CHAINS

Chapter 31

*Continuation

Third person's POV

Molly’s thoughts immediately turned to Asher, her sweet, sensitive little boy who adored his father. The thought of tearing him away from Ashton made her chest ache. Asher was so attached to him. Ashton was his hero, his protector, his world. Paano niya ipapaliwanag sa anak ang pag-iwan nila sa ama nito? Paano niya mapapa-intindi dito na para iyon sa kanilang kaligtasan at kinabukasan?

She pictured Asher’s face, his wide, innocent eyes filled with confusion and hurt. He would cry. He would scream. He would beg to go back to his father. And Molly wasn’t sure she had the strength to handle that. She wasn’t sure she could bear the guilt of breaking her son’s heart.

“Asher,” Molly whispered, her voice trembling as she pulled away from Victoria. “I can’t just take him away from Ashton. He loves his father. He’ll be devastated. And if I try to leave... Ashton will never let me take him. He's gonna be furious. You know he will.”

Nagtinginan ang kambal. They hadn’t considered Asher, and now that Molly had brought him up, they could see the dilemma she was facing. Hindi lang ito tungkol sa pagtakas kay Molly. It was about uprooting a child who had no understanding of the danger they were in.

“Molly,” malumanay na wika ni Veronica, “we know this isn’t easy. But you have to think about Asher’s future. Do you really want him growing up in a household where he sees his father treating his mother like that? Do you want him to think that’s how love is supposed to be?”

Molly’s heart clenched at the thought. She had always tried to shield Asher from the worst of Ashton’s behavior, but she knew it was only a matter of time before he started to notice. She didn’t want her son to grow up thinking that love was supposed to hurt, that it was supposed to be filled with fear and control. But at the same time, she couldn’t bear the thought of taking him away from the only father he had ever known.

“I don’t know how to do this,” basag ang boses na wika ni Molly. “Asher... he’s so attached to Ashton. Kapag inilayo ko siya kay Ashton, he’ll hate me. He’ll resent me for the rest of his life. And how am I supposed to handle him on my own? He’s a handful as it is, and if he’s throwing tantrums because he misses his father... I don’t know if I can do it.”

Hinawakan naman ni Victoria ang mga kamay ni Molly. “You’re stronger than you think,” she said softly. “at hindi ka nag-iisa. We’ll help you. Blaine will help you. We’ll figure this out together. But you have to think about what’s best for Asher in the long run. Do you really want him growing up in a house where he’s taught that it’s okay to control and hurt the people you love?”

Napuno ng luha ang mga mata ni Molly habang mabilis na umiiling. “No,” she whispered. “I don’t want that for him. Pero hindi ko alam kung kaya ko.”

Veronica stepped forward. “You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for, Molly. At hindi mo lang ito ginagawa para sa sarili mo. Ginagawa mo ito para kay Asher. He deserves a life where he feels safe and loved, not a life where he’s constantly walking on eggshells because of his father’s temper.”

Molly’s mind raced as she tried to process everything. She knew Veronica was right. Asher deserved better. But the thought of leaving Ashton, of uprooting her son’s life, was terrifying. What if Ashton came after them? What if he found them and dragged them back? What if he hurt the twins or Blaine in the process?

“I’m scared,” Molly admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. “I’m scared of what Ashton will do if he finds out. I’m scared of what he’ll do to all of you. And I’m scared of how Asher will react. I don’t know if I can handle it.”