Page 86 of Crying Shame
He stood between Hunter and me, like he was protecting me. “Police are en route.”
His security team still had Hunter pinned to the ground. Hunter wasn’t getting up anytime soon, but Hunter stared at me like he was an animal. “For what?”
Elon said, “Child abuse, child endangerment, rape, kidnapping, assault, and more—all listed on the warrant for your arrest. Coming near Clarissa again was your last mistake.”
Somebody called out, “Abuse! Is that why Sam missed practice for two weeks before you moved, Clarissa?”
It was Sam's youth football coach. He was standing behind us with Sam's teammates, the visiting team members, all the parents—and Sam. Our son's wide eyes were focused on Elon.
My spine tingled. I hadn't been as alone as I thought. I nodded and told the coach, “Yeah, but we’re fine now.”
Sirens echoed in the air.
Elon said, “The police are here.”
No one moved a muscle except the security members, who handed over Hunter to the cops. They read him his rights.
An officer spoke to the security team then came over to Elon. “Mr. Norouzi, we have it from here,” the officer said.
We all watched the police take Hunter away. My heart was settled now. I wasn’t weak anymore. Watching Hunter get arrested was cathartic.
“Everyone, let’s get the kids back to playing,” I said.
Before he took the field with his friends, Sam asked, “Mom, is Dad okay?”
I turned toward him and smiled. “He’s great and strong. Don’t worry about him, as he saved me.”
The other parents returned to the bleachers to watch the rest of the game. The interruption had probably lasted only ten minutes, but the minutes had felt like lifetimes.
In the end, I was free. I took Elon’s hand as we returned to our seats in the bleachers. I told the parents around us, “We’ll finish organizing the Super Bowl experience.”
Elon nodded at everyone. “I’ll try to get a bigger box that can hold more children, but everyone is invited to my family’s villa in Miami, where players from both teams will be. We’ll ensure the bus has room for Sam’s teammates and their parents.”
Elon spoke some more to the parents about logistics. A single mother named Brooke smiled at me and whispered, “Congrats, Clarissa—on everything.”
I tilted my head. Brooke was quiet and had always been nice to me. I asked, “On what?”
She looked over my shoulder at Elon. “You found yourself a man clearly in love with you. Does he have any single brothers?”
Love had changed me. I nodded and winked. “Actually, yes—quite a few. But Elon is the best.”
We watched the game that ended in a tie, and I held Elon's hand. Sam said goodbye to everyone, and we headed back to the limo. A blast of air conditioning cooled me down instantly.
As we settled into our seats, I bumped Elon. “Got a moment?”
He stared at me, and there was a strange expression on his face. I blinked as I couldn't figure out what he'd been thinking.
He finally said, “Yes.”
I kept my voice low. “I used to think that seeing Hunter again would mean the end of my life, but when I saw him today, I was no longer afraid.”
Elon smiled at me, giving me his full attention. “Good.”
I sighed. The brightness in his expression gave me goose bumps. “It was because I have you.”
“Always.” He squeezed my hand. “I need to prove my love without using money.”
“You just did. You saved me.”
