Ch1
1191 Words
The night felt endless as Alexa stood by the open window. There was no net and no frame, only the wide sky and the full moon quietly holding her attention.
Still, her thoughts were heavy.
A faint whimper sounded behind her, and she turned at once. “Nidas?”
Her seven-year-old son shifted restlessly on the narrow bed, curling in on himself as he clutched his stomach, his face twisted in discomfort.
She was immediately worried.
The bed creaked as she sat beside him and helped him sit up, gently cupping his face. “Son, what’s wrong? Talk to Mommy.”
Nidas slowly opened his sparkling green eyes, and a tear slid down his cheek. “Mommy, I’m hungry. I’m really hungry.”
Alexa let out a shaky breath, brushing her thumb across his cheek as she looked at him. “Can you bear with Mommy just for tonight?” she asked softly. “We don’t have anything to eat right now, but tomorrow, tomorrow I promise I will make sure you eat your favorite food until you are full.”
Nidas nodded, saying nothing.
She looked at him with aching affection and continued, “Don’t worry, my son. Enough is enough. After today, our lives will change for the better. Tomorrow, we will go see your father.”
Nidas stared at her, confusion clear on his face. “My father?” he asked softly. “I… have a father?”
Alexa smiled gently. “Everyone does.”
“Who is he?” Nidas asked, his curiosity growing.
She sighed before replying. “He is a man Mommy once loved, but things happened and we were separated from him.”
“Mom,” Nidas asked, even more eager now, “do you know where Daddy is?”
“I do now, my son,” Alexa nodded. “Your father and I crossed paths again months ago. And now… we have to go to him. Especially now. We both need your dad. We need him in our lives no matter what. So pack up.”
Nidas brightened. “I’d love to pack, Mom, but we really don’t have anything.”
Alexa’s affectionate smile faded, and she nodded. “That’s true. She won’t allow us to take anything with us.” Then she smiled again. “But it doesn’t matter. I promise that once we meet your dad, our lives will change for the better. Now go to sleep.”
Nidas shook his head. “I’m already happy, Mom, so I don’t think I can sleep. I can’t wait for tomorrow.”
“No, son, you have to sleep,” Alexa said gently. “Tomorrow is going to be a long trip.”
Nidas wrapped his arms around her at once. “Thank you, Mom.”
Alexa hugged him back and kissed him on the cheek, her resolve already firm in her mind.
Early the next morning, she held Nidas’ hand as they quietly stepped out of the small room at the back.
They walked down the corridor until they reached the kitchen, where the chefs had already begun their work.
The rich scents made Nidas’ stomach growl, but Alexa pulled him close against her side.
“What are you doing standing there, Alexa?” the head chef shouted. “Get your apron and get to work. There are plenty of vegetables waiting to be chopped!”
Alexa shook her head. “Is Madam here? I need to speak with her.”
“And why are you looking for me?” a chubby, well-dressed woman asked as she walked in, fixing Alexa with a sharp look.
Alexa offered her a small smile. “Madame, my son and I are leaving your restaurant today.”
The Madame looked stunned before letting out a mocking laugh.
“And where exactly do you think you’re going?” she asked. “You have nothing. Not even proper clothes, even after I took you in.”
Alexa lowered her gaze and sighed before answering, “That is why I wanted to thank you for everything you have done for me and my child. Without you, we would not have survived. But I cannot keep relying on you forever, so I have to leave.”
All eyes in the kitchen turned toward her, as if she were some kind of spectacle.
The Madame scoffed. “If you planned to leave, you should have told me earlier so I could find someone to replace you.”
Alexa lifted her head and met her harsh stare. “Madame, I have told you many times that I would leave one day. That day is today.”
“And who exactly do you know?” someone in the kitchen sneered.
“Maybe she found a man to sleep with,” another added. “That sounds like the type of woman she is.”
Alexa looked at them but said nothing. All she wanted was to leave.
She turned back to the Madame, her eyes filled with desperation. “Please, I am begging you. Let me go. I promise I will never forget everything you have done for me and my son. I just want to take my child home.”
The Madame studied her for a long moment before turning away. “Then get out of my sight.”
Alexa blinked, stunned, as she stared at the woman’s back. Then she took Nidas’ hand and walked away.
Once outside the restaurant, she released a long breath and gently ruffled Nidas’ dirty blond hair with a smile. “Let’s find something to eat first. Then we will begin our trip.”
Nidas beamed, and hand in hand, they walked away.
It was afternoon when Alexa stopped in front of a tall gate. She looked down at the paper in her hand, reading the address written on it, then lifted her gaze to the words etched onto the wall.
They matched.
She looked down at her son and smiled softly. “We’re finally here, son.”
Nidas could barely contain his excitement.
Alexa lifted her hand to knock, only to realize the gate was already open.
“It’s open?” she murmured, then gently led her son inside.
What greeted them was a massive white mansion. Nidas’ eyes widened until they looked like saucers.
“Wow,” he breathed. “Is this Daddy’s house, Mommy?”
Alexa glanced at him, her throat tightening. “Y-yes. This is your daddy’s house. This is the kind of place he lives in. Come on.”
They walked across the long stretch of lawn, climbed the porch steps, and stopped in front of a large brown door.
Alexa’s heart pounded as she raised her hand and knocked. She did not know what to expect.
When there was no response, she knocked again.
The door slowly opened.
“Who’s…”
A brown-haired woman stood there. Her voice trailed off the moment her eyes met Alexa’s.
“You…”
She blinked, her gaze sharp as she studied Alexa from head to toe.
“Who the hell are you?” she demanded. “And what are you doing in my house?”
- Writer
