blood orange sky (bwwm horror)

not real bodies, halloween props only

He hadn't taken his eyes off her for more than a few moments, his gaze piercing, as though daring her to make a move.

When he stood up, the legs of his chair scraped loudly against the wooden floor. Calliope's stomach tightened as she watched him move toward Noah's crib. Her pulse quickened when she saw him reach down, gently lifting their son into his arms. His hands, which had moments earlier threatened her with violence, now cradled Noah as if he were something fragile, something precious.

Lucas glanced at her, his eyes dark and assessing. "I'm taking Noah with me today," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Calliope's heart dropped, panic flaring in her chest. "Why? Where are you going?"

Lucas didn't answer immediately. Instead, he pulled Noah's blanket around him, making sure the baby was bundled tightly. When he finally turned to face her, his expression was hard. "Because I don't trust you."

The words hit her like a slap. "You don't—what?"

Lucas's gaze sharpened. "After what you pulled last night, do you really think I'd leave him here with you? You could try running again, and this time, I won't be here to stop you."

Calliope stood, her breath shallow, her hands shaking. "I wasn't going to hurt him, Lucas. I was trying to get us both away from this—"

"Shut up," he snapped, his voice cutting her off. "You don't get to play the victim here, Callie. You endangered him. You think I'm going to risk leaving him in your hands after that?"

Tears stung the back of her eyes, but she blinked them away, refusing to let him see her break. "He's my son too," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "You can't just take him from me."

Lucas moved closer, holding Noah against his chest. "I'm not taking him from you. I'm protecting him. From you, from your stupid, reckless decisions."

She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms as she fought the rising wave of anger and helplessness. "Where are you going to take him? Out there, in the cold? He's just a baby."

Lucas smirked, shaking his head as if she were being ridiculous. "Don't worry about where we're going. Worry about what'll happen if you try something stupid again."

Calliope swallowed hard, her chest tightening as she watched him move toward the door. "Please, Lucas... don't take him. He needs to stay here, where it's safe."

Lucas stopped at the door, turning to give her a long, hard look. "The only one who's making this unsafe is you, Callie. You lost the right to make decisions when you tried to run."

He opened the door, the cold morning air rushing in, sending a chill through the room. Noah stirred in his arms but didn't cry, too young to understand the tension filling the space around him.

Lucas stepped outside, pausing for just a moment before he looked back at her, his expression unreadable. "If you're smart, you'll be here when we get back. Don't make me regret giving you this chance."

With that, he shut the door behind him, leaving Calliope standing in the middle of the room, her body trembling with a mixture of fear, anger, and the suffocating sense of powerlessness.

She stared at the door long after he'd gone, her mind buzzing with thoughts of Noah, of Lucas's threat, and of the crushing reality that she was trapped. The sound of Lucas's truck starting in the distance pulled her from her thoughts, and she sank into the nearest chair, her hands covering her face as the tears finally came.

The only thing she could do now was wait.

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