Adelina

Chapter 20

I dragged myself down the stairs, and the person knocking on the door got more irritated and started knocking harder. I grabbed the doorknob and swung it open.

"WHAT!?" I asked the person in front of me.

"Bitch. Didn't have to scream at me." Natalie said, rolling her eyes she walked right past me as if I told her to come in. I sighed and slammed the door shut. She turned around to look at me. Her eyes held judgment. I could tell she didn't come here to say hi.

"Where's Mason?" She folded her arms in front of her chest. 

"At school. It's a Monday." I said in a duh tone.

"I called in yesterday to ask you something regarding our business. Mason told me you were not home and he didn't see you Saturday night when we dropped you off here." She stalked closer to me. I cleared my throat looking anywhere but her eyes.

"Adelina don't tell me you went to his house after we dropped you off." She asked me.

"He gave me an address and I just had to Natalie," I whined to her. She sighed holding her head in her hand.

"ADELINA. You left your son here by himself in an awful neighborhood over fucking night. Are you that self-centered?" She screamed at me. I stared back at her letting the words sink in.

"Nothing happened."

"How do you know that?" She asked me.

"Huh. How?" I ran a hand through my hair.

"You of all people should know what it's like Adelina." She said softly to me. I stared back at her shaking my head.

"Don't bring that up." I scoffed at her. She shakes her head at me.

"You're becoming like her. Sleeping with a man that you know is dangerous. Leaving your thirteen-year-old son alone for somebody to come-"

"STOP," I shouted at her.

"YOU ARE JUST LIKE HER ADELINA." She screamed back at me.

"DO.NOT.COMPARE ME TO MY MOTHER." My eyes pooled with tears.

"I know what I did was wrong but I-"

"You just had to." She finished my sentence, I went silent. She scoffed and shook her head looking away from me.

"Adelina, he's my nephew and you're my sister's blood or not. I'm just trying to protect you from your future if you continue this way and I'm sure Noah doesn't know that you're leaving his son alone. You know how he feels about this apartment and it's one thing to be stubborn for not taking his offer for a new apartment in a better environment." She walked up to me and engulfed me in a hug. I hugged her back.

"Please be careful for the sake of your son." She said beside my ears. She pulled away and walked out of the apartment, closing the door behind her. I ran my hand through my hair again. 

I walked up the stairs grabbing on a white crop sweatshirt and some white sweatpants. I grabbed a hair tie and tied my hair in a ponytail. I walked down the stairs slipping on my sneakers. I opened the door and walked out.

 I ignored Hubert, staring down at my body as I passed him. I plugged in my earphones in my phone and placed them in my ears. 

I needed to clear my mind. 

I walked down the road as I watched the cars drive past me. All that was in my mind was Alessandro and what Natalie said. 

She was right but I just can't seem to stay away from him. I was wrong for leaving Mason all alone, especially after what happened to me years ago. I should have been better.

 If Noah did not find out he would probably pull the custody card on me. He already did not like the idea of Mason living in a neighborhood like that. I stuffed my hands in my pocket and kept walking. I breathed in the fresh air, I felt calmer. It was past afternoon and I had to be in my apartment soon before Mason came home. 

I started to walk back to the apartment, a blue Chevrolet sports car drove past me but stopped abruptly and reversed back to me. I pulled out my earphones and walked past the car.

"I knew it was you." My heart stopped. I turned to the car.

"Everett?" I said in shock.

"In the flesh." He flashed his pearly whites at me.

"I thought you went back to Canada," I asked. He shook his head.

"It didn't feel the same as when I was here. Mostly because you weren't there with me." His eyes pierced into mine.

"I'm sorry but you know that-"

"You have to put your son first, I know. How is he? I'm sure he's bigger than when I last saw him." He smiled at me. I nodded and smiled back.

"Yeah, he's really big, almost taller than me too." I laughed. We stayed there in silence.

"So when did you come back?" I asked.

"I came back last week actually. I wanted to visit you so many times but couldn't bring myself to face you and then here you are." He raked over my body.

"Well, I have to get back." I pointed out and started walking. He drove up to me again.

"Hop in, I could drop you off." He signaled me to get into the car. I laughed awkwardly but I walked around to the other side and got in. He drove off and we just sat in silence once again.

"So how have you been?" He asked, he quickly looked over at me and then back on the road.

"I've been great," I said to him, He pulled into my apartment parking lot. I quickly got out but he also got out.

"I was wondering if you want to go out one day as friends." He smiled. 

"Yeah, I would love that." I smiled as he got into his car again. 

I sighed and turned back around. I looked over and saw a familiar car there but shook it off walking into the building.