Ever After New York

Decisions, Decisions.

When my eyes open, I'm looking up into the canopy of trees blocking the sun's harsh rays. This scene looks familiar and when I sit up, I know exactly where I am.

The park that Hero brought me to for my birthday.

The one with the willow trees.

"Jo!" I hear him call to me.

I look over by the open field, near where the bay met the grass. I see Hero and clutching his hand is a small child.

The little boy had light brown hair and hazel blue eyes.

Hero kneels down next to the boy and whispers something inaudible in his ear before the boy waddles over to me.

"Hi mummy." He smiles, looking up at me with his beautiful eyes.

My heart melts as he climbs into my lap, nuzzling his little head into my neck.

"Smile mummy." The boy says, and I look down at him in confusion.

"W-What?"

I search frantically for Hero, wondering if he put the child up to this.

But he was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly, a person appears in front of me. I couldn't make out the silhouette, but I could tell the person held a camera in their hands.

"Yeah." The silhouette says, their voice sounding muffled. "Smile mommy."

The last thing I see is a bright flash of light before everything spirals into darkness.

***

My eyes fly open and I find myself gasping for air. I squint my eyes as the bright light of the morning sun shines into the bay window. I notice the window was open, allowing the cool winter air to circulate the room. Hero isn't in bed next to me, but I feel a sense of relief.

I hadn't told him about Chris yet.

I know it was stupid of me not to, but I didn't know how to tell him.

I didn't want him doing something that he would regret.

Besides, Chris hasn't uploaded any recent pictures since the article was released. Perhaps he was just collecting evidence for his story and he decided to move on with his life.

That still didn't stop me from feeling an overwhelming sense of anxiety everywhere I went. Even in my own apartment I felt nervous. I blamed it on the hormones most of the time though. Being five months pregnant and having this much anxiety did not mix well.

I slowly draw the covers back and stand from the bed, adjusting Hero's t-shirt before walking towards the bathroom.

I look into the mirror, wincing at the dark circles under my eyes. I had lost sleep from the nightmares I've been having, and I knew Hero could tell something was wrong even though he won't admit it.

I spread the minty paste onto my toothbrush before brushing my teeth. As I lean over to spit, I jump when I feel arms warp around my waist.

"It's just me." Hero sighs before kissing my shoulder.

"Sorry," I gush. "I didn't hear you come in."

He lets me finish before turning me around and looking into my tired eyes. "You've been really jumpy lately. Are you alright?"

"Yeah." I simply say before brushing past him.

He follows me into the bedroom, his arms folded over his chest. I could tell he wasn't entirely convinced by my one-word response. "Did you see something that made you nervous?"