CHOSEN

Chapter 3. Safe Haven

My life has never been that bad.

I had a pretty enjoyable childhood and was never lonely. Being born into a large, warm family made me grow up with many cousins, and I lived in a small town where almost everyone knew each other.

I grew up as a cheerful girl with many talents and as the beloved granddaughter of the mayor, I became popular. Besides that, I have a sweet younger sister who is seven years younger than me.

In my late teen years, after I graduated from high school, I moved to a big city, Solara, which is two hours away from my hometown to pursue further education.

Two years later, I met a handsome man—not exactly a romantic first meeting, but nostalgic—and after seeing each other, we grew close and fell in love.

He adored me and people said we made a perfect couple. We moved in together just a month after meeting and got married three years later. Although it wasn’t a luxurious life, we thoroughly enjoyed it, opening a pet shop and running it together.

Two years passed after the wedding and our son—who inherited my light blue eyes and dark hair, as well as his father’s nose and lips—was born. Since he was the first grandchild, my baby quickly became everyone’s favorite.

Life felt perfect. We were so happy.

We faced ups and downs in our marriage. Although there was never any drama involving a third party. Dave, my husband, who is six years older than me, and I were both stubborn, leading to frequent arguments. However, we would always reconcile once the issue was resolved.

***

The building next to our house had been vacant for years, and just a few months ago, it changed ownership. Reconstruction began immediately after the old building was demolished and a beautiful café quickly took its place. They opened, offering discounts that attracted so many customers.

It wasn’t just the rustic design that attracted mostly young women, but also the café staff, who were all very handsome—I heard that one of them was the owner and the other four were his friends, who had saved up for a long time and started the business together.

These young men were polite and good people, and since we were neighbors, we quickly became close, especially since they adored Fabian—who, because Dave often took him there during his free time, suddenly had five uncles. Not that I minded; in fact, I was quite helped by their presence.

As a token of appreciation for often taking care of my son when I was overwhelmed with customers, I frequently cooked lunch for them. We would eat together and chat at the café table, like a family.

***

My little family had not yet recovered from the exhaustion of preparing for Fabian’s third birthday. Even though we had to open the store a day after the celebration, after being closed for two days, we had been closing early for the past two days, and our two employees were still on leave.

Today went by slowly as the store was quiet with almost no visitors. I even had time to bake a dozen muffins while tending the shop.

I looked at the wall clock that showed 4 p.m. and got up from the check out’s chair to feed the goldfish and hamsters. When the employees aren’t here, the store feels so empty, especially since after lunch, Fabian had been at the café next door, while my husband, who works part-time as a martial arts instructor, was not home.

I brought some of my muffins to GP, the café next door, and left the shop to pick up my son, who was playing Uno Stacko with Lucien, the café owner, when I arrived. There were a few customers who had already been served and were eating, while two of Lucien’s friends were busy in the open-concept kitchen—Silas was washing dishes, and Bob was cooking something.

My baby flashed his best smile when I approached and sat next to him. I couldn’t resist and kissed his chubby cheeks before placing the tray of muffins down, and my gaze shifted to the young man with copper-colored hair and gray eyes sitting across from me.

“Was he behaving?” I asked.

I didn’t actually intend to leave Fabian here too often and felt a bit embarrassed. However, if I didn’t let him come here, my son would throw a tantrum. Believe me, Dave and I had tried so many times and when these young men started picking Fab up from my place, we gave up trying. I guess they really do like this chubby baby.

Lucien chuckled softly before patting Fabian’s head, then replied, “He’s a sweet and polite gentleman. Besides, playing with him makes the girls think we’re perfect husband material.”

His comment was a bit silly. It turns out my child was only being used for ulterior motives, making me roll my eyes reflexively.

Lucien thanked me for the muffins I brought before I said goodbye. I took Fabian home for dinner and a bath before bed. He didn’t resist at all because it turned out he needed to use the toilet and was too shy to ask Lucien.

Dave arrived home after Fabian was asleep. As usual, he would kiss our son’s head before leading me to our bedroom. Going out always makes him miss me, even if it’s only for a few hours. When he gets home, he often clings to me like a leech.

Although sometimes annoyed by his childish behavior, I can’t stay mad. My husband is very handsome, with thick blond hair and deep blue eyes. He is nearly two meters tall, toned, and very sexy. When he saw me getting annoyed, he would gently kiss my lips, before starts touching me, making my anger dissipate.

His sweet demeanor never changed even after several years being together. He has always been the perfect father, husband, and son in law for my parents.

As always, night turned hot and we ended up tangled in each other’s body in a beautiful lovemaking. Unfortunately, this was the last day of my perfect life.