The Love of Lies

Stolen

Cori's POV

Over the initial shock of discovering that I'm pregnant, I got back to my regular routine. Most of the women in my unit know that I'm expecting by now, but they haven't made a big deal about it.

Some have even quietly offered their old baby items, which I gladly accepted because anything will help. I typically don’t like handouts, but in this situation, I’ll take it because it isn’t just about me anymore.

Because of the contract I signed, pregnancy could be considered a breach because it could leave me ‘unable to perform my contracted duties.’ So, either I'll be fired soon, or they will put me on leave until after I have my baby, which is the best case scenario.

I don't know what I'm going to do for money if either of those things happen, but if I hide it well, I can probably work another three or four months before I start to show, and if I save properly, I will be able to support myself until I give birth.

Also, my attorney seems excited about my case, so I'm hoping that he can settle it out of court before the baby is born; that way, I don't have to struggle for too long.

Worst case scenario, I go back to working at Syd's, but the reality of how many years of schooling I would be wasting hits me hard, especially since I have student loans.

Don't get me wrong, there is nothing bad about what I used to do, but that isn't a profession anyone can hold long term. But then again, Syd's been a bartender for most of his life and he does pretty well for himself, so maybe I should get my bartending license too.

Fortunately, I don’t have any early pregnancy symptoms other than fatigue, and it's gotten better now that I’m taking supplements. I’ve also gone in for prenatal care, but since I’m paying out of pocket, I won’t do another scan until my twenty-week visit, however, I did get to hear my baby’s heartbeat, which made me cry, and this time, it wasn’t sad tears.

Other than being pregnant, there are other things that could have resulted from a broken condom, so my doctor insisted on a full STD workup. I will get the results for them at my next appointment, which she and I have spaced to fit my budget.

She’s aware of the entire circumstance surrounding my pregnancy, but she hasn’t judged me about it, saying that it could have happened to anyone, especially since my cycle was never regular to begin with. My only concern now is if I should tell Ashton.

He’s engaged, and I don’t want the drama, but the reality is that this baby is just as much his as it is mine. He deserves to know about its existence, but I really don’t want this situation to turn messy, with him trying to take sole custody so that he and his fiancé can raise the baby as theirs.

That thought swirled through my mind for most of the day, and while I was mostly distracted by work, any down time I had was filled with thoughts of a terrible future trying to co-parent, so I settled on keeping news of my pregnancy to myself.

***

Today was a difficult day for me, and not just because I was tired. Children are extremely vulnerable, and we had two trauma cases come in. One from an accident involving an unrestrained child, and the other was hit by a car while riding her bike.

Neither child had life threatening injuries, but they were serious, and it made me think of how I’m going to protect my baby. Those thoughts terrified me up until the end of my shift, which left me feeling heavy.

While driving, I’m so consumed by thoughts of safety hazards at home that I didn’t notice I was being pulled over until I stopped at a red light. I know I wasn't speeding, and I immediately start to think that my father has finally decided to report my mother's car stolen.

He won't get very far, since I know she left it to me, but if the man is still as bad as he was at managing money, then he’s probably looking to sell my car for extra cash.

"Is there a problem officer?" I try not to sound nervous, but I'm pregnant, tired, and hungry; not to mention that spending the night in jail could get me fired.

"Mam, you’ll need to come with us," the officer says, and now, I'm concerned.

"Sir?"

"There’s a problem with your vehicle." Just like I thought, my father reported the car, and now, I'm going to jail.

The officer asks me to step out of my car, and while he's being stern, he isn't treating me like a criminal just yet.

I know better than to explain myself without an attorney present, so I quietly follow the man's orders, and after being handcuffed, he puts me in the back of his cruiser.

I have no idea where we are going, but when the car stops, it is not in front of a police station.

"What's going on?" I ask, hating that my hands have been bound.

"Miss, relax," the man says, which is impossible for me right now.

I start kicking wildly as he tries to pull me from the car, but without the full use of my hands, someone is able to open the door from the other side and pull me out.

"Please don't do this to me," I cry, not understanding what's happening right now. "I'm pregnant, and my family will be worried about me." That's a lie, there will be no one looking for me, but my abductors don’t need to know that.

"You won't get hurt if you calm down and cooperate." I look to the man, who assures me that I'm not in any danger, but his assurances mean nothing to me. "Look, I don’t like this either, but I promise that you'll leave unharmed." I stiffly nod, and the man holding my feet gently puts them down.

