SERGIO DIDN’T COME to see her again in the following two months. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t constantly monitoring her. He had guards stationed outside of her apartment at all times and she was never allowed to leave the premises. Only Lucero was allowed to go out, but even her movements had been greatly restricted in the aftermath.
“I can’t go on like this, Lulu,” Noelle said as she paced around her bedroom. Her hands were cradling her baby bump, already noticeable through her fitted dress. She suspected she was around five or six months along, although she didn’t know for sure. She’d tried to count back to the last time she’d had her period, but she’d been so stressed during that time that she hadn’t spared it a thought.
“I need to see a doctor. I need to take prenatal vitamins. I need an ultrasound… What if something’s wrong with my baby and I have no idea?” she asked, her voice tinged with worry.
Sergio wouldn’t allow a doctor to come see her. She suspected his decision was two-fold—he didn’t want anyone to know she was pregnant, but he also did not want to help her in any way.
She might be young and inexperienced, but she knew enough of the world to realize pregnancy wasn’t without its dangers. Why, even with hospital care, maternal mortality was high, as was the danger that something could happen to her baby if she didn’t take proper care of herself.
In an attempt to offset the lack of proper medical care, she’d started eating healthier, sleeping more, and doing some routine exercises to keep her body moving. Without access to the internet–since Sergio had taken that away from her, too–she had to rely on her memory of what she’d read online or seen in movies. But no matter how much she tried her best, she knew it wasn’t enough.
“I know,” Lucero answered, her lips pursed. “I was thinking of asking one of the midwives from the village to come see you. But I don’t know how we’re going to sneak her inside without Sergio knowing.”
“We won’t be able to,” Noelle sighed. “He will know.”
“Then there is only one other option. We need to leave. I don’t know how, but we need to find a way out.”
“I’ve been racking my brain for weeks now, but he has guards everywhere. I can’t even take a step out of the room without bumping into one of his goons.”
“There’s another banquet at the end of the week,” Lucero remarked.
“Even if we get out of the house. What then? We’d need a car, and even if we make it that far, the city’s hours away. He’d catch up with us.”
“You’re right, but…” Lucero bit her lip. “What if we risked it?”
Noelle’s eyebrows went up in surprise.
Lucero wasn’t the type to take risks. In fact, she was very much the opposite of it. She did everything by the book, always respecting the rules.
“Risk it?”
Lucero’s gaze turned fierce as it settled on Noelle’s bump.
“We need to protect that baby, Noelle. Whatever happens, we need to make sure he doesn’t end up with Sergio.”
“You think he’s going to try to harm him too, don’t you?”
“I don’t know what he plans to do, but his silence is more than telling. He is an evil man, and I would never take a chance with him.”
Noelle smiled at her friend’s staunch defense of her unborn child. She took a seat next to Lucero, taking her hands and placing them over her stomach.
“I want you to be the baby’s godmother,” she told her in a soft voice.
“You–” Lucero blinked. “Are you sure?”
“Very, very sure. There’s no one else more worthy than you, Lulu. You’ve been with me through thick and thin, and just the fact that you’d risk everything for my baby’s safety is all the proof I need that you’re the perfect person for this.”
“Noelle, I–” Tears simmered in her eyes as she turned to face Noelle. She opened her mouth and closed it as she could barely find the words to express the happiness she felt at Noelle’s words.
“There is one more thing.” Noelle wet her lips as she squeezed Lucero’s hands. “Should anything happen to me, promise me you’ll take care of the baby and raise it as if it were your own.”
Noelle knew she was asking a lot of Lucero, but the future was more uncertain than ever. She didn’t know when Sergio would suddenly decide he’d had enough and kill her.
Then there were a multitude of other things that could happen to her and take her away from her baby. It was odd how since she’d found out she was pregnant, she’d started seeing life through different eyes. It was almost as if she’d become fully cognizant of her own mortality and the fact that her baby would be defenseless without her—all alone in the world with no one to care for it.
But this way… This way she at least had a back-up plan, and there was no one she trusted more than Lucero.
“Thank you. I promise I’ll do anything in my power to protect your baby, and I’ll cherish him or her as if it were my own,” Lucero replied effusively, sincerity dripping from every single word. “Sergio won’t get his hands on it.”
