Chapter 5 No choice

AVA

The pounding on my apartment door was so loud it made Eli cry. I'd just gotten him down for his nap, and now he was screaming again, his fever making him irritable and clingy.

"I'm coming!" I called out, bouncing Eli on my hip as I walked to the door. "Just a minute!"

But whoever was outside didn't wait. The pounding continued, aggressive and demanding. I looked through the peephole and my blood turned to ice.

Liam Blackwood stood in my hallway, his face dark with fury.

My hands shook as I unlocked the door. "Mr. Blackwood? What are you doing here? How did you.."

"We need to talk." He pushed past me into my tiny apartment, his expensive suit looking completely out of place among my secondhand furniture. "Now."

"Sir, I don't understand.."

"Don't." His voice was cold steel. "Don't pretend you don't know why I'm here."

He turned to look at Eli, who was still crying in my arms. Those gray eyes, so much like his father's studied my son with an intensity that made my stomach churn.

"He's mine, isn't he?" Liam said quietly.

The words hung in the air like a death sentence. I wanted to deny it, to lie, to protect my son from this moment. But looking at them side by side, the resemblance was undeniable.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I whispered.

"Two years ago. Azure nightclub. You were crying at the bar." His voice was matter-of-fact, but I caught the slight tremor in it. "You told me about feeling trapped, about being unwanted. I took you to my hotel."

My legs nearly gave out. He remembered. After all this time, he remembered.

"That was you?" I tried to sound surprised, but my voice cracked.

"You know it was." He stepped closer, and I backed away until I hit the wall. "The question is, why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me I had a son?"

"Because I didn't know who you were!" The words exploded out of me. "You never told me your name! You left without a word!"

"So you've been hiding my child from me for two years?"

"I've been protecting him!" I held Eli tighter, and he buried his face in my shoulder. "You don't understand. I had nothing. I was homeless, pregnant, alone. I didn't even know if you were married, if you had a family.."

"I want a paternity test."

The words hit me like a physical blow. "What?"

"You heard me. I want legal proof that he's mine."

"No." The word came out stronger than I felt. "No, I won't put him through that."

Liam's laugh was bitter. "You don't have a choice. Either you agree to the test, or I'll take this to court. And believe me, Ms. Parker, I have better lawyers than you could ever afford."

"You can't just.."

"I can do whatever I want." His voice was deadly quiet. "I'm a billionaire, Ava. I own half this city. If I want a paternity test, I'll get one."

Tears burned my eyes. "Why? Why does it matter now? You've been fine without him for two years."

"Because I didn't know he existed!" For the first time, his composure cracked. "Do you think I would have left you to struggle alone if I'd known? Do you think I would have let my son grow up in poverty?"

"I don't know what kind of man you are," I said, my voice breaking. "I knew you for one night."

He stared at me for a long moment, and I saw something flicker in his eyes, hurt, maybe, or regret. But then it was gone, replaced by cold determination.

"You'll be hearing from my lawyers," he said, heading for the door. "And Ava? Don't even think about running. I will find you."

The door slammed behind him, leaving me alone with my crying son and the wreckage of my life.

The legal papers came the next morning. A process server handed them to me with a sympathetic look that made everything worse. I was ordered to appear for a DNA test within 72 hours, or face contempt of court charges.

I called in sick to work, spending the day pacing my apartment and trying to figure out what to do. Every scenario I imagined ended the same way, with Liam taking Eli away from me. That afternoon, my landlord knocked on the door.

"Ava, we need to talk," Mr. Rodriguez said, his usual kind demeanor replaced by uncomfortable formality.

"What's wrong?"

"Your rent's going up. Effective immediately, it's doubling."

I stared at him in shock. "Doubling? But that's not legal. You can't just.."

"Building's been sold. New management, new rates." He wouldn't meet my eyes. "I'm sorry, but you've got thirty days to pay or move out."

"Mr. Rodriguez, please. I've been a good tenant. I've never been late.."

"It's out of my hands." He handed me a notice and walked away.

I knew this was Liam's doing. He was squeezing me, forcing me into a corner where I'd have no choice but to submit to his demands.

That night, Eli's fever spiked again. This time, I couldn't bring it down. I had to take him to the emergency room, where we waited for four hours before a doctor could see us.

"He has an ear infection," the doctor explained. "Pretty severe. He'll need antibiotics and close monitoring."

"How much will that cost?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

The nurse handed me a bill that made my heart stop. Even with the payment plan they offered, I'd never be able to afford it.

I sat in the hospital parking lot, holding my sleeping son, and finally broke down. I couldn't do this anymore. I couldn't fight a man with unlimited resources while my child suffered.

With shaking hands, I called the number on the legal papers.

"This is Ava Parker," I said when someone answered. "I'll take the test."

We got home near midnight. Eli was finally sleeping peacefully, the medication starting to work. I tucked him into his crib and collapsed on my couch, emotionally and physically exhausted.

I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew, I was waking up to the sound of my apartment door closing. I sat up, my heart pounding, and looked around. Everything seemed normal, but something felt wrong.

I crept to Eli's room and froze in the doorway. His crib was empty.

"Eli!" I screamed, rushing to his bed. But then I saw him, he was on the floor beside the crib, still sleeping. He must have climbed out and fallen.

As I picked him up, I noticed something white on his pillow. A piece of paper, folded in half.

With trembling hands, I opened it and read the words that made my blood run cold:

"Stay away from Liam Blackwood or lose everything."