Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

“W-What?” My mouth fell open. 

His lip started trembling like he could burst into tears any second. “I don’t want you to have a boyfriend, I want to be your only baby.” 

I laughed softly and bent down to peek at his face. His nose was already turning red. “Where did you even get that idea?” 

He fiddled with his little fingers.. "Justine said his mama got a new boyfriend. His dad has another girlfriend too."

"Sevi, I'm not them."

"But there was a man earlier. He said he wants to meet you because you're an amazing mommy. Maybe he has a crush on you. I don't like it."

"So possessive, my Baby Sevi." I kissed his cheeks over and over.  His eyes were watering and he gave me the most adorable put I’ve ever seen. “You’re my only baby and I love you so much.” 

“Even they said I’m a freak?”

"You're not a freak, okay? You're gifted. And you're my baby." There were third graders who bullied him after he beat them at an all-grade math quiz-bee.

"I don't have many friends."

"You have some. And besides, I heard a lot of your classmates have crushes on you." I poked his side.

He flinched, then started squirming and giggling when I wrapped my arms around him and went for the full tickle attack.

"Mommy, no. Stop it."

"Do you have a crush yet, Baby?"

"No." His laugh was the best sound in the world. "I don't like any girls. I want Mommy."

"You love Mommy?"

"SUPER love!" he yelled and latched onto my neck like a little koala.

I had to carry him when the cab pulled up in front of our building. The driver was nice enough to grab our stuff from the car for us.

Sevi was heavy so I asked the security guard if I could leave our bags with him for a minute while I carried my son upstairs. One of those moments where being a single parent hit harder than usual.

But what could I do except handle it?

I smiled when I saw my sister's name light up on my phone screen.

“Stephanie, how are you?” I said happily when I answered the video call.

“I miss you so much, Neshara.  Where’s our baby Sevi?” She’s living with our parents, three towns away from the Belmore City proper because she’s an instructor at State University. 

“Asleep? How’s Mom?” 

“She’s fine. Oh, Dad’s been bugging me for days. He wants you to come home.” 

My dad and I only patched things up about a year ago. Before that I’d cut contact with my family completely for years.  

"He really misses you and Sevi," Stephanie continued. "I told him to just call you himself. He said he's too embarrassed about what happened back then."

"That's so Dad." I shook my head, but I was smiling. There was still a wall between us. Whenever Sevi and I visited, I could feel the awkwardness radiating off him. 

“I need to tell you something.” Her expression darkened. “There were sponsors who came to school today. Their names were Roman and Florence Rocc.” 

My throat went dry, remembering six years ago. 

Sebastian had brought me to his parents’ house, thinking we’d only be there for a minute but when Sebastian’s father called him to his home office, Mrs. Florence Rocc cornered me at the top of the stairs.

She had never liked me and always told it to my face whenever she got a chance.  That I came from nothing while the Rocc family was one of the wealthiest families not just in the country but the whole continent. 

Then, Florence tried to drag me down the stairs like I was some stray but missed a step. That’s where a maid screamed with her eyes accusing me.  I followed them to the hospital even though I knew I wasn’t welcome. No one said a word to me but I felt their anger. 

They didn’t let me explain. The same day, I found out I’m pregnant. I was so happy and excited to tell the good news only to see Sebastian and that b-tch Lolita kissing. 

“Stay away from them.” 

“Those are Sebastian’s parents, right? I thought they were abroad. Are they going to mess your life again? I swear—” 

My sister was the only one who knew Sebastian was Sevi’s father. I never told anyone else—not my parents, not even about Mrs. Rocc’s fall. I was too scared they wouldn’t believe me either.

"Just stay out of their way. They'll leave eventually."

"If I see Sebastian, I'm going to crush his balls.  What are they even doing here? Were they bored overseas?"

"They have a company to run here, Steph. He bought MedBrain.I'm his secretary right now."

The next word out of her mouth was filthy enough to make a sailor flinch.

I wasn’t done. "He asked me about the baby.” 

Another cursed but creative this time that made me laugh. 

"I told him I got rid of it. Just like he told me to."

"Good. Hide Sevi. What goes around comes around. And his parents are just as bad. If they show up at the university again, I'm giving them a piece of my mind." Stephanie was pacing her room, fired up and ready to fight the entire Rocc bloodline. 

“And that woman he’s with at the magazine, I could tell she’s a bitch. What if they mistreat our Baby Sevi?” 

A few weeks after we broke up, it was all over the news. Sebastian and Lolita were engaged. While I was working myself to the bone trying to save enough money for the delivery, those two were everywhere. Magazine, tabloid, news…

What Stephanie said wasn't far-fetched at all. Lolita was a devil in designer clothes. She used to bully me back in college. Once locked me inside a storage room overnight. If she could do that to me, I didn't even want to imagine what she'd do to my child.

"He's not someone I'm going to chase. I will never let him anywhere near Sevi.”

After the call, I woke Sevi for dinner. He’d been out for hours and couldn’t drift off again.

"Mommy, Teacher said to give this to you." Sevi waved a flyer of some non-profit orgniazation he'd pulled from his bag. "She said you should come talk to her when you drop me off at school. Can I borrow your phone?” 

“Why?” I asked. 

"I remember Teacher said my violin video is on You-Tube. Call Auntie Heath. Let's tell her to watch me play."

Heather had mentioned that, actually. She was the first one to find out the video was online.

Most of the viewers loved Sevi's performance. Some were even asking if he'd be interested in joining talent shows on TV.

"My baby is so talented." My eyes were stinging with pride. "So, so talented."

Sevi played that violin like a professional. Eyes closed, feeling every single note.

"I got it from you, Mommy."

"Obviously."

"And from Auntie Steph, Auntie Heath and Grandma and Grandpa."

"Very much so."

"And from Daddy too."

My smile disappeared.

"From my Daddy too, right Mommy?" Sevi blinked up at me, innocent as ever.

"You got everything from Mommy."

"I don't have a Daddy. But how can a baby be made without a Daddy? The daddy gives the sperm to the mommy so the baby can form."