11~Starting Over?

[Emily]

By the time I hear the knock on the door, the sun’s already setting.

“Em? It’s me.”

I rush to open the door, and there Lisa is, bags of groceries hanging from both hands, her hair slightly frizzy from the humidity, and Hayden beside her with his little backpack.

“Mommy!”

Before I can say anything, Hayden throws himself at me. His arms wrap around my waist, and his small body trembles.

“Hey, baby,” I whispered, kneeling and hugging him tight. “What’s wrong?”

“Aunt Lisa said you fainted at work. Are you sick?”

I shot Lisa a look.

She winces. “Okay, maybe I overshared. But he heard me on the phone with Mary and got all worried.”

Mary worked near Hayden’s school, and so she always brought him home when I couldn't. Today, Lisa had texted me that she was going to pick him up.

Hayden pulls back just enough to look up at me with watery eyes. “Are you going to die?”

My heart breaks a little at his words. “ Oh, sweetheart, no. Mommy just got dizzy, that’s all. Too much coffee and not enough breakfast.”

He frowns, suspicious. “ You drink too much coffee all the time.”

Lisa laughs softly from behind him. “The Kid’s not wrong, though.”

I ruffled his hair. “ I promise I’m okay. You don’t have to worry about me, okay?”

He still looks unsure, but he nods and hugs me again anyway. “Okay. But I’m staying right here until you feel better.”

Lisa sets the bags on the counter. “ Actually, champ, how about you help me put the groceries away? Then we’ll make some soup for your mom.”

Hayden lights up instantly. “ Can I stir?”

“You bet.”

They head to the kitchen, and Lisa guides Hayden as he stands on his little stool, helping her unload the vegetables and cans.

Lisa is everything I wish I could be: steady, practical and fearless. She was there when I gave birth to Hayden, when I cried through sleepless nights, when I thought I couldn’t keep going. She’s the only person who knows everything.

After a while, Lisa brings a steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup. It’s simple but perfect, and she sets it in front of me. “Eat,” she says in her no-nonsense nurse tone.

“Yes, mom," I jokingly mumble, but I take a spoonful anyway. The warmth seeps through me, and I sigh. “You’re an angel.”

“I know.”

Hayden finishes his homework and asks permission to play at Mary’s. I say, “Yes, but for an hour,” and he walks away excitedly, a bright smile on his face.

Immediately he’s gone, Lisa sits down across from me, folding her legs under her. “All right. Spill.”

I stare at the now-empty bowl in my hands. My throat tightens as the words come out. “ You remember what I told you about Hayden’s father, about what happened six years ago.”

Her brows drew together. “ Yes, I do. Could I ever forget, but what does that have to do with you fainting?”

I stare at her. She stares back, confused. The staring match continues, finally our telepathy seems to work, and her eyes widen in shock.

“Emily, don’t tell me—”

I nodded before she could finish. “It’s him, Lisa. Elias Lockwood. I hadn’t known he was the CEO back then, but turns out he is. He’s the one I’ve been hiding from.”

She stares at me. “You’re kidding.”

“I wish I were.”

Lisa sets her jaw. “Emily, are you sure? Because if you’re wrong—”

“I’m not wrong,” I cut in, voice trembling. “I could never forget those eyes. Or that voice. Or the way he…” I stop, my stomach twisting. “It’s him.”

Lisa’s face drains of colour. “Oh damn!”

She learns back, rubbing her forehead. “Emily, that man’s a billionaire. His face is everywhere, mostly in New York. You’re telling me that guy is the same one who—”

“Yes”

She exhales slowly, shaking her head. “Okay. Okay. Deep breaths. We’ll figure this out.”

“Lisa—”

“No, Em, listen to me.” Her tone is fierce now, the kind that means she’s already gone into survival mode. “You can’t stay here. YOU CAN’T. He’s in the same building, the same city. If he ever finds out about Hayden…”

“I know," I whispered, my fingers tightening around the blanket on my lap. “But…”

“No ‘but’. We have to pack and leave. Let’s disappear together. I’ve been saying I need a break from this job anyway.”

I’m touched by her undying support, but running away again doesn’t feel right. “Lisa, I can’t just run again. Not now.”

Her gaze snaps at me. “Why not?”

“It’s…” I trailed off, searching for words. “It’s everything. The stability, my job which I love, Hayden’s school, his friends, this place that has now become our home. I can’t just pack up and drag Hayden to a new city just on a whim. I did that six years ago. It hadn’t been a big deal for me to return here, where I had been moved from one foster home to another. I don’t want that for Hayden.”

Lisa gives me a long, quiet look. “I understand you, but this isn’t a whim, Emily. This is survival and for Hayden’s own good.”

I look down, thinking hard. I can’t keep running!

“I think he doesn’t remember. I spent more than thirty minutes in Tasha’s office with him, and he didn’t remember me.”

Lisa’s laugh is dry and humourless. “Sure. So you're going to sit around until he does. Wake up, girl. Maybe it’s the universe's way of giving you time to get away, just like the universe happened to merge our company with the one owned by your baby daddy slash murderer. Total coincidence.”

I wince. “I get you. And I'm not going to sit around. I'll resign and find another company to work at. ”

She stares at me, dumbfounded. “Not to sound harsh, but that's bullshit, and you know it. As long as he's in the same city as you, he can trace your whereabouts whenever he wants to. He’s got the money and the connections to do so.”

I sigh. “You're right, Lisa. It’s insane, all of it.” I’m just sad that we’ll have to leave everything behind again because of him.

“I know,” she mutters, then sighs again. “You’re too calm for someone who just found out her son’s father is her new boss.”

“I’m not calm,” I whisper. “I’m just tired of being afraid.”

We stare in silence for a while, then I speak with resolution.

“Let’s do this. Let’s leave and never look back.”