The Family Man

Chapter 34

The tears stopped and I cleared my head and made up my mind about him. I was in the middle of my bed with my legs tucked under me Emily in one hand and the other holding an ice pack to my jaw. He still hadn't even called or showed up. The water works started again. Why does it hurt so much?

The door slightly opened and Tyrone peeped through the crack. I quickly wiped away the tears.

"Ms. Johnson, Mr. Bakersfield is at the gate should we let him through?" He asked softly.

"Yes let him in." My heart was aching and my voice was a whisper.

"Okay." And he closed the door behind him.

I got off the bed and walked to Emily's room and put her tiny sleeping body in her crib and made my way downstairs. Ethan had just entered the house but I couldn't look at him just a glance and it made me want to cry. I walked to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door and put back the bag of peas.

"Cassabelle what were you thinking? You had no right!" He yelled at me. I really wanted to scream at him but I kept my cool.

"You got in a fight." He was closer.

"You fractured four of her ribs bruised her face." He had anger mixed with worry in his voice. I clenched my chest and fought tears he is worried about her and not about me.

"Cassabelle are you listening to me?!" He yelled at me. I reached up to the top shelf of the refrigerator for the peanut butter.

"Are you crazy or are you on drugs?" He continued with his rhetorical questions. Well I thought they were rhetorical.

"You could have killed her." He continued with his self-involved conversation. He wasn't even concerned about my pain; he was just concerned about his love Amanda Bishope. Her name made me feel even angrier, but my collarbone and my jaw was hurting again. I grabbed the peas and the frozen corn putting one on my collarbone and the other on my jaw.

"Let me do that." I could hear his footsteps coming towards me.

"Don't." I said at last I didn't want to look at him.

"Let me help you." I heard him behind me. The tears came back harder.

"Do you still love her?" I asked. We stood there for seconds that seemed like minutes and each second that past my shattered heart shattered a little more.

"What?" He asked.

"Do you still love her?!" I yelled still not facing him. Silence again.

"Yes but Cassabelle..." I interrupted him.

"Please don't." I stopped him. "I can't believe I was stupid to fall in love with you. I fell down a rabbit's hole. I should have protected my heart."

"Belle please hear me out."

"No!" I finally looked at him. His face had a 5'o' clock shadow. "You didn't even bother to call or ask me if I was okay but no."

"I was but...I got caught up." He tilted his head in shame like he did something dreadful.

"How were you caught up?" I asked arms folded.

"Please just listen. Amanda and I..." he trailed off and I knew what he was about to say and I grabbed a glass and I threw it at him.

"You son of a bitch. How could you do this to me?" Each word came with a hiccup.

"Let me explain please." He begged.

"No! Screw your explanation." I threw anything my hands caught at him and he dodged them.

"Please." He begged.