Chapter 6

The rest of the week went by peacefully. There was no disturbance from Sasha, so Mr Carlton's mood went back to its normal self, which means the rest of us could stop tiptoeing around the office.

And my life was peaceful too. My car didn't break down, my house had no leaks or clogs that needed fixing and Liam... well, he had become very busy. He was on the school basketball team, and their tournaments were starting next week, so he was always at practice.

In short, life was good, I thought as I sat on my bed scrolling through Instagram. It was Saturday night, and I was waiting for Liam to come home from the Evans' house. He was in their backyard throwing hoops with Jeremy Evans, his best friend and teammate. These days, playing basketball was all that they did.

Shortly after eight, I heard the door opening downstairs, and Liam's voice was calling my name. I smiled to myself as I got off the bed to go greet my son, but a ting sound came from my phone, signaling that I had received a message. Curious, I sat back down on my bed to check it. But as soon as I saw the message I threw my phone like it had burnt me.

I sat there in a state of total panick. My fear was such that I had instantly begun to shake.

I heard Liam coming up the stairs. He can't see me in this state. I didn't want him worrying. I tried calming down by taking deep breaths. I knew I was probably as white as a sheet, but my breathing had become considerably better by the time he knocked on my door.

"Mom, you in there?"

I closed my eyes, rubbing my face. I was just about to answer when he knocked on the door again, opening it slowly and peeking in.

I pasted a smile on my face just as he saw me.

"Mom, I've been calling you. Why didn't you answer?"

"Sorry honey, " I croaked. Clearing my throat, I continued. " I didn't hear you."

"What? Mom, you feeling ok? I was even knocking on this door!"

"Yeah. I'm sorry, honey. Why were you looking for me." I asked him, trying to change the subject before he grew too suspicious.

"I wanted to tell you I just got back. I was wondering if you wanted to watch a movie with me?"

"Yeah, why not." I told him. No matter what my troubles were, my time with Liam was too precious and too few to miss out on. "Get the popcorn ready. I'm just coming down."

"Ok," he said in his usual carefree manner before closing the door and bounding down the stairs towards the kitchen.

I turned towards my phone, picking it up again with shaky hands. My breath hitched as I read the message on my phone.

David: Time to come home. Your little holiday time is over.

............

It's Monday again, which was a relief because I have been tense and jumpy all weekend. I didn't respond to the message because, I mean, what the hell kind of message is that even! But that's what I can expect from him.

David is my ex-husband. We got divorced after fifteen long and torturous years of marriage. He used to hit me. Punching and kicking me on the stomach or legs and there were threats to do much worse. I used to believe him, but now I realize he was restrained to the limit of what he could hide from people.

So he liked to scare me by throwing liquor bottles near me or lifting his arms like as if to slap me. He wanted me to know what he is capable of if I ever dare to defy him.

But his strongest weapon was Liam. He wanted the perfect son, he said, and he had zero tolerance towards any child like behavior. He should always be quiet and wasn't allowed to cry or play with other kids. There were non-stop lessons since he could barely talk. Piano, tennis, karate, swimming...

He was homeschooled, so there wasn't even a chance of meeting other kids. He would use Liam to control me. Threatening to harm him or confine him. He did lock Liam inside a dark store room when he mishaved.

That's when he first hit me. Because I took Liam out of the storeroom without David's approval. He said Liam wouldn't respect him if I went and saved him every time David punished him. I could barely walk by the time he was done with me.

That's true, I know that, but Liam was three at the time, and I hadn't been home when he got locked in there. So I don't even know for how long he was there before I took him out. That's not a form of deciplining that I believed in. And Liam didn't respect him. He feared him.

The nightmare of a marriage ended when one day he just came home and said he found someone else. He brought the papers with him, so I sighed it and took Liam and left.

I had wanted to get full custody of Liam as I didn't want Liam to ever have to go back to that nightmare again.

Before, I was always there to protect him. I never let David touch Liam, but after the divorce, I was afraid that if he ever took him for visitations, I wouldn't be there to protect him.

But I gave up fighting for it when the threat came that I would lose Liam. The grounds being that I was an orphan with no one to help me raise him, while David was the mayor's son with a whole family behind him. He was the town's golden boy and is currently running for mayor after his father's retirement. He could easily win custody of Liam.

Nobody knew his dark secret, that he was a alcoholic, or a wife beater, or was involved in illegal drug trafficking.

This man was dangerous, and it's suicide to ever mess with him. Especially a person like me who had nothing to fight against him. So ever since the message, the slightest ting or the sound of the doorbell had me jumping for fear.

