You Can Never Escape Me(BxB)

f o r t y s i x

Elias Easton

Leah's definition of a child's birthday party made me speechless.

The unbearable noise of laughter, boisterous conversations and the clamor of smashed glass as well as the rhythmic slapping of poker chips on the mahogany table, the hushed whispers of secret deals, and thumping music filled the mansion. A dizzying light show played out above, strobes of neon hues bouncing off a giant glittering disco ball, giving me an instant vertigo.

The air was thick with the musk of dancing bodies, an intoxicating mix of expensive cologne and the sharp sting of spilled champagne. The heavy scent of weed, snaked it's way through the crowd.

Underneath the writhing sea of dancers, the polished marble floor turned treacherous with spilled drinks and scattered confetti. Every handshake was a clash of diamond-encrusted watches and rings, and each casual brush against a party-goer felt like touching an overpriced mannequin in a luxury boutique.

And in the middle, Leah, having the time of her life during Sam's birthday party.

There wasn't a single child in sight, Sam could have spent his time with and his birthday cake -the only good thing Leah did- found his early end on my expensive carpet because my maids got pushed around by drunken and high guests.

This was a complete disaster and definitely not what I had arranged with my fiancée.

"Dad, can I stay in my room?" Sam asked me, intimidated as he arrived at the entrance door in his wheelchair.

While it was good to make yourself known and connect with people, even if you were still young, Sam was the complete opposite of me, when I was a kid. He was shy and introverted, and didn't like big crowds of people he didn't know.

To make things worse, he wasn't feeling well today. Apparently, the shot he got in his dead did unfortunately cause some damage. Because he couldn't walk for long periods of time without his legs starting to hurt and feeling numb, so that he had to rely on a wheelchair.

I had talked to Anthony about this issue but he told me to be patient and wait for how things would evolve, with the help of medicine and physiotherapy. Sam's state could get better, but it could also get worse.

And it killed me that my son had to endure potentially not being able to ever walk properly in his life ever again because of his own mother.

Though, Sam still didn't confess Leah's crime to me, which I could only partly understand.

"It's your birthday, Sam." I tried to cheer him up, pushing all of my negative thoughts about Leah and this horrible party aside.

If Leah didn't feel the need to offer her child a good birthday, it was my duty to somewhat save the day and give Sam a reason to smile.

"Come on, let's get something to eat at least." I told him as he was still hesitant, biting down on his bottom lip.

"I can't." He told me devastated, pressing his lips to a thin line to keep them from trembling.

I crouched down, till I was eye to eye with him, gently caressing the few dark brown strands of hair out of his face.

He sighed heavily, unsure if he should tell me about the reason he couldn't join his own party, which was an obvious sign for me that I wouldn't like it.

"Mom told me that I'm not allowed to show up in my wheelchair and I tried to walk, but my legs always give out on me."

I thought that nothing could worsen my mood tonight.

I was wrong.

I could understand Leah's point. The life expectancy in a mafia was already low, after all Leah lost four of her siblings, I lost my sister, almost even my son and many more people died way too young. Children were an easy target, when you wanted to hurt someone and killing them was the biggest pain you could cause someone.