Page 28
It had been five days since Damier left for Canada. Five days of silence, no calls, no texts, no explanations. He’d told me to stay at his penthouse before he left like it was some kind of casual suggestion, but something about the way he said it felt... permanent.
At first, I thought I wouldn’t like staying there. The penthouse was too big, too empty without him. But as the days passed, I found myself settling in by bringing in my work clothes to hang up. The luxury kitchen became my favorite space. I’d started stocking the fridge with groceries, buying things I could cook, and imagining what it’d be like to live with him. Damier wasn’t exactly domestic, but I could picture him leaning on the marble island while I made breakfast, his deep voice teasing me about my “hood girl” cooking techniques.
This morning, I was up early, moving through the walk-in closet he had all but offered me, pulling on a fitted dress for work. I glanced at the dresser, where his black credit card lay beside a note in his bold handwriting.
Buy whatever you want for the house.
I laughed softly to myself. He didn’t have to tell me twice. I’d already stocked the kitchen with enough food to feed a family of five and grabbed a few homey things to make the place feel less... sterile.
As I brushed my long, slick ponytail and slipped into my Chanel heels, I thought about how strange it was to feel so comfortable here. I’d never lived with a man before, never even considered it. But with Damier... it felt possible. It felt right .
Before leaving, my eyes fell on the Bentley key fob on the counter. I hesitated for half a second before grabbing it. I knew he wouldn’t care if I drove it, but something about taking his car felt intimate like I was stepping even deeper into his world.
Sliding into the driver’s seat, his scent immediately hit me—the Creed cologne he always wore. It clung to the leather like a reminder of him, and I smiled to myself, shaking my head. “Damn,” I muttered under my breath, gripping the steering wheel. “I really am starting to love this nigga for real.”
I pulled into the clinic parking lot earlier than usual. The sun was just beginning to rise, casting a soft glow over the city. It was quiet—just how I liked it. Arriving before my staff gave me time to breathe, to center myself before the chaos of the day began.
As I stepped out of the Bentley, my eyes immediately caught sight of something unusual near the clinic door. A car seat.
My brows furrowed in confusion as I walked closer. The car seat had a blanket draped over it, and when I got closer and took the blanket off, it wasn’t empty. A baby was inside.
I froze for a moment, staring down at the tiny figure inside. The baby was awake, looking up at me with wide, curious eyes. He couldn’t have been more than a month old, clean, and bundled tightly in the blanket.
“What the hell...” I whispered, leaning down to pick up the car seat.
My hands trembled slightly as I pulled back the blanket, revealing the baby’s small, round face. He let out a soft coo, as if completely unbothered by the fact that he’d been left here.
As I lifted him, something slipped out from beneath him and fluttered to the ground. A birth certificate.
I bent down to pick it up, my heart racing. My eyes quickly scanned the document, and my stomach dropped when I saw the last name Knight .
“What the...” My voice trailed off as I stared at the paper, my mind racing. Was this... Damier’s baby?
I cradled the baby against me, his tiny body warm and fragile in my arms. My first instinct was to call the police, but something stopped me. If this child was connected to Damier, I needed to handle this carefully.
I put the baby back down to fish my phone out of my purse. I dialed his number, but it went straight to voicemail. I tried again and again, but the result was the same. Frustration bubbled up in my chest as I stared at the baby. “Of course, you’re unreachable,” I muttered.
My next thought was Mrs. Knight. She’d know what to do.
My hands trembled as I dialed her number. She answered on the second ring, her voice calm and collected as always.
“Mrs. Knight, it’s Imani,” I quickly said, my voice tight. “I need you to come to my clinic as soon as you can. I will text you the address.”
There was a pause on the other end before she responded, her tone laced with concern. “What’s going on, Imani? You sound upset.”
I glanced at the baby in the car seat, then back at the birth certificate in my hand. “I don’t feel comfortable saying it over the phone,” I said, my voice faltering. “But it’s important. Please, just come. I really need you here.”
Another pause. Then, her voice came through, steady and firm. “I’m on my way. Hang tight, and don’t do anything until I get there.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
I took the baby inside and sat in the lobby. I still had an hour until I opened, and I was hoping Mrs. Knight would take the baby. There wasn’t anything I could do for it with my full schedule. There was no way I could have a baby in my clinic.
Within twenty minutes, Mrs. Knight arrived, looking more regal and more composed than I would’ve been in this situation. She stepped into the clinic with a mix of urgency and calm, her eyes immediately finding me and the baby in the car seat.
“Oh, lord,” she said, exhaling sharply. “What happened?”
I gestured to the car seat on the couch. “I found him outside the clinic this morning. He was just... sitting there. Then, this fell out.” I handed her the birth certificate.
She glanced at it, her face tightening as she read the name. “Donshay Knight,” she murmured.
“Do you think this is real?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. I suddenly walked over and picked him up. He was too cute to just let him sit in the car seat.
Mrs. Knight looked at the baby as I picked him up, then back at me. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “But if this child has our name, there’s a reason for it. And we need to figure out what that is.”
I nodded, shifting the baby slightly in my arms as he let out a tiny yawn. “Do you think... he knows?”
“Damier?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “If he does, he hasn’t told me. And I doubt he’d keep something like this quiet unless he had a damn good reason.”
We both fell silent, the weight of the situation settling over us. The baby squirmed slightly, his little fingers reaching out to grab my necklace. I couldn’t help but smile despite the chaos swirling in my mind.
“What do we do now?” I asked.
Mrs. Knight sighed, running a hand over her perfectly styled hair. “We wait. Until Damier gets back, there’s not much else we can do. Just keep him safe. Keep him close. I will take him to my estate for now. I don’t want the state involved yet.”
I nodded, my grip on the baby tightening slightly. As much as I wanted answers, I knew they wouldn’t come until Damier returned.
As the day wore on, I couldn’t stop thinking about the birth certificate. The baby’s name was listed, but the space for the mother’s name was blank.
Who is this baby’s mother? And why had she left him here?
The questions swirled in my mind, but the answers felt just out of reach. All I could do was wait and hope that when Damier came back, he’d be able to explain everything.
For now, the baby was safe. But deep down, I knew this was only the beginning.
To Be Continued…