I took out my phone, looking at the message for perhaps the hundredth time, wondering what I could possibly do to protect myself and Liam from him. I knew that the message was not an empty threat. He wants us back. I don't know why, but I knew that going back to him would be the worst mistake ever.

I had been so happy these four years when David hadn't spared a thought for his son. I had been counting the years for his eighteenth birthday. After that, David can't force Liam to do anything, especially to go and live with him. It's just four more years away, I thought, groaning out loud and placing my head on the desk.

"Ashley?" That familiar, deep, velvety voice of my boss disturbed my tiny moment of indulging myself in self-pity. I lifted my head up to look up at him.

Today, he was dressed in a crispy white shirt with gray pants. His suit jacket would be inside his office, thrown over his chair right now. And the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up. His usual style when he is inside his office.

His delicious musky fragrance reached me, tickling my nose, as he came to stand in front of my desk. I took a deep breath, taking it all in, the fragrance comforting me. It felt like a warm hug. I looked up at him with my sad eyes before I blinked, spooling in all my emotions, clearing my throat, and straightening myself up.

"Mr Carlton, did you want something?" I asked, keeping my voice professional.

"Ashley, what's wrong?" He asked me, searching my face, looking worried. Which was the last thing I wanted. I didn't need to trouble anyone with my problems.

I pasted a smile on my face, hoping it looked real before I reassured him, "Nothing, sir. Everything's fine."

He raised an eyebrow at me, giving me a skeptical look, but instead of saying anything further, he handed me some papers and told me to make copies of it. Then he went into his office without another word.

After I made the copies, I went to his office, raising my hand to knock on his door, but the notification sound of my phone made me turn the phone, looking at it.

I dropped my hand, but my knuckles hit the door, making a tap sound. I backed away from the door, quickly checking the message.

David: Don't think that you can avoid me by not answering. I expect you back here within three days.

Me: But we are divorced.

I typed back with shaking fingers and waited as the bubbles showed him typing something. My heart was pounding so hard it made me dizzy.

The door to Mr Carlton's office opened as I read the next message.

David: So? Liam is still my son. It's your choice whether you send him back with or without you. Either way, my son is coming back to his home to fulfill his duties as my child.

I gasped, my eyes tearing. My heart clenched, making it difficult for me to breathe. I gasped for air, my tears bluring my vision. My feet kept taking me backward, searching for a place to lean on, a place for comfort. My back hit a hard wall, and I leaned against it, letting my tears fall down my face as I kept gasping for breath. I rubbed my chest, trying to ease the pain and discomfort. How could this be happening again. My poor boy. I can't let him go back to that awful place again.

His father had never cared for him. All that mattered to him was his ego. Liam had to be perfect to make David look good.

I cried harder as I remembered how hard it had been for Liam, living in that house. David never appreciated him as a child, screaming at him over the littlest things. I remember hugging him as he cried himself to sleep on his birthday after I bought him a captain America's shield and David broke it as soon as he opened the present, saying he doesn't need to be distracted by childish stuff. He was seven, and he had been begging me to buy it for him ever since he saw it at the mall.

Grades below 95 were unexeptable. David would throw a fit. He would scream at Liam, tear up his test papers, and once he even shoved him so hard, he fell back and hit his head on the wall.

In that home, Liam had been a broken boy. It took him a lot of time after we left, to let go of his past and become this confident, vibrant, happy boy. I can't let David take him back again. He would destroy Liam.

I felt two strong arms come around me, pulling me towards a warm chest, which instantly provided me with the comfort that I had been seeking. My hands grabbed onto him, feeling like I was drowning, and he was my only salvation.

My body shook as I cried my eyes out, feeling helpless and defeated for how useless of a mother I am, who can't even protect her only child, her only reason for living.

"Shhh, Ashley, it's ok." Whispered a voice above my head as he kept rubbing my back, still hugging me. "It's ok, Ashley, everything is gonna be OK."

I felt myself calming a little as he kept holding me tight and rubbing my back, making me feel so protected. But as I calmed down, his familiar sent had me stiffening. I slowly looked up, blinking away my tears, trying to focus on his face. And as I did, I let out a gasp. I instantly stepped backward, pulling myself away from him...

________________________________________

Tisk tisk tisk, Ashley.. you would just hug anyone, wouldn't you? 🫢

And poor Liam. Will his mom be able to protect him from his father once again?

Please don't forget to vote. I would love your support 😊💗