Cleo had been driving a taxi for two years. She had met all kinds of passengers: drunk party-goers stumbling into her car at 3 a.m., tired families rushing to the airport, and businessmen who looked guilty after too many drinks. Over time, she learned how to read people before they even stepped inside her cab.
On one cold November night, Cleo was nearing the end of her shift. She was eight months pregnant, and the baby seemed to be doing gymnastics inside her belly. Every move made her back ache, but she had no choice but to keep going. Bills didn’t pay themselves.
“Just a few more hours, baby,” she whispered to her belly, rubbing it gently. “Then we can go home to Chester.”
Chester was her orange tabby cat, the closest thing she had to family now. She could picture him curled up on her pillow, shedding fur everywhere. The thought of him brought both comfort and pain. Five months ago, she’d come home to a surprise she had never expected.
It was supposed to be a special night. She had cooked Mark’s favorite lasagna and set up a candle-lit dinner. She had even wrapped a pair of tiny baby shoes in silver paper.
“We’re having a baby, honey!” she had said, sliding the little package across the table.
Mark had stared at the shoes in silence, his face pale. Cleo couldn’t stand the silence.
“Say something,” she had begged.
“I can’t do this, Cleo,” Mark had finally said. “Jessica’s pregnant too. With my child. Three months along.”
Her world had shattered in that moment. Jessica. His secretary. The woman he had always claimed was “just a friend.”
“How long were you cheating on me?” Cleo had asked, her voice breaking.
“Does it matter?” he had replied coldly.
Within a week, Mark had packed his things. In two weeks, he had drained their joint account and disappeared. Cleo was left alone, trying to save every penny she could while preparing for the baby’s arrival.
Her thoughts returned to the present. As she drove, she whispered to her baby, “Your father might have forgotten about us, but we’ll make it. You’ll see.”
It was late. She had just three weeks left before her due date. Her ankles were swollen, and her maternity uniform was stretched to its limit when Cleo saw something unusual. A figure, stumbling along the side of the road, caught her eye.
It was a man, probably in his mid-20s, wearing torn clothes. His dark hair stuck to his forehead, and he was holding his arm close to his chest, dragging his leg. His face was bruised, and blood stained his sleeve.
Cleo’s heart raced. She had seen a lot in her two years of driving, but this was different. Something about the man’s broken posture, the way he moved with desperation, made her stop.
“Don’t do it, Cleo,” she whispered to herself. “It’s not safe. You’re eight months pregnant.”
But Cleo couldn’t drive away. Something about him made her feel like she had to help. She pulled over and rolled down the window just a crack.
“Are you okay? Do you need help?” she called out.
The man’s eyes widened with fear. Sweat mixed with blood, dripping from a wound above his eyebrow. “I just need to get somewhere safe.”
Suddenly, a car sped into view, its headlights blinding. The man tried to run, but he stumbled, barely staying on his feet.
“Get in!” Cleo called out, unlocking the doors. “I’ll take you to the hospital.”
The man hesitated for a moment before climbing into the backseat, collapsing from exhaustion. Cleo quickly accelerated, her heart racing as the car behind them roared in pursuit.
“They’re still coming,” the man said, his voice panicked.
Cleo gripped the steering wheel, determined. “Hold on.”
She sped through the streets, taking sharp turns, trying to lose the car chasing them.
“Who are they?” Cleo asked, her hands shaking slightly.
“Faster! They’ll catch us!” the man urged, grabbing the door handle for support.
Cleo knew she had to act fast. She took another sharp turn, and up ahead, she spotted a parking lot. Without thinking, she cut through it, scraping the car under a lowered gate. The pursuers couldn’t follow.
“That was close,” she said, glancing back at the empty street.
The man stared at her, his face full of gratitude. “Thank you… most people wouldn’t have stopped. They wouldn’t risk it.”
Cleo smiled faintly, eyes on the road. “Sometimes the biggest risk is doing nothing.”
When they finally reached the hospital, the man grabbed her arm before she could leave. His good eye locked with hers.
“Why did you stop?” he asked, his voice thick with emotion.
“The world’s not kind to people like me… pregnant taxi drivers working alone in the middle of the night,” Cleo replied quietly. “But I promised myself I wouldn’t become like others… someone who ignores people in need.”
The man’s eyes softened. “You don’t understand… what you did tonight… it’s more than you know.”
Cleo hesitated, then gave him a small smile. “I’m just a taxi driver,” she said softly, then walked back to her cab.
The next morning, Cleo woke up to a strange noise. Her cat, Chester, leapt off her pillow, his fur standing on end. Cleo rubbed her eyes, confused, and stumbled to the window.
Her heart skipped a beat. Outside, a motorcade of sleek black SUVs was parked along her street. Suited men moved quickly, setting up a perimeter. It looked like something straight out of a movie.
“What’s going on?” Cleo whispered to herself.
Her mind raced. Had she helped a criminal last night?
A knock on the door startled her. She opened the peephole and gasped. Three men stood outside, one in a dark suit, one with an earpiece, and the third… the man from last night.
But now, he wore an expensive suit, his clothes neat and immaculate. No blood. No bruises.
Cleo opened the door, her hands shaking.
“Ma’am,” the man in the suit bowed slightly. “I’m James, head of security for the Atkinson family. This is Mr. Atkinson and his son, Archie, whom you helped last night.”
Cleo’s mind raced. Mr. Atkinson? Archie?
“Thank you for saving my son,” Mr. Atkinson said, his voice warm. “You have no idea what this means to us.”
Suddenly, everything made sense. The man she helped wasn’t just a stranger. He was someone important. Someone powerful.
Cleo had no idea what kind of trouble she had just stepped into, but in that moment, she realized her life was never going to be the same.
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