Chapter 8
762 Words
Avril couldn’t sit still when she got home. Her children were thrilled about the day’s shopping, but she felt uneasy. She never expected Fred to see Leo and Ria, and the shocked look on his face was burned into her mind. She was sure he would come for answers. Her chest clenched at the thought of him showing up. But he didn’t know her current address, so maybe he couldn’t find her — or maybe he simply didn’t care anymore.
A week went by with no sign of him. Slowly, Avril relaxed.
“Kids, I’m heading out for my shift,” she announced one morning after dropping them off at school.
As usual, Aunt Matilda stayed to watch them.
Avril’s coworker Sharon greeted her at the resort with a playful elbow nudge.
“You vanished for a week, Avril. Didn’t know you had kids. Don’t worry, you don’t look like it,” she teased. “Is everything okay? Were your kids sick?”
Avril swallowed.
“No, nothing serious. Just some family stuff.”
In truth, she had missed a week of work, worried Avril would appear. But since nothing happened, Avril assumed he must have left town.
She finished her daytime shift happily and brought home takeout food for dinner.
“I’m back!” she called, entering her house and placing a bag of food on the dining table.
“Leo? Ria?”
She checked the kitchen — but nobody was there. Aunt Matilda, still no answer.
She frowned, wondering if they were delayed. She grabbed her phone to call Aunt Matilda.
But the sudden click of the door locking startled her.
She turned — and gasped.
Fred stood there, locking the front door behind him. He walked toward her with a calm determination that made her heart race.
She tensed up.
“Fred, what are you doing here?”
He didn’t let her pass. He seized her arm and pulled her close.
Avril was shocked.
“Where are my kids?” she demanded, fear rising.
Fred smirked slightly.
“They’re fine, Avril. Don’t worry,” he said. “I picked them up. They’re with me — where they belong.”
Her blood ran cold.
“What right do you have to take them? Let me go!”
She struggled against him, tears threatening to spill.
“They’re my kids,” he replied.
“They are not your kids!” she shouted, eyes burning.
His expression hardened.
“Don’t lie. They’re obviously mine.”
“So what if they are? You’re already married, aren’t you?” Avril cried. “Yes, maybe the twins are yours, but you can’t take them from me!”
He gave her a frustrated glare.
“I don’t have a wife,” he said through clenched teeth. “I told you that. Why do you still refuse to believe me?”
“You liar!” she yelled, yanking her arm free for a moment. “You had a fiancée — Alexandra! I saw her come out of your bedroom. I saw with my own eyes, so don’t deny it.”He groaned in exasperation.
“I was asleep. I didn’t know she showed up that night,” he insisted. “Nothing happened between us. And I never married her — she’s been out of the country for years.”
Avril’s tears finally flowed.
“I went to your condo that night to tell you I was pregnant. But she was there. She basically threw me out — told me you two were engaged. So I never came back.”
Fred locked eyes with her.
“That’s the truth, Avril . I’m single. I never married anyone. You ran away from me twice. Why would I chase after you if I thought you’d just leave again?”
His voice softened.
“But now I know we share children — so I can’t just walk away.”
She fell silent, overwhelmed.
And he said, “I’m taking them, Mary.”
She panicked.
“No!”
He lowered his voice, leaning closer.
“Don’t worry… I’m not just taking the kids. I’m taking you too.”
He lifted her chin gently, his face inches from hers. He pressed his lips to hers in a fierce k**s.
In the midst of that, Avril felt a sudden prick in her shoulder.
She gasped in shock, pulling away enough to see him holding a small syringe.
Her vision blurred as her strength drained. His face was the last thing she saw.
He wore a confident grin before she passed out in his arms.
- Writer
