PART- 003

Tessa

“Luke, look at me.” Logan knelt down in front of his son whose eyes were filled of confusion and anxiousness.

My heart was hammering against my chest. My nails dug in my palms as I tried my best to compose myself.

“Lucas, she is your mother, your real mother and she’ll soon come to live with us, Please, say ‘hello’ to her. you're my good boy.” Logan said in a low voice, his hands cupping his son’s cheeks.

Tears blurred my vision when a grin broke on Raelynn’s face and she jumped to grab this opportunity.

“Yes, baby, I am your Mom, your real Mom and now I am back, we’ll live together, you, me and your Dad. Oh! My baby, I missed you so much.” Raelynn sobbed shedding tears but I doubt she felt any of it.

Slowly, Lucas detached his father’s hands and turned to face me.

“Mommy, what is Dad saying?" A panicked Lucas turned to me, "She is not my Mommy. You’re my Mommy.” Lucas denied to recognize her and buried his face in my tummy.

Raelynn’s face fell and Logan also looked disappointed but he chose to remain calm.

“No, I am your mother, Lucas. Tessa is your aunt, she is my cousin. I had to be away for some reason but I love you so much. I am not going to leave you ever again, I promise.” Raelynn grabbed his shoulders and said it all loudly.

“No! stop it. You are not my mother. My Mommy is here!” Lucas cried and started weeping, his tiny hands wrapped around my legs.

“Mommy, please, tell this lady to go.” He begged me with moist eyes, he was about to cry.

“Baby, calm down. I’ll take you to the beach, okay.” I stroked his hairs but he refused to leave me.

“Tessa, leave us alone. He needs to learn that I am his mother. If you stay here, he’ll never understand.” She said to me in a begging tone.

“Tessa, please, she’s right. You can’t keep coming in the way. We need him to accept the truth. Raelynn has all the rights to try and win him.” Logan tried to say but I shot them a glare.

“Logan, he’s your son. You need to see how he’s reacting. Please, let’s discuss it when he’s ready to hear and understand. We can’t startle him.” I tried to knock some sense in them.

Logan quietly turned his gaze to Raelynn who wasn’t ready to give up easily but she was actually traumatizing her own child.

“No, I won’t leave after all these years being away from my son.” She shook her head.

“Mom! Dad! Please, tell this bad auntie to go.” Lucas cried hysterically throwing his arms around my neck.

Seeing his son’s outburst, Logan’s expressions softened and he turned to face his lover.

“Ray, please, calm down. She’s right. Lucas is a sensitive child and I don’t want him to feel unsafe around you. We have to win his trust with love and patience so he can accept you with open arms. Please, just for now.” Logan said to her in a pleading tone.

It really pissed me how he had to beg her when she had to understand if she really wanted to make an effort with her son.

Her behaviour was staged with exaggeration.

“I really missed him and you, Logan.” She leaned on his chest and sobbed.

He wrapped his arm around her affectionately and patted her head. It stung me so I looked away because her smirk couldn’t go unnoticed.

I felt like an invisible ghost when he was promising her a future that needed my sacrifice and he was willing to project it sooner than possible.

“But-” She tried to touch Lucas again but I picked him in my arms to comfort him who was completely startled.

“Leave, Raelynn.” I ordered her and then shifted my attention on Logan, “You both can spend the time together to make up for the lost time if you want while I make Lucas feel at ease.” It was a pun but Raelynn’s eyes sparkled.

I saw something flickering in Logan’s eyes but he wrapped his hand around her shoulder, nudging her to leave. The way his hand slipped around her waist and eyes softened, it stung me so I looked away to hide my embarrassment.

My husband was displaying affection for his lover in front of me and his son.

“Ray, I am leaving for work, we can talk in the car. Lucas needs time to adjust, I don’t want him to feel frightened around you. We can’t force him for anything. Do you understand?” I heard Logan saying this to her.

I spent rest of the day with Lucas to make him feel better. He was reluctant to let go off me. Although, I promised Logan that I would try to create some distance between Lucas and me so I could easily say my goodbye to him, I knew it’d be the hardest part.

Logan didn’t come back until past ten and it wasn’t hard for me to guess where he had been and with whom.

Raelynn was definitely making up for last three years.

The mere imagination gave me waves of pain so I decided to divert my mind by designing Lucas' costume which he insisted me to sew for him, he thought only I could do it in the best way.

He had seen my old designes and often asked me why I didn't design anymore.

I had to quit my job after the marriage and I never thought of working again as I devoted all my time taking care of Lucas and Logan.

At eleven, the silence in the house was interrupted by the presence of the owner. His deep footsteps echoed in the silence.

“You’re still awake?”

His question forced me to look up and I found him staring at me. He looked tired.

The silence between us was thick with awkwardness.

“I wasn’t sleepy so I chose to work.” I told him the truth.

“How is Lucas?” He asked me, the conversation felt forced but since, he was asking about his son, I had to answer him.

“He slept around nine. Let me say this straight, Logan.” I took a deep breath and again faced him, “What Raelynn did today, isn’t healthy for Lucas. He doesn’t want to see her again. It’ll only hinder your plan to get together with her soon.”

“Her reaction was natural. She is seeing her son after four years. He was just an infant when she-” He paused, it was still hard for him to talk about her accident.

“I get it. I was only concerned about his mental health.” I pressed my lips.

 “I have asked her to give Lucas some time but I also want you to give them some space. If you keep staging yourself as his mother, he might never accept her. She’s soon going to be my wife and his mother. She must wear the title without any bitterness or harsh judgement.”

His words stabbed my heart but I chose to remain silent.

“It’s quite late, you must take some rest.” I said and turned around to leave.

“Tessa.” He called out my name.

I slightly turned my head to glance at him. I saw a faint hesitation in his eyes which was gone in a split of second before he spoke;

“We can’t share the same room. So, please, stay in a different room until we get divorced because Raelynn wants to shift here soon.”