Starting New: A World Apart

Chapter 14: A Broken Oath

Nicole laid awake in bed. Beside her was Gumball curled up in her arms. She felt his chest breath in and out. She felt his warmth and comfort. Part of her mind wanted to sleep right now with him, but the other part kept her awake; deep in thought.

'He called me Nicole...'

Before they went to bed for the night, Gumball and her shared a very touching moment after she had told him about her and Richard's unstable relationship. Then, she told him she loved him. He said he loved her back. Instead of saying mom, he had said her name...

Nicole tightened her grip around Gumball just a little. She knew why. It was obvious. He wanted to see her not just as a mother, but as something else; a lover. A...lover...

Nicole leaned in and kissed his cheek, sparking a twitch on his still sleeping face. This amused her. She then quietly got up to stretch her legs before heading to the bathroom to go relieve herself.

The lights of the bathroom hummed a quiet buzz as she looked at herself in the mirror for a moment. She still was surprised she hasn't developed any gray hair. Usually a cat her age saw at least one, but she was spared of them; luckily for her. As she rested her hands on the sink counter, she glanced down at her right hand. On it, rested her wedding ring. A sense of  dread started to form within her. That ring. The very ring she was given by Richard as they both swore their oaths to each other at the alter of their wedding. There...wedding...

Nicole clenched her fist. She looked away from it. Seeing that ring now on her was hurting her; in more ways than one. She knew why. How could she not? She was in love with someone else. It was that simple...yet, it wasn't. This wasn't because she was simply seeing some 'other guy', this was because she was in love with someone who is partly like her husband, and herself. Both actually. She was in love with her son. Her son...

After taking a drink of very cold water, and closing her eyes for a second, she took a deep breath, and loosened her clenched fist.

'Not now. You're tired Nicole, get some sleep.'

Nicole made her way out of the bathroom and went back into Gumball's room and curled up next to him, pulling him close. She felt a small nuzzle by him before she finally drifted off to sleep...

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—Nicole's Dream—

The house around her was dark. No lights were on as they entered through the door. Nicole's right hand grasped Gumball's as he looked up to her lovingly. Nicole didn't notice the figure at the kitchen table until she turned on the living room light. As she did, she saw Richard there, sitting and looking at her with daggers in his eyes. Gumball slowly stepped behind Nicole as he saw him now stand up and walk towards them.

"How could you do this to me Nicole? To our SON?!" He shouted, causing Nicole to take a step back.

She then stood her ground. Richard was almost all bark and no bite. She knew him too well. Him raising his voice at her may have surprised her, but now she was ready to deal with this.

"I love him with all my heart because he was there for me; unlike you..."

This seemed to enrage him as he grew red in the face and walked towards her. With a mighty smack from his hand on her face, she knew what he had done. She knew what she had to do. With a quick swift of her body, she tackled him and pinned his body to the floor. He shouted and attempted to flail his arms around to grab her, but she pinned them behind his back.

"No more of this Richard. Stop this. I don't want to hurt you..." she pleaded as she felt him continue to resist against her.

"Not unless you stay my wife, and stop this madness with our son. You are bound to ME, not Gumball!" He screamed.