Broken

34

"Mommy!" Lukas said and ran to me. "Who is this little man?" Joey asked and looked at Lukas.

"My son." I mumbled. "You have a son?" He exclaimed. I paid no attention to him.

"Where's your father?" I asked trying not to mention his name.

Lukas shrugged and kept on hugging my leg.

"When did you have a son?" Joey asked,almost dropping the bag.

"Oh Lukas,why are you running off like that?" A lady walked towards us,almost breathless.

"Sorry,miss,he's such a bother." She said,clearly oblivious of who she was talking to.

"My son isn't a bother,you don't know how to cater for him." I answered spitefully.

I didn't know why I was angry. I just was.

"Nat,stop walking away,he won't get lost." I heard his voice.

Was he stalking me?

"Well I found him so it's okay,baby." The lady answered while batting her eyes coquettishly.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"Miss Dupont,could I please have my son back?" Elron asked with a blank expression. It was almost as if he didn't know me.

"What?" I murmured.

Lukas hugged me tightly and began to whine when Elron pulled him away.

"Joey,long time." He referred to Joey before walking away with the lady. I didn't know why my heart ached a bit when he behaved like that.

And who was that lady?

"I think we should go." Joey tapped me on my shoulder, snapping me back to reality.

"Yeah. I think so." I answered trying to control my breaking voice.

The drive home was long and the car seemed to be smaller. My breathing was hitched and I couldn't get what he said out of my mind.

"Miss Dupont."

It hurt a bit to see how he had changed but it was technically,my fault.

You did the right thing.

My conscience told me.

Two days from now,I would be on my way to The UK.

"Can I change my course?" I asked Joey when we got home.

"I mean sure,what do you want to major in?"

"Psychology." I answered. "I...want to help people who have gone through what I went through. You get me?"

Joey nodded and smiled at me.

"You'll do great,Claire." He said and bopped my nose.

"I'm hungry." I whined.

"What do you want to eat?"

"Let's order pizza." I suggested while clapping childishly.

"Okay,settle down." He said and picked up the phone to place an order.

_______._._.__-_-_-_-___-__---___--_-_

"El,why don't you want to touch me?" The girl whined. I was getting tired of hearing her voice.

"Nat,can't you keep quiet for like a moment?" I asked with a groan.

"But you don't want to touch me?" She pouted. "Is it because of the girl? She's already moved on." She said with folded arms.

"Don't you ever talk about Claire that way,you get me!" I said while holding onto her jaw tightly.

She nodded with a whimper.

I let go of her and poured a glass of wine into a glass.

"Get lost!" I told her. She immediately walked out of the room.

"Daddy?" Lukas' little feet pattered into my room.

"Yes?" I answered and combed my hair with my hand.

"When is mommy coming home?" He asked with glazed eyes.

I picked him up and straddled him to my side.

"Okay,you see,momma will travel to a place. She won't be back for a long time. But she said wait for her. Remember?" I tried to sugar-coat why she wasn't here.

"But will she come back?" He asked and rested his head on my shoulder.

"Yes. She will." I said and took him to his room.

***

"Chad,get me the departure time for Claire's flight."