No taxis were available on the winding mountain road, so I took off my high heels and walked back to the villa. Halfway there, my phone rang.
“Abigail, Aaron has been rescued. Should we take him straight to your place or...”
“No need!”
I cut Dylan off before he finished.
“Find him a place to stay first. I’ll visit him later. Also, help me check a few more things...”
By the time I hung up, I had reached the villa gate. A sharp pain shot through my foot. Lifting my leg, I saw that my sole was pierced by scattered gravel, bleeding.
It was like my marriage to Carter, clearly in ruins, yet I stubbornly refused to face reality.
After a quick bandage, I slipped on sneakers, hopped into a taxi and headed straight to the hotel where Aaron was staying. Just as I pulled the child into my arms, a WhatsApp notification chimed.
I tapped it open and saw a photo of Audrey smiling and drinking with someone. On her finger, gently holding the glass, sat a familiar diamond ring. It perfectly matched the one on my middle finger.
[Cheers! Happy 26th birthday to me! Thanks to my kind big brother for coming to spend time with me every year. Love you!]
The screen was full of pink hearts and my eyes went bloodshot.
It turned out Carter had been with Audrey all along after their marriage; he had never lost his memory.
And I, foolishly, believed he had forgotten her and would keep his promise to love only me for the rest of his life.
Staring at the diamond ring on my finger felt like a cruel reminder of my five years of wasted devotion.
After finishing dinner with my son, I hurried home to pack my bags. Just as I finished folding the clothes, the door creaked open.
Turning around, I crashed into the arms of a man reeking of liquor.
“What are you packing for?”
He wrapped his arms around my waist, his voice rough and breath ragged. “I’m glad you found Aaron. I was too impulsive during the day.”
Knowing it all, I felt nothing. I calmly pushed his hands away.
His drunken face made his features look unusually gentle. Those broad shoulders had once been a safe harbor for Aaron and me. But now, they had become chains binding us.
“Don’t you think we’re filthy, both mother and son? Why come back to us?”
“Wouldn't it be better to spend the night with your lover, Audrey?”
“Are you jealous?”
He smirked wickedly, gripping my chin with a tease in his voice. “You're my woman. What’s wrong with me talking to you?”
“I know you're afraid Aaron will drown like Nicholas did. I'm scared too!”
The moment he mentioned our eldest son, hatred surged within me, burning my eyes.
“How dare you bring up Nicholas!”
I shoved him hard, sending him stumbling onto the bed. Perhaps intoxicated, he closed his eyes and muttered, “Nicholas was naughty. Are you going to run away like him?”
Fury made me want to slap him, but his phone slipped from his pocket and buzzed.
It was a message from Audrey. [Carter, Sevi's having another attack! Can you come hold him?]
Below the text was a photo of the child crying, his brow furrowed. The thought that Nicholas’s heart now pulsed inside her son’s chest tore at my soul.
If Nicholas were still alive, he would be about the same age as the boy in the photo.
My vision blurred as another message appeared in the chat. [I forgot to ask during dinner, have you already arranged to evict Abigail from the house like you mentioned last time?]
After reading it, I felt a knot tighten in my throat. They plotted to kill my eldest son and now they want to get rid of me, too?