“Mali,” Noelle smiled. “That’s how I’ll name him. Mali,” she repeated as she brought a hand to her necklace, softly caressing the stone. It was the only thing she had from Raf—her most prized possession. But soon, she’d have something else—their child.
“Him?”
“It’s a boy. I’m certain it’s a boy,” Noelle murmured.
Lucero smiled as she stroked her belly.
“Mali,” she repeated. “I like that.”
“He’ll be the spitting image of his father,” Noelle’s voice dropped a notch as she tried her best to keep her tears at bay. “Even if I never see Raf again, at least I’ll have him. At least I’ll have Mali…” she trailed off.
The more Noelle thought about Lucero’s idea, the more she became convinced it was the only option for them. If they put off escaping longer, her pregnancy would become too advanced for her to move around freely, and consequently she would be more vulnerable to any attack.
As they both decided to use the upcoming banquet as a diversion to escape, they started planning. Lucero would bring one of the dinner portable tables to the apartment as usual. The table had enough space underneath to fit Noelle, so when she returned with the leftovers, she would secret Noelle out with it.
Once they reached the kitchen, Noelle would get out and they would both head to the back of the hacienda where all the cars were parked. It was Lucero’s task to steal one of the keys in advance so they could easily take the car out. Lastly, while the party was in full swing and the music at its loudest, they would leave.
In theory, their plan should work.
In practice, however, it was a bit… trickier.
When the day came for the execution of the plan, Lucero managed to successfully smuggle Noelle out of her apartment using the portable dinner table. As they’d intuited, the guards had been cut in half due to the banquet and their actions weren’t as scrutinized.
They successfully reached the kitchen before they discarded the table and sneaked to the back of the house.
The music was loud, and with everyone indulged in the food and alcohol from the banquet. It wasn’t hard to get to the garage undetected.
Yet all that had been the easy part.
“Here,” Lucero removed the keys to a car from her pocket.
She’d snuck into the worker’s quarter the night before and she’d managed to get the keys to one of the merchandise cars. Luckily, it was one of the smaller cars–a four door black sedan instead of a truck.
“It’s getting dark. People should be getting drunk enough to allow us to leave undetected,” Noelle remarked as they found the car.
Unlocking the door, Noelle got behind the wheel with Lucero by her side. But even as she put the key into ignition, they couldn’t quite leave yet. They had to wait until the main ceremony of the night began before starting the car.
Noelle was careful as she drove out of the garage, taking a less known route to avoid any unwanted attention.
“The road is clear,” she whispered in surprise as she drove out of the hacienda.
They passed by the temples and the drug facility, getting further and further away.
Noelle’s heart soared at the thought that this was it–this was the moment she’d finally be free.
“It’s working,” Lucero added enthusiastically as she looked left and right. “We’re out.”
“We are.” Noelle smiled, increasing the speed of the car.
Yet something wouldn’t stop niggling at her conscience. It had been easy–too easy.
And as they drove for another twenty minutes, she realized why when she spotted a car blockade not even a mile ahead.
Five cars. All parked around the road to stop their advance.
“He knew,” Noelle whispered in dismay. “He fucking knew. But… how?”
“I don’t understand,” Lucero frowned.
Noelle slowed down the car as they reached the blockade, and right at that moment Sergio stepped out of his car, a knowing smirk on his face as he barked orders to his men.
They were both resigned as they watched the men come towards them to remove them from the car. Noelle didn’t even think to put up a fight or do something dangerous since she didn’t want to take any chances with her baby.
“There’s only one way he could have known, Lulu,” she said as she turned to her friend. “We need to ransack our apartment for listening devices.”
Lucero nodded numbly.
And just like that, Sergio had won that round.
But Noelle was not deterred.
For her baby she was capable of anything. She just needed to find the right moment to strike. After all, she was already used to biding her time and acting when the opportunity arose. She might hate the fact that every moment spent at the hacienda meant one more moment her baby was in danger, but she needed to be wiser.
Sergio might be smart. But there was one monumental difference between the two of them.
He fought for his ego.
She fought for the people she loved.
And that would always win.
