Sacred Flame

POPPY:

[One message received.]

My phone beeped and lighted and thinking it was something urgent, I wiped my hands at the back of my shirt and hurriedly grabbed my phone from the kitchen table, temporarily leaving the unchopped vegetables.

I was in a hurry to cook Kelly's heavy snacks, my five-year-old daughter was in kindergarten school. I forgot to prepare when I woke up late since I was finishing some freelancing gigs.

“It’s okay, Mommy. I can just ask for my best friend,” I remembered her saying.

Despite being a single mom, it was still a wonder how I was given a mature and sweet little child.

Another notification popped up.

Brows furrowed, I checked my phone.

[I finally located you, Poppyseed. I know you are with our child right now. I'm coming there to get you.]

[I will fix my mess. I am sorry.]

[I still love you.]

The smile vanished from my eyes after reading the message. The color drained from my face.

Only one person called me Poppyseed. Nolan Woods. My ex-husband who did not have the balls to stand as a father of my child. Of our child.

My phone beeped again.

He was seriously spamming my inbox.

Where did the bastard get my number?

[I will get the two of you back...I promise.]

How did he find my number?

I made sure that he would never trace us. And what was his purpose for coming here again? We never wanted him to begin with. Kelly and I had been doing well without him. Without his financial support.

Yes, I was struggling to support my daughter’s needs, but we had each other.

[Poppyseed?]

Fuck you! Rot in hell!

I wanted to call him and cursed him until he died, but if I did that, he would be confirming his hunch was right. That this was my number.

“I am not yet ready, Poppyseed,” I remembered he said. “I am not yet ready to take full responsibility.”

“We are married, Nolan!”

“I still have dreams.”

“What do you want me to do with our child?”

“You can have an abortion. I…know someone who can do it."

My ears rang. I swung my fist and punched him in his jaw. He staggered while touching his jaw.

"Fuck you!"

Then I turned my back and never glanced back at him, as if he was some kind of trash.

That time, I promised I would be cutting off my connection with him.

But now.

The bastard had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and what? Wanted to become a father after 5 years? Fuck. Him.

[Poppyseed?]

My hands shook and with trembling hands, I punched some letters and texted the words, “Asshole.”

My phone blinked again.

[Poppyseed.]

[I’m Poppy. Call me Poppyseed again ‘cause the moment I saw you, I will be kicking your balls! Damn you, Nolan!]

My heart was fuming.

It was beating rapidly.

Who gave him my fucking number?

I was certain it was not Christy. That woman was the most faithful and loyal I ever met. She would never betray me like this.

So how?

And what was his purpose for coming here again? We never wanted him to begin with. Five years of being with my baby were enough to make me say that we never wanted anything to do with him!

My phone suddenly rang, displaying Nolan's number. How dare that bastard! Why doesn't he show himself right now so that I could kill him right away before my daughter will see him? I would never allow even his shadow for Kelly to see.

My phone continues ringing.

My hands shook.

"Damn you, Nolan!" I hissed. "You don't have the balls! Calling after five years is already late! We don't want you in our life! You can rot in hell together with your career and your slut!"

After almost five minutes of ringing, it stopped.

Finally.

I thought he did not know how to stop.

Another notification popped up.

[If you won't be answering the phone, I will come to your house, Poppy. I am serious about getting you and my child back.]

I was tempted to answer and sent a lot of messages until I spammed his inbox, like what he did to me, but stopped myself. Nolan was not worth it. He did not deserve my time. Nor my attention. He deserved to be discarded and treated like trash.

Picking up my phone, I bit my fingernails and called someone. Christy, who was with me through thick and thin. She was also with me when I delivered my child to the hospital and took care of me until I was discharged. She was my heaven and I did not know if I could survive without her.

"Come one, Christy. Pick the damn phone."

I went to the living room and sat on the couch, waiting for Christy to pick up. Damn. What was she doing right now? Usually, she easily picks up on one ring. But why not now when I needed her most?

"Pick up, Christy ?"

I must not waste any time.

Nolan could be barging in my front door at any minute, but I won't allow him to grab my daughter. Nolan came from an influential family of businessmen.

Despite his immense wealth, I was willing to fight him to death as long as my daughter stayed with me.

