Chapter 5 A bastard

Despite her best efforts to find work in the fashion capital, she was unsuccessful.

Her belly was barely visible in her fifth month of pregnancy due to poor nutrition.

The baby was expected to be born soon, and she was grateful for any job opportunity, even if it was in a restaurant.

Occasionally, she would contact her ex to discuss the pregnancy, but Kevin was in Ibiza with his new girlfriend, Beatrice, and had no intention of returning.

The CEO's consigliere had already given the order: Justine was forbidden from entering the company or the mansion. All employees were prohibited from disclosing any information about their boss. To ensure her own livelihood, Justine washed dishes and cleaned the kitchen of a restaurant at night.

In her eighth month, she left work early, feeling strong contractions. In the midst of excruciating pain, she walked the streets asking for a ride, but everyone refused to help the pregnant and ragged woman. When she finally made it to the emergency room, she collapsed and lost consciousness.

Hours later, Justine woke up. Despair took hold as soon as she realized she was lying on a stretcher, IV fluids running through her veins.

"Where's my baby?" Her voice was weak as she asked the nurse.

"Your son is with his grandmother." The nurse pointed to Sophia, standing near the window.

"Is it a boy?" Curious, Justine asked.

"Yes!" The nurse replied, smiling kindly.

On the other side, Sophia rocked the newborn wrapped in a blue blanket.

"I brought diapers, clothes, and some money for you," Sophia said, approaching her.

"What are you doing here?" Justine asked weakly.

In a complacent tone, Sophia replied, "I got a call from the hospital. They said the baby was born."

Avoiding eye contact, Justine whispered, "I forgot to remove you from my emergency contacts."

"Please leave my son and go away, Sophia." Justine said bitterly.

Looking at the newborn yawning in her lap, Sophia asked, "Can I stay a little longer with my grandson?"

"No!"

With a sigh, Sophia took another look at the baby in her arms before turning to Justine and asking, "At least you could tell me the baby's name?"

"My son's name is Bryan Delacroix," Justine replied, remembering her late father.

But Justine just wanted to annoy Sophia because she was still hurt that Sophia chose to side with her mobster lover instead of helping her when she needed it most.

"You named him after your father. How sweet!" There was sarcasm in Sophia's soft voice.

After picking up the baby, Justine saw the boy's small blue eyes. Wherever she went, she would carry with her a vivid memory of her ex-husband.

"When I came to Milan, I lived in a tenement on Via Gola, in Navigli," Sophia confessed, taking the key from her purse. "I have an apartment on the third floor of one of the buildings in that tenement. It's a suburb. There, you can begin anew, free from the tug-of-war between Kevin and Andrew. That area isn't under their control."

"I don't need your help." Although she did, Justine let her pride get the better of her.

"You won't be working for a while, and you'll need to take care of the baby for a few weeks. How will you afford rent in central Milan?"

Sophia was right. There was no way Justine could stay in that city anymore. She had no choice but to accept that woman's help.

Reluctantly, Justine accepted the woman's help. After all, it was the least Sophia could do after getting Justine involved in the war between two powerful mobsters.

After giving the newborn to his mother, Sophia smiled quietly and said, "Take good care of him." She moved away from the bed and waved. "Goodbye!"

It was ironic to see Sophia, the most incompetent mother in the world, wanting to dispense her counsel, but despite everything, Justine was willing to do anything for that little being who moved his little hands and legs while she held him in her arms.

A few days later, Justine was discharged from the hospital and accepted Sophia's ride to the suburb. She settled into a simple apartment with her baby. That was the last time they saw each other.

The following year, Justine tried to contact Sophia for Bryan's birthday but received the news that she had died. Although she was hurt by her mother, Justine cried for a few days but did not want to know the cause of death of the woman who had despised her.

❛ ━━━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━━❜

Seven Years Later...

Justine was used to living illegally in a dilapidated apartment in the slums of Via Gola, an area known as the "Bronx" of Milan. The place was dangerous due to drug trafficking and widespread illegality, but she managed to hide for years without her ex-husband harming her.

On that foggy day, Via Gola seemed quiet. Justine usually left home at seven in the morning to drop her son off at school and go straight to the factory. She worked as a seamstress during the day and waited tables at a restaurant in Navigli at night. Sometimes pimps or drug dealers approached her, but she always refused.

On a mild afternoon, Justine stopped in front of the school entrance. Her golden eyes watched the children as they left. When she saw Bryan, she waved. Her lips formed a smile that tried to hide her exhaustion.

The week before, Bryan had turned six. Justine hadn't given him his present yet, but her keen eyes noticed the sadness and a bruise on the boy's face.

"Who did this to you, my dear?" She ran her hand through her son's light brown hair, concerned.

"No one did anything, Mum!" Bryan replied, lowering his head and looking at his feet.

She touched Bryan's chin, lifted his face, and saw tears in his blue eyes.

"Excuse me, Miss Delacroix!" The teacher approached Justine. "Bryan has been suspended for three days for fighting with a classmate."

"Why did you hit your classmate, Bryan?" Justine retorted vehemently.

"He called me a bastard because I don't have a father," the child explained, despite the teacher shaking her head. "So I hit him."

"The other student was also suspended," said the teacher. "We shouldn't solve everything with violence... Bryan should have told me he was being bullied."

"Sorry, me!" Justine apologized. "I'll talk to my son; the situation won't happen again."

"If it happens again, Bryan will be expelled from school," the teacher said. "We don't tolerate violence in the classroom.

Holding the little boy's hand, Justine walked down the street. When they stopped, she looked into the boy's blue eyes.

"You shouldn't have hit your classmate," Justine scolded her son.

"He keeps saying that I'll go to an orphanage if you die. Why does everyone have a father and I don't?" The childish voice asked. "I didn't want my father to die. I'd rather have my dad here."

Those words hit Justine like a blow to the heart. It was difficult to keep up the lie. Kevin was extremely vindictive, and Justine feared he would harass Bryan because of her mistakes.

Hoping to cheer her son up and make him forget about his father, Justine shared some news, saying "I got the money to buy you a new soccer ball."

"Yay!" Bryan cheered. "Can I see it?"

Seeing her son smile, Justine took the €20 bill from her purse and handed it to him.

Justine had been so distracted that she didn't notice the hooded man who had sneaked up from behind and had grabbed her son's arm.

"Help, Mom!" Bryan shouted as he pulled out the money that he thought the man was trying to steal.

Overcome with desperation, Justine jumped on the man's back and grabbed him by the neck as she tried to save her son.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang, and the boy's body fell to the ground. The hooded man ran away.

"No! No! No!" Justine screamed desperately. "Bryan, wake up!" She touched his head, and terror froze her body as she felt warm liquid running down her hand.

"A child has been shot!" someone shouted. "Call an ambulance."

The police car stopped next to the distraught mother, who remained kneeling. Justine cried uncontrollably, hugging the lifeless body of little Bryan, who had been shot in the head.

"No! No! Kevin couldn't have done this to my son!" She screamed desperately amid her anguished cries.