babygirl away from me!" I asked, suddenly getting a burst of anger. How dare somebody try to take my child away from me.

"It says that the suit is being addressed by a guy named Matthew Christian Jones...? I don't know who that is," Camila finished. Matthew...I hadn't heard that name in years. He was the person who helped ruin my life but ironically gave me the best thing in my life—Averi.  All the sudden, there was a sob from beside me.

"No babygirl. He's not going to take you," I reassured my daughter, even though I knew nothing about the situation myself.

"No Mom. H-he was the cre-creepy man at the mall today," Averi sobbed into my arms. "And now he wants to take me from you. I don't wa-wanna go. Momma please," She was hysteric now, on the brink of a panic attack. I immediately turned my personal emotions off, focusing on the most important part of me.

"Babygirl, I need you to breathe for me. In. Out. In. Out. In. Out..." We repeated that for a few times until her crying had stopped, just the occasional hiccups left.

"Now baby. I am going to do everything in my power to make sure he doesn't take you. That is a promise," I looked at her bloodshot eyes as she nodded sadly. She placed her head on my shoulder and slowly drifted off.

"Camila?" I asked the brunette who watched the entire rundown.

"How dare this man have the fucking audacity, the fucking nerve to even think of compiling a case against you. I need his address, I just want to talk," She angerly spoke.