Change of Heart 3

Prologue

10th of June, 1813

San Joaquin Valley, California

"August? Is that you?" She wrapped herself in her night robe and padded through the dark house.

It was almost one in the morning and outside was dark and quiet. When she found him he was bent over in the living room hurriedly packing old books into a box.

"August...what are you doing? Those are your favorite books."

"I know." In a haste he closed the box, sealing it tightly with scotch tape. "That's why I can't leave without them."

"Leave? What do you mean? August are y−

"Yes I am." He exhaled and looked at her. "I'm going back to her."

The veins on her forehead grew thicker and her face began to turn red. She clenched her jaw so tightly that her teeth were near to crushing. "August...how can you leave? I thought we were ok! You said−

"I lied! It was all a lie! I love her. I've always loved her." He shouted at her and made his way closer.

"Our son is two days old are you going to abandon him? He cannot grow up without a father."

"I think it's better for him to grow up without a father than to grow up with one who doesn't want to be here. What do you think?" He smiled and held her face in his hands.

"I think you're evil. You're an evil, heartless man!" She screamed and slapped his hands away and shoved him against a wall. "You're going to abandon your newborn son and your family for some woman? August, I've loved you for years. I was always a good wife to you. When you cheated on me the first time with her I was broken. I was so alone and broken August. But then you came back...you said that you were sorry and that you wanted to make us work. What changed?" Tears leaked out of her crystal blue eyes which were now turning red.

"I'm sorry I−

"I took you back August because even though you hurt me I still loved you and you vowed to me that you made a mistake; a mistake that you promised to never make again but here we are..."

Before she could say anything else the cries were heard from the nursery. Cries from the newborn baby who was about to become fatherless.

"Listen to that, August. How can you walk away from that? He's going to want his father. You can't leave him."

A gentle look flooded his eyes and he let go a breath of air. But when he spoke it was not what she expected. "I can't stay with a woman I don't love pretending to be a part of a family I don't want."

"August please−

He threw his bags over his back and walked towards the door.

"You won't even say goodbye to him?"

"Goodbyes are meant to be said by those who care."

With those words he left the house and never looked back.