Their Light

Chapter 27

Hadley

I sat down on the bed, debating on whether to ask what I wanted to. Zeke's mom, Winny, flitted around the room, packing up her things. She had only been here a couple of days, but she already had to leave. A large part of me really didn't want her to go. Before I could say anything, she sat down beside me, pausing in her packing.

"Go on and ask," she said, reaching for my hand and squeezing it gently.

"Do you have to leave?" The past days had been wonderful. I hadn't ever really had a motherly figure and Winny definitely fit the bill. She sighed and squeezed my hand again.

"I wish I could, but I have to go back," she told me. "Plus, Ezekial wouldn't want me around much more either." I opened my mouth to ask another question, but I stopped myself, feeling too nosy.

"Don't make me tell you again," she joked in a sing-song tone. I flashed her a smile before it faltered.

"Why do you have to go back? Why wouldn't Zeke want you to stay?"

These questions had been on my mind for days. Everyone tip-toed around the subject and I hadn't missed the tension that filled Zeke's body anytime she stepped into a room. Apparently she hadn't either.

"That's a long story," she started. "One that answers both of those questions." She took a deep breath and felt the panic fill her system as she spoke.

"You don't have to tell me," I reassured her, but she just patted my hand and sent me a shaking smile.

"I need to. You should know," she said. "Growing up, I was a prominent Kustos well, as prominent as one could get from a no-name family. I was ambitious and wanted to go as far as I could. The day I was selected to be a part of a protective order for a high-society was a moment I knew I would never forget. That Probus is Zeke's father." I was confused by that. The guys had told me Kustos and Probus don't mix.

"At first he was charming, but I soon found out exactly what he was like. I am honor bound to protect my Probus. It is a great achievement to be a part of his protection."

Her words sounded sincere, but the bitterness I sensed from her and the pain and rage were enough to clue me in on what she was hinting at. My own anger rose. He abused his power. He abused her. All the signs were there. Her initial reaction to me being a Probus, her fear and her strength.

"It got better once Zeke was born, but when he realized he was a Kustos and not a Probus, things got worse. One night, Zeke got in between us. From then on out, his anger was directed at the both of us. I tried to protect my boy, but I couldn't. I couldn't leave. I can't leave. He is my Probus. It's my duty to protect him. When Zeke was finally old enough to leave, I pushed him out. He needed to get out of that house. We haven't spoken since."

I felt the tears streaming down my face at her story. She was still stuck in that position. The injustice of it all flamed my anger to new heights.

"Why can't you leave?" She gently wiped the tears from my cheeks before she answered.

"It isn't allowed."

"Like legally?" I asked, trying to understand. She nodded. She legally wasn't allowed to leave a position in which she had to protect her abuser. My stomach twisted with nausea. This society is even more fucked up than I realized.

"You are the strongest person I've ever met," I told her honestly.  "I don't fully understand the rules of this society, but I feel like you are doing the best you can." I never felt like Zeke was mad at her or ashamed or anything. He normally was just tense with apprehension. He was worried about something.