AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I can’t help but scoff. “You’ve got to be kidding me. You walked out of our lives. You haven’t even been paying child support. You haven’t seen Lucas and Ava in almost a year. And now, you have the audacity to just waltz back in like it’s no big deal? Elijah, I knew you were foolish and selfish, but I didn’t imagine you were an idiot, too.”
“I miss them.”
“You’ve got a funny way of showing it,” I mutter. “Cut the shit, Elijah, I’m not buying any of it. What do you want?”
“I told you, I wanna make it up to you.”
I shake my head. “Do you really think I’m that stupid? Where’s your precious Amanda?”
“We broke up,” he sighs, his shoulders dropping in what I assume is shame. “You were right all along, Stella. I was wrong. I was impulsive. I was frustrated with my own inadequacy, and I took it out on you. Worst of all, I thought another woman might get me out of the rut I thought I was stuck in. I did you and the kids wrong, and I will spend the rest of my life trying to fix that.”
“You can pay your child support, for starters.”
“Yeah, I’ll get to that, as well. I’m sort of between jobs right now.”
“You’ve always been between jobs,” I roll my eyes at him, realizing that absolutely nothing has changed. He hasn’t learned anything. He hasn’t grown in any way. He’s just trying to see if he still has access to me. To us. I’m too angry to think straight, but at least my protective instincts are still sharp and ready to cut through flesh and soul with equal wrath.
Elijah takes a step forward. I take one back. This man used to have my heart, my body, and my soul. I’m amazed by how repulsed I am by his mere presence. When did my brain switch to the point where the sight of him makes me feel queasy? I finally see him for what he truly is, for what he always was. And I am disappointed because I convinced myself to believe him, even when I knew he was lying.
“Stella, I just want to talk. I wanna see Lucas and Ava. Where are they? Where are you staying?”
“That is none of your goddamn business,” I hiss. “You have my lawyer’s number. Call him. And how in the hell did you know where to find me?”
“Theo’s social media posts. You weren’t that hard to track down,” he says with a light smirk.
“I wasn’t trying to make myself hard to find,” I inform him. “Listen, Elijah. I don’t want to talk to you. And you certainly have no business seeing the kids until you start upholding your end of the divorce agreement. You walked out on us, remember? You can’t just walk back in and expect us to welcome you with arms wide open.”
“I know the kids miss me, Stella.”
Lucas hasn’t asked about Daddy in a while. He’s too young to actually remember Elijah, and Isaac, Noah, Levi, and Beau have been excellent substitutes with barely any effort. My son is well taken care of and loved by people who have shown us more kindness than this man ever has.
“They don’t even remember you,” I say. “Ava was three months old when you abandoned us. And Lucas stopped looking for you a long time ago. You did this, Elijah. Own it.”
“I love them,” he claims.
“Don’t be ridiculous. If you loved them, you would’ve at least made sure we had enough to get by. I’ve been working my ass off to keep us safe and fed while you were out in Portland banging your little whore. Screw you, Elijah.”
He tries getting close again. “I’m going to get you and the kids back, Stella. I promise you.”
“Keep your promises to yourself. You have no room in our lives. And if you don’t stay away, I swear I’ll get the lawyer involved and revisit your parental rights. Because you don’t deserve any!”
“You can’t hide them from me,” he says.
“Excuse me. Is there a problem here?” Isaac approaches us, and I lose my breath for a moment.
I’m frozen again, trying to come up with a reasonable answer, but nothing comes to mind. I’m scared out of my mind and embarrassed because the father of my children decided to show up at my place of work. The last thing I need right now is a scene.
Elijah turns to him, and I see the tension tightening in his shoulders. “Who are you?”
“I’m Isaac Kendrick, one of the owners of this establishment,” Isaac replies coldly. The look in his blue eyes tells me he’s not playing around. He reminds me of a tiger about to pounce on his prey, slow and cautious in his movements but relentless and determined to kill. “I also happen to be Stella’s employer, and I think you’re causing her distress.”
“Listen, buddy, I’m not here to cause any distress. I’m just trying to talk to my wife.”
“Ex-wife,” I quickly correct him.
Elijah narrows his eyes at me. He doesn’t like being corrected in public, especially in front of other men. What worries me is the curious way in which his inquisitive gaze bounces back and forth between Isaac and me. Can he tell there’s something between us? I worry I’m way more transparent than I thought, and anything that puts me in a vulnerable position with Elijah may not work to my advantage at the next custody hearing. Because there will absolutely be one in the near future. I don’t want this bastard anywhere near my children ever again.
“Like I said, I don’t want to make a scene, but Stella isn’t helping, either,” Elijah says, softening the tone of his voice when Isaac gets close enough for him to realize he’s taller and physically stronger—definitely threatening enough. “I just want to see my kids, and she’s not letting me.”
