Page 166 of Pregnant By A Rich Demon 2

I smiled despite myself. “I understand.”

We drove in silence for a few minutes, the city growing closer with every mile. I watched the familiar streets appear—the corner store where we used to buy candy as kids, the church where Mama dragged us every Sunday, the park where we’d spent countless summer afternoons.

This was home.

This was real.

The lakehouse had felt like a dream. A beautiful, dangerous dream where nothing made sense and everything was magnified.

And Kaisen—Kaisen had felt like an anchor. Something steady and real in the chaos.

But maybe that anchor had been tied to a lie.

Maybe the man who made me feel safe was the one I should have been running from all along.

“We’re almost there,” Raven said, breaking the silence. “You ready for Mama?”

I let out a shaky laugh. “No. But I don’t think I’ll ever be ready for Mama.”

“Fair point.”

I took a deep breath, steeling myself. Mama was going to have questions. Lots of questions. And she wasn’t going to accept vague answers or half-truths.

She was going to push. She was going to demand details. She was going to tell me exactly what she thought I should do.

And honestly? I didn’t need that right now.

“You gonna tell her everything?” Raven asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe. Probably not.” I rubbed my face. “I’ll tell her what I can. What I understand. The rest—I’ll figure out later.”

“Just don’t let her bully you into doing something you’re not ready for.”

“I won’t.”

“And don’t let her guilt you into staying away from Amai if that’s not what you want. Or Kaisen, for that matter.”

I looked at Raven, surprised. “You think I should give Kaisen another chance?”

“I think you should do what’s best for you,” Raven said.

Raven turned onto Mama’s street, and I saw the familiar shotgun house come into view.

Home.

I took another deep breath and reached for the door handle.

“You ready?” Raven asked.

“No,” I said honestly. “But let’s do it anyway.”

She smiled. “That’s my girl.”

We got out of the car and walked toward the house together, and with every step, I felt the weight of the decision I’d made settling more firmly on my shoulders.

I’d left Amai.

I’d left the confusion about Kaisen behind too—at least for now.