Chapter 17
Chapter 17
47%
I stood there, glued to the ground, watching as Helen hopped off his arms and immediately into mine. The look on Neil’s face was something I could not describe. He looked like he had just seen a ghost, and he continually glanced between Helen and me, as though waiting for some sort of explanation.
Helen’s call for me a second time finally pulled my attention. I shifted my gaze from Neil and turned to look at her.
I crouched to my daughter’s height, brushing her hair back and holding her shoulders.
“Why did you run off? I told you to stay by my side.”
“I’m sorry, Mommy. I saw a nice tov
“Toy or not, you shouldn’t have run off, I scolded, “and especially not ended up with a stranger.”
Just then, Max ran up behind me. “I called the security. They’re going to announce-” He trailed off when he saw Helen beside us. “Oh, thank God” He pressed one hand to his chest. “I told you coming to shop was a bad idea.”
“You always say everything is a bad idea,” I said, watching as he lifted Helen in his arms.
For the first time, he seemed to notice Neil, who was standing there dumbstruck.
“Why is he here?” Max said with a poison–laced tone.
“He found Helen”
“What?” He blinked in surprise.
“Let’s just get out of here before things get worse,” I said, changing the topic.
Just like that leaving Neil to continue to stare at air we left.
Once we were in the car, I stared blankly ahead. “What just happened?” I asked, after we had strapped Helen properly into her seat.
“I should be asking you that question.” Max said, starting the car.
“How am I supposed to know how he got here?”
“You never listen to me, I told you going out was a terrible idea.”
“What would I have done? Helen said she wanted to go out-
“You can’t drive her out just because your life is in danger,” he said in a muted tone. “You need to be more careful.”
I stayed silent, staring out the window, still in disbelief that Neil Devon had held Helen.
Raising my daughter on my own was not as difficult as it might have seemed because I had Max by my side, giving me strength when I needed it. Most times, I was on the brink of losing my mind, thinking about how the man I once loved–the man I wanted to separate from–was now permanently tied to me through our child. But Max had been my rock through it
all.
I never thought about the day Helen might bump into her father. I had prepared questions and answers, expecting them to come when she grew older, when she would inevitably ask about him. She hadn’t done so in five years, but now I feared those questions might come sooner than I anticipated.
“What are you thinking so deeply about?” Max cut through my thoughts.
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Sat, 8 Mar
Chapter 17
“Are you worried that he–Max trailed off, glancing into the rearview mirror. Seeing that Helen was absorbed in her iPad, watching the cartoons that always captured her attention, he lowered his voice and continued, “Are you worried that Neil will come to take her from you?”
“Are you insane?” I shot back. “Maybe five years ago I would have been worried about something so silly, lait no one can take my child from me now. I’m just more surprised that I keep bumping into him recently. I didn’t see him for five years. Come to think of it…”
“You’re right. That is very suspicious behavior,” Max said, his voice firm. “We have in be careful. Why is he suddenly around you? And even if we backtrack to that day–the incident–it was the day you met him again for the first time. I’m telling you, Leah, you need to be careful around him.”
“I’m not bumping into him intentionally.” I defended.
“Yeah, but he seems to be everywhere you go. That was a shopping mall for children. Why would he even be there?” He drummed his fingers against the steering wheel as he continued to steal glances at me mid conversation.
“Tell me about it.” I said with a sigh. “I feel like he’s actively following me.”
A frown deepened on Max’s face, and his knuckles whitened as he gripped the steering wheel. He slammed the brakes when we reached a red light. “But then you decided to disappear with him to a place by yourself,” he said, his tone sharp. “Leah, I don’t understand why you’re being so reckless.” I could hear the frustration starting to deep into his voice and it made me hate the situation even more.
“And I turned out fine.” I snapped. “Let’s stop bringing back the past, okay? Just focus on heading home. I don’t want to talk about Neil. I don’t want to talk about anything. I just need to get home.”
I stared out the window, my thoughts still tangled. I hadn’t yet recovered from the fact that Neil had held my daughter–our daughter. If he knew I had a child, curiosity would certainly get the better of him. And knowing the Devon family, he’d hire people to look into it.
What if he found out I’d been pregnant before the divorce?
I didn’t know who Neil was now, but the Neil Devon I had known back then would s
Chapter 17
Chapter 17
47%
I stood there, glued to the ground, watching as Helen hopped off his arms and immediately into mine. The look on Neil’s face was something I could not describe. He looked like he had just seen a ghost, and he continually glanced between Helen and me, as though waiting for some sort of explanation.
Helen’s call for me a second time finally pulled my attention. I shifted my gaze from Neil and turned to look at her.
