CHAPTER 10: THEN LEAVE

Nancy’s POV

My face was everywhere on the internet. I had expected it. It was one of the reasons I didn’t want anything to do with Andrew King. And it wasn’t only my face. It was my brother’s face, my mother’s face. Liam’s face. I could have taken all the heat if it were only me people were talking about, but the scandal had implicated all the people I cared about.

Social media was packed with our pictures, with people making false assumptions about us.

The media was cruel and so were the people commenting under the posts. They called me ugly, they called me wretched, they called me poor. They said Liam didn’t even look like Andrew which was false because anyone who saw them in the same room together would agree Liam was Andrew’s carbon copy.

They said I was a whore. They basically called me every disgusting name under the sun. Some people said I was a gold digger, that I was a liar. They wondered why I was silent for four years and only showed up now.

I was worried for the safety of the people I cared about.

Liam had been discharged from the hospital already and although Andrew wouldn’t stop talking to me about how he wanted to get us a better place, I brought him home. I brought him to the place he had grew up in. The place where all his childhood memories lay.

I knew I had to find a better housing situation. I knew I sounded selfish when Andrew made his offer. But did he seriously think I hadn’t considered it? I had been saving to buy a new place for my family for years, and I almost had the amount I needed to get a better place. All I had to do was find an extra job, work a few more shifts and everything would be alright.

In a few months I would have the amount I needed.

I didn’t need Andrew’s help. I wanted to give my son a better life by myself, on my terms.

I brushed Liam’s hair out of his face as he slept in the bed were shared. The walls of the room were covered in mold, there was a leak in the ceiling that I had to take care of.

I sighed and placed a kiss on his forehead as he rested and left the room. I met my brother and mother in our small living room.

“This is bad. This is very bad, Nancy.” My brother said as soon as I walked in. He was pacing up and down, running his hands through his hair and down his face.

“Relax, Adrian. We’ll figure this out just like we always do. All they can do is talk. They can’t really touch us.” I said, trying to sound optimistic, but I knew I sounded like a fool. There were many negative consequences that could come from this exposure.

“How can you talk like that!? They have already touched us, Nancy!” Adrian said, raising his voice now and a pang of sadness hit my chest, making my heart beat faster. I let out a sigh and took a seat next to my mom who had been silent. I felt dizzy.

I hadn’t been eating well since Liam’s accident and with everything else that was happening, the stress was taking a toll on my body. My hair was disheveled and tangled, my lips were chapped and cracked and I had lost so much weight. I didn’t even know what I looked like anymore because I hadn’t seen a mirror for days.

Adrian didn’t always use to be this short-tempered. There was a time in my family when we were all happy, but then something happened and Adrian changed forever. He wasn’t the happy little boy I remembered anymore.

“Do you know what people have been saying at my work place!?” He continued.

“They said I put you up to this. They said they didn’t think we would ever stoop so low as to try and extort money from the great and legendary Andrew King. I worked my ass of trying to get this job and now I might lose it all because four years ago you decided to open up your legs to some billionaire! I mean what were you thinking Nancy? That some billionaire was going to love you and marry you? You were just his little whore!”

My eyes widened at his words and my heart dropped to my stomach. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“Adrian!” My mother finally spoke and I noticed how tired she sounded. “That is enough! How can you talk to your sister that way?”

I always knew deep down that Adrian blamed me for how our lives had turned out. He almost never spoke about it, but I knew he resented me. Because of my actions four years ago, he was punished too, but he had never said it out loud, he had never been this blunt about it.

My eyes watered. I didn’t want to but I was going to cry. It was too much. It was all too much.

“Oh, come on mother. Don’t act like you don’t blame her too! I told you four years ago to abort the baby! I told you it would bring us nothing but trouble! Our lives were already shitty and it is only about to get worse.”

I finally lost my temper, even as the tears fell from my eyes, I stood up and faced my brother. I wasn’t going to let him bring Liam into this. I wasn’t going to let him blame my son.

“Don’t you dare, Adrian!” I shouted. “Say what you want about me but do not bring my son into this! He is just a boy. Our family is falling apart. The entire world is against us and instead of us working together, you are doing everything in your power to tear this family apart even more! What is wrong with you!?”

“I am tired Nancy!” He yelled, raising his hands up in frustration. “I am tired of living like this!”

“Then leave!” I yelled back at him. “Pack up your things and abandon your family or shut the hell up because I honestly cannot take any more of your complaining. It isn’t helping! I feel like I don’t even recognize my own brother anymore! If you’re so exhausted then get the fuck out of our lives Adrian!”

He was quiet, his shoulders heaving up and down in anger. I picked up my bag form the chair and wiped aggressively at the tears streaming down my face then I gave up when I realized they wouldn’t stop flowing.

“Please look after Liam mom. I’m going to get some groceries and frankly, I need some air.” I announced and escaped out the door, not giving my mom or my brother the chance to reply. I cried as I rushed down the stairs of the apartment building. I ran as if to escae my brother’s words but they wouldn’t stop echoing in my head.

My head was pounding so badly I thought it was going to explode. It was dark outside and they sky looked like it was threatening to rain. I reached the back of the apartment building and was about to take the corner that led to the grocery store when I bumped into a tall hard figure.

I felt strong arms grip my arm and I was about to let out a scream when a huge palm covered my mouth.