I found refuge in my grandmother's old, secluded villa in the countryside. A forgotten place, nestled deep in the woods, far from prying eyes. The air was crisp, the silence profound. I needed it. Needed to heal, needed to disappear.
I was sitting on the porch, staring out at the dense forest, when a car crunched up the gravel driveway. Arthur. My stomach plummeted.
He stumbled out of the car, disheveled, his eyes bloodshot. The scent of stale alcohol preceded him. "Elenora?" he slurred, his voice thick with a fake remorse. "I knew you'd be here. I knew you'd come home."
He tried to embrace me, his arms reaching for me, but I recoiled. The touch of his regret was more repulsive than his anger. "Don't, Arthur," I said, my voice flat.
He pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. It was a child's drawing. A stick figure family, with three smiling faces. Arthur, Karin, and Leo. Underneath, in wobbly crayon letters, it read: "My Happy Family."
My heart felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand. This was his "happy family," the one he chose over me, over our unborn child. The one he had lied about, butchered me for.
His phone buzzed. He fumbled for it, his eyes darting to mine. "It's, uh, work," he mumbled, trying to put it away.
But it was too late. Leo's voice, startlingly clear, blared from the speaker. "Daddy! Is the ugly lady gone yet? Mommy says she won't bother us anymore when she leaves forever!"
Arthur' s face went ashen. He fumbled with the phone, silencing it, his eyes wide with a mixture of fear and guilt. "Leo... he doesn't understand, Elenora," he stammered, running a hand through his already messy hair. "He's just a child."
"A child," I repeated, my voice devoid of warmth. "Coached by his mother."
A plan, cold and precise, began to form in my mind. I needed information. I needed leverage.
"It's okay, Arthur," I said, a theatrical sigh escaping my lips. I even managed a faint, melancholic smile. "I understand. You must be tired. Come inside. I've prepared the guest room for you."
He looked surprised, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "Elenora? Really?"
"Yes, really," I said, my voice soft, almost tender. "We need to talk. But first, you need to sleep."
He followed me inside, swaying slightly. The guest room was at the far end of the house, isolated. He collapsed onto the bed, passing out almost immediately.
I waited a few minutes, then crept back into the room. His jacket was carelessly tossed on a chair. I plunged my hand into its pockets. My fingers brushed against a small, folded piece of paper. Not a business card, not a memo.
It was another child's drawing. Leo's handwriting. This one more deliberate, more sinister. It depicted a woman, her face crossed out, falling into deep, dark water. Underneath, in Leo's childish script, were two words: "Go away."
A chill far colder than the country air seeped into my bones. This wasn't just a child's tantrum. This was a blueprint. A wish. And Karin, I knew, was more than capable of making wishes come true. The depth of their hatred, their desire to erase me, was terrifying.
