Page 17 of Avy

It immediately drew our attention because it wasn’t a vehicle often seen in our little village.

Then she stepped out, and I froze.‘What the ever-loving hell was she doing here.’

She hadn’t changed much in the years since I’d last laid eyes on her. She was still pretty and dressed well. She looked good just like she always had. But I also knew that inside the pretty package was a cold heart. Avy had more warmth and love in her little finger than my ex had in her entire body.

‘Fuck this’I thought to myself, ‘there was no way she was coming to cause issues in the life I’d built for myself.’I understood some of what Silas’ warning was all about now. Idon’t care what Ellie said, there was no ways I was opening my heart to this bitch ever again.

Standing from my chair, I stormed out of the café towards where she was standing by her car looking up and down the street.

“Rachel, what are you doing here?”

Ignoring the way she perused me as she smiled at me in a way that she’d used to when she wanted something from me. I could now see it for what it was. Fake. Everything about her was fake. I knew this because nothing about my wife was fake. Avy was real in every way.

“Now is that anyway to great your former fiancée,” she smirked at me, then irritated me further by reaching out and running her nails down my arm. Jerking my arm away as she let out a laugh at the motion, “Looking good, Kev baby.”

“What do you want?” I growled through gritted teeth.

“Straight to the point, huh. You haven’t changed a bit,” she sniggered. “Well then, okay, I thought I’d drop our son off with you. I’ve looked after him for long enough. My mother died and my new man doesn’t want a snivelling kid around him.”

I stared at her in shock, rage coating my next words, “Are you high?!” I exploded at her. “You and I don’t have a kid together.”

She shrugged carelessly, “That’s not what his birth certificate says.”

This woman, I couldn’t believe her. I ground my back teeth, praying for patience, running my hand through my hair in agitation. “What the fuck did you do, Rachel?”

For the first time I had her full attention, and I noticed it was stuck on my wedding ring which was still bright and shiny as we’d not even been married a full month yet.

“You’re married,” she uttered, looking shocked.

I was fuming, if ever there was a woman I’d wanted to strangle, it was the one standing in front of me.

“Yes, I’m fucking married. Now tell me what you’ve done, so I can go about fixing whatever mess you and my brother have cooked up.”

“Your brother,” she said and looked confused for a second as if she didn’t remember it was my brother’s baby that had been in her belly, not mine.

“Yes, Rachel, my brother! The one who you were fucking while I was away. The one whose baby was in your belly. You do remember him?”

Dismissively, Rachel waved her hand at me, “I haven’t seen Mike since before the baby was born. No idea where he’s got to. I put your name on the birth certificate.”

“Jesus, Rachel, what the fuck! Why?”

With another careless shrug, “I knew that Mike was a waste of space. A good fuck, but a shit dad and that you would do better. So, I figured I’d just put you on the birth certificate. It isn’t like I’ve hounded you for child support or anything, Kev. His being born hasn’t affected you at all. I left him with my mum, but then six months ago she up and died. I don’t have any room in my life for a baby, so, he’s your problem now.”

Rearing back in disgust at her thought process, I couldn’t believe how callous she was being about her own child. But then I shouldn’t be surprised. I’d seen how Reaper’s kids’ parents had treated them until they’d been adopted.

“You’re a fucking cunt, Rachel.”

“And you’re being a fucking dick, Kev. It’s not like he’s some stranger’s kid. He has your fucking blood running through his veins,” Rachel glared angrily at me.

I’m not sure what she was expecting from me, but my anger and vitriol seemed to come as a surprise to her. Did she really think I was going to bend over and just take whatever she dished up to me? Her son was the reminder of the betrayal that she and my brother had laid on me. Anger and resentment bubbled up in me. I knew it was wrong, their son wasn’t to blame, but I couldn’t help myself.

“Look,” Rachel, said running a hand down her ponytail pulling it over her shoulder. It was then I knew she wasn’t as certain as she seemed. She always did this when she was nervous. “I’m away for the next three weeks. Keep him for me and I’ll come pick him up when I get back. I’ll put him up for adoption or something if you don’t want him.”

Her callous, blasé attitude toward her son made me angrier. How could she care so little for the being she’d birthed? “You’re a serious piece of work, Rachel, I can’t believe you.”

She snorted, “You know exactly what I am, Kev. I never wanted kids. But Mike talked a big game, and I left it too late to do anything about it. Then when he was born, I was going to put him up for adoption, but Mum persuaded me to give him to her to bring up. Which was fine, except six months ago she up and died on me and now Kaleb’s suddenly my problem.”

“That’s because he’s your fucking son,” I ground out in anger.

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