Chapter 7
Leonard's temper flared instantly.
"Beatrice, who are you trying to threaten?" he snapped.
"Whoever's feeling guilty is who I'm threatening," I shot back.
Leonard was stunned. "You..."
"And another thing," I added, leaning back against the couch. "Stop saying Frank doesn't know how to behave.
"He's five. He misses his dad. He went looking for you after school, and when he got hit, he ran home crying.
"And you? You're the dad here, and you're not even acting like a decent person anymore."
It was like slapping him in the face.
There was a sudden silence on the other end.
Before long, Kelly spoke up, her voice trembling with tears. "Mr. Morton... I'm scared."
She knew how to pick her moment.
Her voice was soft, shaky, and a little nasal, meant to tug right at Leonard's heartstrings.
Leonard was instantly swayed.
"Don't be afraid. I'm here," Leonard said softly.
But when he turned back to me, his voice was cold and hard. "Beatrice, I'm only going to say this once more. Kelly isn't going to bow to you.
"And don't think you can use the CEO title to push me around. Full Health Pharmaceuticals isn't something you can flip upside down with a word. If you want to stir things up, be my guest."
He was being arrogant as hell.
I glanced at the timer. It showed 3:11.
He'd burned his bridges before the five minutes were up, leaving himself no way to turn back.
"Fine," I said, giving a nod. "Then go ahead."
"What did you say?" Leonard asked.
"I said, from now on, you'd better keep Kelly on a tight leash. Don't let her come running to you in tears one day, begging for help, and you can't do a damn thing about it," I shot back.
Leonard scoffed coldly.
"Don't you dare," he said.
"Oh, I will," I replied softly. "Just you wait."
Maybe it was because my tone was so calm that it didn't sound like we were fighting, more like I was letting him know how things were going to be.
Leonard paused for a moment and then snapped, "You're impossible."
The call ended.
There were two beeps, then silence.
The living room went quiet again, with only Frank's cautious little sniffles breaking the silence.
I pulled the phone away from my ear, the screen displaying "Call Ended."
I stared at it for a couple of seconds and then dropped it back onto the coffee table.
Frank finally couldn't hold it in anymore.
"Mom," he whispered, his voice trembling and thick with tears. "Does Daddy not like me anymore?"
Hearing that felt like getting stabbed right in the gut.
I turned to look at him.
He still had the towel pressed to his face, but I could see the red, swollen skin around the edges. Tears kept falling, dripping onto his school pants and leaving a wet spot.
He'd tried so hard to be brave, not to cry or cause trouble. But he couldn't hold it together after hearing Leonard say, "So what if you suffer a little?"
I reached out and pulled him into my arms.
"It's not your fault," I whispered. "He doesn't deserve you."
Frank pressed his face into my shoulder, his little body shaking with sobs.
"I'm not going to look for Daddy anymore," he murmured.
"Yeah, you don't need to," I replied gently.
I stroked the back of his head.
"From now on, we'll stay away from places like that," I said softly.
After that, I glanced at the timer on the coffee table.
It said 02:47.
The timer kept counting down, second by second.
I gave him five minutes to see if he still had any decency as a father, had any sense, or knew when to quit.
Well, that settled it.
I already knew the answer.
What he said and did had taken away his last shred of dignity.
At least it made things simple.
I flipped the towel over and pressed the cold side to Frank's face. He winced from the sting, sucking in a shaky breath, but tried his best not to cry.
"Does it hurt?" I asked softly.
"A little," he mumbled.
"Hang in there, okay?" I said gently.
"Okay," he replied.
Frank looked up at me, his eyes swollen and red from crying, his voice trembling. "Mom, are you going to leave me, too?"
My throat clenched, and I pulled him closer into my arms. "Hey, don't ever say that."
I bent down and pressed my forehead gently against his.
"Even if everyone else leaves, I never will," I whispered.
Frank finally nodded, curling up in my arms and staying still.
The harsh white light made everything in the room visible. Used tissues were scattered by the couch, and the glass of milk on the table sat untouched.
The wind outside occasionally blew past, making the room feel emptier.
I sat there, expressionless.
But that tiny bit of hesitation, that last shred of hope I had for him, had been crushed by that phone call.
That was it.
Leonard made his choice.
So he couldn't blame me for what would come next.
The timer dropped to 2:15.
Before the five minutes were up, Leonard had burned his last bridge.
I looked down at Frank in my arms and gave his back a few gentle pats.