“Jeremy, open the front door,” he says, without tearing his gaze from my face. I close my eyes, attempting to lock away each memory deep within the shadowy recesses of my mind and heart.
Henry lifts me up, and a surge of anger courses through me.
“Don’t touch me,” I utter with a shaky voice. “Just don’t touch me.” I murmur, struggling to break free from his grasp, but he pulls me tighter against his chest.
We enter the house and Henry gently sets me down on the couch. He probably thinks I’m crying because of the blow to my stomach. In reality, the true pain came from a much deeper place: his damned eyes.
“Does it hurt?” he asks, gently caressing my cheek. I swat his hand away and distance myself from him.
“No,” I reply tersely.
I grit my teeth, holding back the urge to scream that yes, it does hurt. I feel as if something is consuming me from the inside, burning, tearing me apart once again… Everything’s off balance now.
Glancing to my left, I see Jeremy watching me with sad eyes, weighed down by guilt, unsure of what to say. I gesture for him to come over. As he nestles next to me, I wrap an arm around him and kiss the top of his head.
“It’s okay, honey. Mom’s fine,” I say, darting a glance at Henry who’s standing there, watching us.
“But I did it, Mommy…” His voice is breaking, and I know tears are imminent.
“It’s not your fault, sweetie. Don’t cry; you know how much I hate seeing you upset,” I soothe. He nods, but starts to whimper.
“Honey, it’s not that big a deal. I promise I’m okay,” I say, pulling him onto my lap. He buries his face in the crook of my neck. I stroke his hair, letting him stay there until he calms down.
“You want me to leave, right?” Henry asks. For once, I’m going to give him an unexpected answer.
“No, we need to talk,” I say, my eyes shooting daggers at him. Just then, his phone starts to ring.
He glances at it and a hint of a smile plays at his lips before he answers, “Now’s not a good time, Sarah.”
That familiar pang of pain hits me again. My head starts to pound, and I feel the urge to curl up into a ball. Jeremy remains still, while I can feel my heart thumping loudly in my chest.
“I’ll call you back later,” he says, then hangs up.
Henry turned his torso towards me, and I could tell he picked up on something in my gaze because the corner of his mouth lifted in amusement. I’m not sure what he’s seeing because I’m doing my best to appear indifferent.
“Do you want to know who she is?” He arched an eyebrow and, quite unconsciously, moistened his lips with his tongue.
“Yes, I do.”
“No, I don’t.”
I despise how my glare softens in response to his smug grin.
“Darling?” Dave’s voice echoed from the hallway. Henry tensed at hearing that endearment directed towards me, and I noticed him swallow hard.
“Darling, what are you doing here? I thought you were at work,” Dave knelt beside me, gently caressing my knee.
I heard two growls. One from my chest, and another from the corner of the room. I knew where both originated. Jeremy’s response wasn’t surprising, nor was Henry’s. Neither of them liked Dave. But while Henry’s disdain was understandable, Jeremy’s remained a mystery. At two, he adored Dave, but then, almost overnight, his admiration turned to hostility. Once, I caught Jeremy attempting to poison Dave’s coffee. Thank God I spotted it in time; I dread to think of the consequences.
Dave insisted on sending Jeremy to a boarding school, asserting something was wrong with him. I couldn’t entirely blame Dave; Jeremy had tried to poison him, after all! But I knew Jeremy didn’t understand the implications of his actions. I explained this to Dave countless times, emphasizing that Jeremy was just going through a phase.
In the end, I forbade Dave from mentioning “boarding school” again. The mere thought of being separated from Jeremy… it was overwhelming.
“I quit,” I said, only then grasping the weight of my words. I’d given up my job because of the insufferable man now staring at Dave’s hand on my skin.
“Really? That’s great! Now we’ll have more time to plan our wedding,” he said, kissing me. “And, of course, to spend more time together,” he murmured against my lips. A wave of nausea hit me, and while the reason wasn’t immediately apparent, deep down, I knew why.
The first thing I did was look at Henry. His teeth were gritted, and his brow was furrowed. He was a mix of anger and sadness. A single tear rolled down his cheek, and my heart cracked. Henry walked towards the door and left. An immense urge to follow him surged within me, but for now, my mind prevailed over my heart.
Jeremy, who was still on my lap, climbed down. Casting a dagger-like glance at Dave, he locked himself in his room.
Dave, taken aback by the entire spectacle, furrowed his brow. “What did I miss?”
“Nothing, love. I’m just a bit tired. I’m going to lie down.”
“Do you want me to come with you?”
“Nah, keep working.” I kissed his forehead and almost sprinted to my room.
I collapsed on the bed, mentally drained. I felt something crinkle and realized the noise came from my pocket. Pulling out a piece of paper, I noticed Henry’s number. But when the room’s light hit the paper, I saw faint letters showing through. Turning the note over, I found a message…
I left, Ann. But not because I stopped loving you.