Chapter 5

Laura's voice was furious as she shouted at Fiona, "Alice tripped accidentally! There's no way she miscarried because of it! You're just incompetent! Did you know how devastated Alice was when discovering she had lost her son? God, I could still hear her scream because of the heartless thing you did!"

"Please, hear me out, Mom..." Fiona exasperatedly sighed.

Despite Laura's sympathy for Alice, her frustration with Fiona was evident. "Just admit it! You're jealous of her, so you killed her baby! You've robbed me of my grandson!"

Fiona's body shook with fear, begging her mother, "Mom, please, listen to me."

"We have always been good to you. Steve loved you like his own daughter," she shrieked, grabbing Fiona's hair and pulling it viciously. "How could you betray us like this? Is this how you repay us for all we've done for you?"

Laura's finger was digging into the scalp of her hair, and the anger in her voice chilled Fiona's blood. She could only look at Laura with a desperate plea. Fiona felt a heavy weight in her chest, knowing Laura's pain after losing her grandson.

"Mom!" Fiona cried out, trying to pull Laura's hands away. "Agh! You're hurting me!"

Despite her best efforts, she couldn't escape Laura's grip. Kahl's mother only became more agitated. With a sudden burst of strength, Laura slammed Fiona's head against the wall, her voice rising to a fever pitch.

"Return my grandson to me, you bitch! Give him back to us! I want my grandson back!" She screeched, her eyes wild with fury.

The impact left Fiona dizzy, her senses numb with pain. She could barely register her surroundings due to the blurriness. Conversely, Kahl remained unmoved, refusing to intervene in his mother's madness.

Fiona looked up at Kahl for support, pleading with him to intervene and stop his mother. She met his gaze blankly, and Fiona's stomach dropped. She didn't fully grasp how heartless Kahl was until she really needed him.

As the situation spiralled out of control, Megan sprang into action, getting Laura off Fiona and dragging her away from the living room.

Adamant, Laura yelled to Fiona, "I want this bitch to know the pain she's done to my family!"

"I swear, mom, I'm not lying." Fiona beseeched. "If you could just listen to me, Mom—"

"Get the hell out of here right now, you worthless bitch! Don't you dare show your face again, or else I'll make you regret it!" Laura bellowed, her voice dripping with venom.

Megan pulled her away as she dragged Laura to her room. In the meantime, Kahl stormed out of the living room. Fiona felt a chill run down her spine as she watched Kahl's retreating figure.

She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to ward off the cold that seemed to seep into her bones. Numbly, she went to the nearest couch and collapsed, her eyes unfocused as she tried to understand what had just happened.

'Oh, God! What have I done?' Fiona screamed inwardly.

For what felt like hours, Fiona lay there, her mind racing as she tried to come to terms with the reality of her situation. But eventually, she rose to her feet and trudged upstairs to gather her belongings.

'I can't do this anymore. I'm tired of them!'

She'd been deluded into thinking Kahl would change his mind and realize how much he loved her. However, he had broken through that façade, leaving her with nothing but despair and heartache. Fiona slung a large duffel bag over her shoulder and left the Browns' villa.

As Fiona boarded the bus to Chester, she knew this was the end of her life with them. When she arrived at her apartment building, she stood outside her door, her hand hovering over the doorbell. With a deep breath, she pressed the door alarm.

A sweet little boy greeted Fiona when she opened the door. At first, he greeted her with a smile, but then his cute little button nose and lips scrunched up into a frown.

"Mommy?"

***

The doorbell startled Aaron, and he ran to see who it was. He quickly dragged a chair over and stood on it to see her better. As he opened the door, he saw her battered face.

"Why's your face puffy and looking like a tomato, Mommy?" Aaron frowned.

Fiona breathed deeply, her voice cracking with emotion as she struggled to speak. "It's... It's nothing. I just got kicked out, honey. But Mommy is okay now."

The boy's eyebrows furrowed in disbelief at her claims. He saw her set the duffel bag on the table and sit on the couch. Hopping beside her, Aaron looked at Fiona with a solemn expression that made him appear like an adult.

He knew something was wrong, but Mommy hid it from him.

Who could have hurt her?

Because of that, Aaron asked, "You're not okay, Mommy. You're crying, and no one cries if they aren't hurt. Did he hurt you?"

***

The pain in her son's eyes broke Fiona's heart. Unsure of what to say, she hesitated to reply. Even though she didn't want to blame Kahl, she couldn't deny that he had caused her pain. She kept it from her son. Despite that, she kept it from her son.

With her voice barely above a whisper, she lied, "No. He didn't hurt me. I got bitten by a dog, sweetie. But don't worry about Mommy. I'm alright now."

Her cheeks were slightly swollen, and she was bruised black and blue. A dog could not have left that handprint near her neck, which even the blind could see.

Aaron's eyes scanned her face, taking in the bruises and cuts. "Are you going to leave him, Mommy?"

Fiona's eyes swelled up with tears, threatening to spill over. Keeping her emotions in check, Fiona firmly answered. "Yes, baby."

Aaron stepped closer to her and wrapped his tiny arms around her. "It's okay, Mommy. You still have me. I'm going to take care of you, I promise."

Fiona felt warmth and comfort washing over her as he patted her head.

She parted from him and cupped his cheeks. "Oh, honey! I should be the one taking care of my prince. Mommy is sorry for always crying. I promise that I won't cry again."

"I'm here for you, Mommy. I won't hurt you as he did," he said while wiping her cheeks.

"Thank you for being here, baby. Mommy loves you. I love you so much, sweetheart." Fiona's lips curled into a weak smile.

Despite her heavy heart, she kept smiling while holding Aaron tightly.

***