I crouched to my daughter’s height, brushing her hair back and holding her shoulders.
“Why did you run off? I told you to stay by my side.”
“I’m sorry, Mommy. I saw a nice tov
“Toy or not, you shouldn’t have run off, I scolded, “and especially not ended up with a stranger.”
Just then, Max ran up behind me. “I called the security. They’re going to announce-” He trailed off when he saw Helen beside us. “Oh, thank God” He pressed one hand to his chest. “I told you coming to shop was a bad idea.”
“You always say everything is a bad idea,” I said, watching as he lifted Helen in his arms.
For the first time, he seemed to notice Neil, who was standing there dumbstruck.
“Why is he here?” Max said with a poison–laced tone.
“He found Helen”
“What?” He blinked in surprise.
“Let’s just get out of here before things get worse,” I said, changing the topic.
Just like that leaving Neil to continue to stare at air we left.
Once we were in the car, I stared blankly ahead. “What just happened?” I asked, after we had strapped Helen properly into her seat.
“I should be asking you that question.” Max said, starting the car.
“How am I supposed to know how he got here?”
“You never listen to me, I told you going out was a terrible idea.”
“What would I have done? Helen said she wanted to go out-
“You can’t drive her out just because your life is in danger,” he said in a muted tone. “You need to be more careful.”
I stayed silent, staring out the window, still in disbelief that Neil Devon had held Helen.
Raising my daughter on my own was not as difficult as it might have seemed because I had Max by my side, giving me strength when I needed it. Most times, I was on the brink of losing my mind, thinking about how the man I once loved–the man I wanted to separate from–was now permanently tied to me through our child. But Max had been my rock through it
all.
I never thought about the day Helen might bump into her father. I had prepared questions and answers, expecting them to come when she grew older, when she would inevitably ask about him. She hadn’t done so in five years, but now I feared those questions might come sooner than I anticipated.
“What are you thinking so deeply about?” Max cut through my thoughts.
1/2
Sat, 8 Mar
Chapter 17
“Are you worried that he–Max trailed off, glancing into the rearview mirror. Seeing that Helen was absorbed in her iPad, watching the cartoons that always captured her attention, he lowered his voice and continued, “Are you worried that Neil will come to take her from you?”
“Are you insane?” I shot back. “Maybe five years ago I would have been worried about something so silly, lait no one can take my child from me now. I’m just more surprised that I keep bumping into him recently. I didn’t see him for five years. Come to think of it…”
“You’re right. That is very suspicious behavior,” Max said, his voice firm. “We have in be careful. Why is he suddenly around you? And even if we backtrack to that day–the incident–it was the day you met him again for the first time. I’m telling you, Leah, you need to be careful around him.”
“I’m not bumping into him intentionally.” I defended.
“Yeah, but he seems to be everywhere you go. That was a shopping mall for children. Why would he even be there?” He drummed his fingers against the steering wheel as he continued to steal glances at me mid conversation.
“Tell me about it.” I said with a sigh. “I feel like he’s actively following me.”
A frown deepened on Max’s face, and his knuckles whitened as he gripped the steering wheel. He slammed the brakes when we reached a red light. “But then you decided to disappear with him to a place by yourself,” he said, his tone sharp. “Leah, I don’t understand why you’re being so reckless.” I could hear the frustration starting to deep into his voice and it made me hate the situation even more.
“And I turned out fine.” I snapped. “Let’s stop bringing back the past, okay? Just focus on heading home. I don’t want to talk about Neil. I don’t want to talk about anything. I just need to get home.”
I stared out the window, my thoughts still tangled. I hadn’t yet recovered from the fact that Neil had held my daughter–our daughter. If he knew I had a child, curiosity would certainly get the better of him. And knowing the Devon family, he’d hire people to look into it.
What if he found out I’d been pregnant before the divorce?
I didn’t know who Neil was now, but the Neil Devon I had known back then would stop at nothing to involve himself in Helen’s life. The thought alone made my stomach churn. The idea of being tied to him again, in any way, was unbearable.
My spiraling thoughts were interrupted by my ringing phone. I glanced at the screen.
“It’s the detective from the station,” I told Max, picking up the call. “Yes, officer)”
“We caught the suspect,” the detective said immediately.
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top at nothing to involve himself in Helen’s life. The thought alone made my stomach churn. The idea of being tied to him again, in any way, was unbearable.
My spiraling thoughts were interrupted by my ringing phone. I glanced at the screen.
“It’s the detective from the station,” I told Max, picking up the call. “Yes, officer)”
“We caught the suspect,” the detective said immediately.
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