Chapter 2
Derek gritted his teeth, each word sharp and deliberate. "Bethany, you have one day to get the paperwork sorted. I'll be here tomorrow night to handle the custody transfer."
I clenched my fists so hard my nails bit into my palms.
Derek never made empty words. If he said it, he meant it.
*****
When we got home, I gave Marcus the cold shoulder and didn't bother making him dinner.
Only after Marcus had been hungry all evening did I finally get the truth out of him.
It turned out he had met Celeste long before.
Marcus yelled, "Aunt Celeste buys me limited-edition sneakers. She's a million times better than you.
"All my friends' moms wear clothes that cost thousands, but you? Cheap stuff all the time.
"Aunt Celeste always smells amazing. Not like you—you always reek of cooking smells."
As I listened, my chest heaved uncontrollably with every word.
I couldn't tell if it was rage or sorrow.
Marcus had always been clever. Afraid I'd scold him, he started sniffling and sobbing first, putting on a pitiful act.
But when he cried, he still held his neck stiffly, as if seething with resentment.
I could tell that he probably didn't like me so much.
What a joke.
I had been with Marcus for six years, through every little moment.
I watched him learn to eat, take his first steps, and babble his first words. Every moment, I'd waited for him to grow up, my heart full of hope and pride.
But all of that meant nothing compared to his "Aunt Celeste," whom he'd met once.
He was so fond of getting close to Celeste.
Marcus spat, "Aunt Celeste told me. Daddy doesn't even like you.
"Whoever Daddy likes, that's my mommy!"
I sank onto the couch. My heart ached with a dull, heavy numbness.
Marcus was still sniffling, whining that he wanted to go back to the Garretts.
Marcus had met Derek, and Derek had promised him that everything in the Garretts would be his if he went back.
Marcus was only six years old.
I wondered if a six-year-old child could tell right from wrong.
Of course, he could.
When Derek was six, his parents brought him to visit Howell Group.
Even back then, he was already saying he would marry me when he grew up.
Derek and Marcus were father and son. The apple didn't fall far from the tree.
I stood up and didn't look at Marcus again. "Fine. Then you stay here. Tonight, you sleep alone. No bedtime story, either."
With that, I walked back to my room and locked the door.
After thinking it over for a long time, I finally called my best friend, Katelyn Perkins.
"Cancel the flight tickets. And forget about the car—I don't need it," I said.
"Wait, what? What's going on?" Katelyn asked.
Just as I was about to speak, a heart-wrenching wail echoed from outside my door.
Marcus said. "Mommy, I'm sorry.
"Don't leave me alone here, please. I'm scared.
"Please, Mommy."
I opened the door.
Marcus threw himself at me, wrapping his arms tightly around my legs.
Her eyes were swollen like two overripe plums.
Marcus said, "Mommy, I'll be good from now on, I promise. I'll go with you.
"I'm scared of being all alone. It's so dark out there.
"Will you read me a story?"
*****
The overseas flight was set to depart in four hours. Inside the customized, fully enclosed private car, Marcus lay across my lap.
The aftershocks of his crying fit lingered. And he hiccuped with little shudders.
I'd heard before that after giving birth, hormones mess with a mother's senses, creating this thing called "motherly instinct."
But I never believed it.
Because I loved Marcus willingly, no hormones required.
But tonight, I asked myself.
Even though Marcus had just been shouting that he hated me, that he couldn't stand me.
Why did my heart still soften up on him?
This was a question with no answer.
I stared through the dark-tinted window, watching the occasional streetlights flash by.
It was so late. Not a single car was in sight.
Derek would never have guessed I'd make a midnight escape with Marcus.
He completely underestimated just how much I hated him.
There was a time when I truly believed he loved me.
It was an arranged marriage, sure, but we'd been together since we were kids.
When we grew up, we got together naturally.
Derek was Journ's business prodigy, the one who held the fate of countless companies in his hands.
Yet he was well-known for loving me. He often made no secret of his partiality to me in front of others.
"Bethany gets this project. No questions asked."
"Sorry, my girlfriend says no deal."
"What can I do? If she gets mad, I'll have to blow up a few buildings as fireworks for her."
But after my parents' accident, he changed completely.
He went through mistresses one after another.
I overheard him say, "They were dead right on time. I was getting bored anyway. If it weren't for the Howell family's fortune, who'd bother putting on this act with her?"
My family was destroyed, and my loved ones were gone.
But in his words, it was "right on time."
Just thinking about it made my breathing go uncontrollably shaky.
But as long as I could get out of Journ, all of this would finally be behind me.
I never expected what would come next.
Right before we boarded, Marcus suddenly jerked out of my grasp and yelled, "She's not my mom! She's a kidnapper trying to take me away!"