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“Very, very sure. There’s no one else more worthy than you, Lulu. You’ve been with me through thick and thin, and just the fact that you’d risk everything for my baby’s safety is all the proof I need that you’re the perfect person for this.”
“Noelle, I–” Tears simmered in her eyes as she turned to face Noelle. She opened her mouth and closed it as she could barely find the words to express the happiness she felt at Noelle’s words.
“There is one more thing.” Noelle wet her lips as she squeezed Lucero’s hands. “Should anything happen to me, promise me you’ll take care of the baby and raise it as if it were your own.”
Noelle knew she was asking a lot of Lucero, but the future was more uncertain than ever. She didn’t know when Sergio would suddenly decide he’d had enough and kill her.
Then there were a multitude of other things that could happen to her and take her away from her baby. It was odd how since she’d found out she was pregnant, she’d started seeing life through different eyes. It was almost as if she’d become fully cognizant of her own mortality and the fact that her baby would be defenseless without her—all alone in the world with no one to care for it.
But this way… This way she at least had a back-up plan, and there was no one she trusted more than Lucero.
“Thank you. I promise I’ll do anything in my power to protect your baby, and I’ll cherish him or her as if it were my own,” Lucero replied effusively, sincerity dripping from every single word. “Sergio won’t get his hands on it.”
“Mali,” Noelle smiled. “That’s how I’ll name him. Mali,” she repeated as she brought a hand to her necklace, softly caressing the stone. It was the only thing she had from Raf—her most prized possession. But soon, she’d have something else—their child.
“Him?”
“It’s a boy. I’m certain it’s a boy,” Noelle murmured.
Lucero smiled as she stroked her belly.
“Mali,” she repeated. “I like that.”
“He’ll be the spitting image of his father,” Noelle’s voice dropped a notch as she tried her best to keep her tears at bay. “Even if I never see Raf again, at least I’ll have him. At least I’ll have Mali…” she trailed off.
The more Noelle thought about Lucero’s idea, the more she became convinced it was the only option for them. If they put off escaping longer, her pregnancy would become too advanced for her to move around freely, and consequently she would be more vulnerable to any attack.
As they both decided to use the upcoming banquet as a diversion to escape, they started planning. Lucero would bring one of the dinner portable tables to the apartment as usual. The table had enough space underneath to fit Noelle, so when she returned with the leftovers, she would secret Noelle out with it.
Once they reached the kitchen, Noelle would get out and they would both head to the back of the hacienda where all the cars were parked. It was Lucero’s task to steal one of the keys in advance so they could easily take the car out. Lastly, while the party was in full swing and the music at its loudest, they would leave.
In theory, their plan should work.
In practice, however, it was a bit… trickier.
When the day came for the execution of the plan, Lucero managed to successfully smuggle Noelle out of her apartment using the portable dinner table. As they’d intuited, the guards had been cut in half due to the banquet and their actions weren’t as scrutinized.
They successfully reached the kitchen before they discarded the table and sneaked to the back of the house.
The music was loud, and with everyone indulged in the food and alcohol from the banquet. It wasn’t hard to get to the garage undetected.
Yet all that had been the easy part.
“Here,” Lucero removed the keys to a car from her pocket.
She’d snuck into the worker’s quarter the night before and she’d managed to get the keys to one of the merchandise cars. Luckily, it was one of the smaller cars–a four door black sedan instead of a truck.
“It’s getting dark. People should be getting drunk enough to allow us to leave undetected,” Noelle remarked as they found the car.
Unlocking the door, Noelle got behind the wheel with Lucero by her side. But even as she put the key into ignition, they couldn’t quite leave yet. They had to wait until the main ceremony of the night began before starting the car.
Noelle was careful as she drove out of the garage, taking a less known route to avoid any unwanted attention.
“The road is clear,” she whispered in surprise as she drove out of the hacienda.
They passed by the temples and the drug facility, getting further and further away.
Noelle’s heart soared at the thought that this was it–this was the moment she’d finally be free.
