I have not moved an inch from my position on the sofa, staring into space as I waited for Arielle to wake up from her rest. Question after question swarmed my head, demanding immediate answers.
The past twenty-four hours have been the most eventful twenty-four hours of my life. I found out I had a two-year-old son, and I had embarked on a rescue mission to save the mother of my child from her father, who happened to be a sworn enemy of my family and sustained an injury in the process. It was some action movie type of shit.
My eyes snapped to the bed following the rustling sheets to find Arielle gently massaging her forehead with her fingers, her eyes squinted in confusion. A moment passed before her eyes widened in panic, and she was out of bed in a flash, searching the nightstand and drawers for God knows what.
She was yet to notice me, and I sat in silence, toying with the idea of letting her go without a word about Jason being with me to make her suffer a quarter of the pain she put me through, but the questions in my head were not going to answer themselves.
“Going somewhere?” I asked, noticing her body tense at the sound of my voice. She didn’t turn to look at me and continued searching through the drawers.
“There’s someone who’s been waiting to see you.”
That finally got her attention, and she whirled around to face me.
“Thank you for saving me, Mikhail, but I currently do not have the time or luxury for cute meet-and-greets. Did you retrieve my bag from the building?” she queried, her eyes wild with panic.
So, that’s what she was looking for, a means to go home. I had just risked my life for her, and the moment she got on her feet, she was ready to leave without a word about our son.
I picked my phone from the table, holding it to my ears as it rang. “Bring him in,” I said the moment the call connected and returned the phone to the table, getting into a more comfortable position to witness the scene that was about to unfold.
She paused, sending me a quizzical look. “Bring who in?”
As if on cue, the bedroom door swung open and the curly mop of black hair sped into the room, tackling her into a hug and almost knocking her off her feet.
“Mama! Where have you been? I built the biggest castle with Uncle Mikhail,” Jason said, his eyes glinting with excitement.
I could see the tension leave her shoulders as she sank to her knees, bringing herself to the same height as him before pulling him into a tight hug.
A mix of anger and a feeling I couldn’t place washed over me as I watched the emotional reunion of mother and child from the perspective of an outsider. The kid thought I was his mother’s friend.
“Mummy is here, and she won’t be going anywhere, okay?” she said, her eyes glistening with tears as she peppered kisses all over him.
“Okay, Mama.” He smiled and turned to me. “Say hi to my mummy.”
My body went rigid following Jason’s request, and I noticed Arielle tense, too. She must’ve forgotten about my presence.
“Hello, Mama,” I taunted, mimicking Jason’s voice.
The little one had no idea what was going on and chuckled at my attempt to sound like him.
“Why don’t you introduce me to Jason? He appears to keep referring to me with a strange name. What was that again?” I tapped my jaw and squinted my eyes like I was in deep thought. “Ah yes, Uncle. Why is that, Mama?”
She tore her gaze from me and returned her attention to Jason, plastering a fake smile on her face. “Sweetie, where’s Auntie Anna?”
“Kitchen. She’s making soup.”
“Why don’t you go help her? I’ll be with you soon, okay?” she said, her voice shaky as she pressed a kiss into his hair and let go of him.
“See you!” he screamed and zoomed out of the room, taking every bit of warmth with him.
With Jason out of the way, I finally allowed the rage that was building inside of me to shine through. “I’m waiting, Arielle, and the explanation better make sense.”
She let out a low sigh and settled back into the bed. “What do you want to know?”
“When did you find out you were carrying my child? Was it before or after you left?” I asked, trying my best to keep my voice low.
“It doesn’t matter, Mikhail. It wouldn’t have changed—”
Red dots covered my vision, and I slammed my uninjured fist into the table in front of me, cutting her words short and causing her to jump in fear. I was tired of her stupid, vague answers, and if she gave me any more of those, I’d be forced to take matters into my own hands, and she’d be leaving this house without a son.