Chapter 5 — Unreasonable Reactions

Gregory's POV

"Daddy?" Julian ran up to me and tugged on my arm. "Auntie Camille says that she's hungry and that she doesn't feel good! Where is mommy? How come she hasn't come home yet? Is she not going to come and take care of us like she's supposed to?"

After we were discharged from the hospital, I offered to take Camille back to my home. It wouldn't have felt right to simply turn her away when she still wasn't at 100%. 

Luckily, the doctors assured us that the cut wasn't deep enough to cause an infection, but they still sent her home with some antibiotics just in case. She seemed to be doing a bit better, which made me feel more at ease.

But now I had to worry about Renee not being home yet… Where the hell was she? Was she throwing some kind of tantrum over a little box that fell on her?

I shook my head and gave Julian a look of reassurance. "I'm sure she'll be home soon. She wouldn't just abandon her duties to this family like that anyway."

"Well, can't you go get her? Auntie Camille needs something to eat and we need to take care of her!"

"Maybe I should. It's not like she doesn't know how to get home, but maybe she might need some help—"

"I'm sorry…" Camille interjected. "I don't mean to be such a burden and monopolizing all of your attention." She trembled as she spoke.

I grabbed the throw blanket from the other chair and immediately went to wrap it around Camille, who eased instantly at the gesture. "You have nothing to be sorry for," I spoke gently.

"Don't be sorry for anything, Auntie!" Julian squeezed himself in between me and Camille and laid his head on her shoulder. "It's all mommy's fault that you're not getting better yet! She should be home taking care of you like all the doctors did in the hospital!"

Camille smiled warmly at Julian. "You're so thoughtful, you know that? Maybe I did something to make her angry, though…" She sighed. "I don't mean to come between you and your family."

"Nonsense." I reassured her quickly. "Renee is being unreasonable. She doesn't understand that you're an important friend to me and is just having a momentary lapse in judgement."

I couldn't wrap my head around Renee's actions right now. She knew that her place as my wife was to simply attend to the household duties and take care of my son.

Why was she being so overdramatic about a box? Surely she had to understand my worry for Camille's hands with her being an accomplished violinist. Not to mention, she recently decided to get into modeling, and her appearance mattered greatly.

I simply wanted to look out for her opportunity. Did that truly make me a bad guy?

Just as I pulled out my phone to call Renee, the front door clicked with the sound of it opening. When I looked up, I saw her stand there hesitantly for a moment before finally deciding to come inside.

"Where have you been?" I asked; the question came out a bit colder than I'd intended. "You should've been home a few hours ago. You know you have a family to take care of, right?"

Renee hardly spared me a glance. "I was in the hospital," she replied curtly.

"Why are you pretending to be so weak and fragile all of a sudden?" Julian let out a huff. "It was just a stupid box! All that fat on your back wouldn't have made it hurt that bad."

"Why can't you be brave like Auntie Camille?" Julian continued to protect Camille's honor. "She almost lost her hand from the cut, and yet she's still sitting here with us!"

"Julian, dear, be nice." Camille gave him a sympathetic look. "I'll be okay. Besides, she's your mommy and as her son, she needs your protection, too."

"She doesn't need my protection!" He whined. "Auntie Camille needs me more, and I want to stay at her side! All that fat on mommy should be more than enough protection anyway!"

Julian sure had such a witty tongue for someone so young, that I couldn't help but laugh at his remark. He was definitely my son!

What I thought was a meaningless, albeit true statement, seemed to have triggered Renee, however.

"Is it because she helps you show off at school?" Renee's words were sharp like a blade. "Do you like her more so you can make your other friends jealous?"

Silence fell on all of us as tension rose in the air.

What the hell was her problem?! What kind of question was that to ask our little boy? Had she no shame to accuse a child of such vanity?

I watched as Julian's face fell and he shrunk in on himself. His lips parted like he wanted to say something, but instead he kept it to himself. Guilt furrowed his eyebrows and he avoided Renee's careless gaze.

Camille sat upright and pulled Julian into her arms, and stroked his hair in a comforting manner. "Renee, that was completely out of line! He's just a child. You shouldn't talk to him like that!"

"Who are you to interfere with me questioning my own son?" Renee asked coldly. "I'm his real mother, in case you forgot, and I didn't raise him to speak to his elders with such disrespect."

"That doesn't give you the right—" Camille tried to argue.

But Renee fired back. "I'm done with you overstepping your boundaries and undermining me as his mother. I think you need to leave. Now."

My eyes snapped towards her. "You have no right to drive away MY guest! Last time I checked, this was MY home that *I* paid for!"

"Yeah…!" Julian nodded his head as he wiped away a few tears. "Why are you being so rude to Auntie Camille? You need to say you're sorry or YOU'LL get kicked out!"

While I wasn't exactly planning to kick Renee out, maybe my son was right. Did she need the night to stay in a hotel to cool off? Her behavior was completely uncalled for!

I expected Renee to beg and grovel to not be kicked out, but instead, she surprised me by being completely calm about the manner.

If anything, she scoffed. "I can save you all the trouble and just leave." She spoke calmly. "It's clear that I'm not wanted here, and I have no desire to stay where I'm already so easily replaced."

Before I could argue, Renee stood up and walked towards the door. I watched as she opened it and made way for… a small child?

Who the hell was that? Where did he come from? Had he been out there the whole time?

The small boy looked up at Renee and nodded his head. "Are we ready to leave, mommy?"

My eyes widened as I looked over at Julian who now also had a mortified expression on his face. It was like we were thinking the same thing.

Mommy?

Did that strange little boy just call Renee his mother?

Who was he really?