Naturally, I can't stop crying as they pull me through the home and toward large double doors that scream rich pervert who enjoys buying women. They pushed them open, and when I see Ashton leaning against a desk inside, I try to run, but I'm still being held by the officers, who pick me up and put me in a chair in front of the man.

"It's good to see you Cori, or should I say, Corinne Russolini?"

Ashton's POV

I was so hurt for my mother that I didn't even want to look at the paperwork my father received, but Troy was livid, and believing my father's innocence, he did what I could not.

No one knew who Corinne Russolini was, but after hearing my brother say the name several times, it hit me like a ton of bricks.

Cori Russo, as in the woman I had s*x with more than two months ago. I don’t know what she’s up to, but she better have a damn good explanation because she almost ruined my parents’ marriage with her little game.

I had to call in a favor, that I’d rather not have used for something so silly, to get the girl to my home, and as soon as she saw me, she tried to run, but in handcuffs and flanked by the two police officers, she barely took two steps before being forcibly sat in a chair.

"It's good to see you Cori, or should I say, Corinne Russolini?"

“Don’t call me that,” she whispers, slightly trembling as she looks at me. “Why am I here?” I don’t respond and instead, I hand Cori the letter that was sent to my father, who I’m named after. Her eyes go wide, and she takes a deep breath, looking up at me in what looks to be genuine horror. “I have nothing to do with this.”

“So, he’s not your attorney?”

“He is, but I didn’t ask him to do this.” I dismiss the police officers who uncuff the woman before leaving, and now that we are alone, I plan to get some real answers out of her.

“What is your end goal and why send this to my father?” The woman’s face scrunches, and I almost believe she has no idea what I’m talking about. “Cori, are you pregnant?” She doesn’t answer me, so I move closer to her, bending so that my face hovers above hers. “Are you having my father’s baby?”

“No,” the woman says in disgust, and now I’m confused.

“Then why send this? Is it to get back at me for what happened?”

“I told you that I had nothing to do with that letter. I hired an attorney to help me sue Gold Brand; parental rights were never mentioned, and I don’t even know what your father looks like.”

“Corinne Russolini,” I say mockingly, and I notice the woman’s face darken as I do.

“Since you seem to know a lot about me, you should know that I use a legal alias. Please don’t call me that again.”

“Why?” I ask, hoping to antagonize. “I owe you nothing, especially since you almost destroyed my family.”

“No, you almost destroyed your family,” she quips, standing to leave, but I block her path. “Mr. Lewis, please let me go. There’s no reason for me to be here.”

“Those papers say otherwise,” I reply, snatching the documents from the woman, and flipping to the page that requires my father’s signature.

“That is a mistake I will clear up with my attorney, now please let me leave.”

“So you can continue trying to extort us?”

“What are you talking about? I didn’t ask for anything.”

“Cori, this is the last time I’m going to ask you nicely; are you pregnant?” The woman gives me a quick nod and I rub my temples. “And the father?” She just stares at me, and an audible ‘oh gosh,’ escapes my lips. Just like Troy said, the paperwork was delivered to the wrong man, and I feel like I’m about to be sick. “How?” I stupidly ask.

“The condom must have broken. I tried to get rid of it, but by the time I found out, it was illegal in this state, and I couldn’t afford to go to a place that could help me.”

“Aren’t you a nurse? How could you not have known?” I completely skipped over the part when Cori said the condom ‘must have’ broken but it occurs to me that she doesn’t remember me taking the damn thing off.

“Listen, I don’t want to ruin your family and I don’t want anything from you.”

“Are you sure it’s mine?”

“You are the only man I’ve been with.” There is a hurt in Cori’s tone, but that doesn’t mean anything. She lied about her name, and she could be lying about everything else.

“How much does the procedure cost?” The woman flinches and clutches at her stomach as though she’s in pain.

“I… I changed my mind about that.”

“You’re going to keep it?!” I angrily shout, making the woman’s face recoil in fear.

“Like I said, I don’t need or want anything from you. I’m truly sorry, but my attorney made a mistake; I only hired him for one purpose.”

“Do you really think I believe anything you're saying right now?” I’m starting to get angry, and Cori retreats, getting into a defensive position as though I’m going to hit her, further irritating me.

“You’re right, the baby isn’t yours; now can I leave?”

“Do you think this is a game?!”

“No!” Cori shouts back. “But you aren’t listening to me. I don’t know why that letter got sent to your father, but it's asking you to terminate parental rights. All you have to do is sign it.”