Finally, after almost one year, someone picked up the phone.

The background on the other side of the line was noisy. Then, it was followed by giggles and moans.

My cheeks heated in embarrassment.

Do not tell me Christy was in the middle of having sex. Wait? She had a boyfriend? She never told me she had one so why?

"Who is this?" she asked in a sultry voice. "Oh, babe. Stop that. It tickles," she whispered followed by giggles.

I was right. She was in the middle of fucking someone.

Oh, my goodness.

Gross.

"Babeeee. Stooop!"

"Earth to Christy," I called, glaring at the television in front of me. It wasn't turned on.

"P-Poppy? Oh, oh. Stop that!" Another giggle escaped her lips.

"Christy !" I hissed. "Would you please listen to me in a minute?"

"Babe. Wait. Don't go down there. Oh. Ah."

I slapped my forehead, waiting for the moment when she would give me her attention fully.

"Wait, babe!" she screamed. Not of fear, but of pleasure.

"Christy, I swear, if you will not give me your one-minute attention I will be—"

"Poppy. I'm up, okay? Babe, let’s continue this later," Christy muttered, cutting off my words.

Someone groaned in the background. Then followed by a man's voice. “I will wait for you.” Followed by a smack.

"Did you just smack my butt cheeks?"

"I did, babe," answered a man.

“Christina. Is that another man? Again? You did not learn, did you?”

Christy chuckled. She knew that when I mentioned her full name, I meant business.

I loved her to death, but when it comes to men, I could not trust them. Surprisingly, Christy had this magnetic pull around men. She always attracted them without her giving a lot of effort. Something I couldn't even do.

“Yes. But I think he is the one.”

“You always say that, Christina. It’s time to think again. I don’t want you crying over some assholes again.”

“I won't be crying again, okay? Let’s not talk about my love life and tell me why you called me, Poppy.”

I nibbled on my lower lip. “It’s about Nolan.”

Rustling followed.

“Your asshole ex-husband? The one who told you to abort your child because he was not ready to take responsibility for his child?”

I heaved a sigh. “You got it right. That asshole.”

“Why? You want me to kill him? I have relatives who are assassins. A single call and that jerk will die. Painfully.”

I flinched.

I did not know if she was joking or not, but I hoped she was. As much as I did not want to kill that man, I also did not want her to kill him.

“No. I called you to ask if you could get Kelly in her school and let her stay at your house in the meantime, but since you are busy with your boyfriend, I changed my mind. I will get her after school.”

During this time, I hoped I had another house to sleep in. However, taking care of a child in a time like this where inflation was already seventy-five percent was a cause of worry and stress.

“No. No. Aron could wait. I will get Kelly. The child comes first.”

I nibbled on my lips. “You sure?”

I could always depend on her.

“Hundred percent. You can call me if you want to get here, okay? Don’t worry about Kelly. She will be fine with me. You settle with that asshole and tell him that there is no one he will come back to.”

My eyes watered as a lump in my throat formed. “Thank you, Christy. I don't know what I will do without you. Kelly will be out at three o'clock in the afternoon. It’s still ten o'clock so you have all the time to be with your boyfriend.”

“Silly. If that’s all, I will hang up.”

“Christy?”

“Yes?”

“I owe you a lot.”

“Don’t mention it, darling. Aron. Babe? Where are you?”

And the phone hung up.

I sighed.

Damn.

I thought everything was already fine. That we will be peaceful now, but because of that jerk!

“Damn him!”

I was in the middle of my musing when the door rang. I did not usually have any visitors. Which only means one thing, Nolan had found me.

So what? You are not a coward, Poppy. It’s time to show him right now that you were not someone who would shake from his presence.

No one will take Kelly away from me.

Before I realized what I was doing, my feet already had a mind of their own. But before I reached the doorway, I picked up the mineral bottle with water on it.

Holding the bottle tightly, I opened the door and hit Nolan a couple of times.

“Go to hell, you bastard!”

“Hey! What are you doing?”

I froze at the husky, yet irritated voice.

It was not my ex-husband, but another man who was way sexier and more handsome than Nolan.

My mouth gaped open.

Did a god just step down on earth?