RUNNING HOME TO THE PAST
1060 Words
Lila didn't sleep a wink that night, her mind replayed Ethan's words on a loop _each syllabus burned into her skull like fire "you'll come back to me, willingly or not"
The next morning, she packed a small bag for Abigail and herself. She couldn’t stay—not after that. Ethan was dangerous in ways she couldn’t fight. The only thing she could do now was run. Not forever… just for now. Long enough to think, to breathe.
Mommy, are we going on a trip?” Abigail asked cheerfully, clinging to her stuffed bunny as they exited the taxi.
Lila forced a smile, her heart heavy with unease. “Yes, baby. We’re going to Grandma’s for a few days.”
Lila's family lived in the countryside, which was 93 miles away from the city, in as much as she doesn't like visiting them, she doesn't have a choice, she needed a place to think.
Abigail squealed in delight, her small feet skipping beside her mother. “Yay! I’ve never met Grandma before, but I already love her. You said she makes the best rice and tells funny stories!”
Lila chuckled weakly, brushing a lock of hair from Abigail’s forehead. “She does, sweetheart. And I’m sure she’s going to love you too.”
In truth, Lila was terrified. She hadn’t been home since the day she left, pregnant, ashamed, and alone. Her family was strictly Christian, and her pregnancy was seen as a shame. As a result, she had cut off most contact, choosing to raise Abigail in silence. But now, with Ethan closing in from all sides, this old house was the only place she could think of to hide—at least for a while..
Abigail tugged on her hand. “Will Grandma read me bedtime stories, too?”
“Of course,” Lila replied, voice soft. “She’ll do all that and more.”
Still, as they approached the weathered gate, Lila’s chest tightened. She wasn’t just facing her past—she was walking right into it.
Her family house stood like a monument of cold memories. Lila hadn’t been here since her pregnancy—the shame her family threw at her had been enough to keep her away. But now, she had no other place to go.
When Ethan's mother told her to leave her sons' life, in return, she'll pay for her grandmother's hospital bill, she had no other choice than to accept, when her family found out that she was pregnant, her father and sister claimed she slept with a rich heir in exchange for money.
Since their claim wasn't true, it wasn't false either; she had to move out of her family, to the city, in order to raise her child. She had kept it low all these while. But still, Ethan found her.
Her mother opened the door with surprise written across her features. “Lila?”
“Hi, Mom,” she whispered.
The woman’s eyes softened at the sight of Abigail. “Come in.”Just as they stepped in, her younger sister, Judith came clattering down the stairs, her thin body frame swinging side ways, her voice loud and mocking. “Well, look who it is! The prodigal daughter returns—with baggage.”
Lila said nothing, guiding Abigail past her.
Judith snorted. “What? No ring? Still playing side chick to rich men?”
“judith” their mother snapped sharply, but Lila waved her off.
“I’m used to it,” she muttered.
Judith snorted. “Still quiet like before. That’s what got you dumped, I guess. Who gets pregnant for a billionaire and ends up here with nothing?”
“Enough, Judith,” Mama Esther snapped.
But Judith was just getting started. “You know what, Lila? It’s fine. You might’ve failed, but not me. I’m going to marry a rich man. Not some accidental fling. A real marriage. I’ve been talking to Mr. Desmond from church—he drives a Mercedes.”
Lila let the words roll off. She was used to Judith’s spite. She helped Abigail out of her little shoes and led her upstairs.
Her father, seated on his usual worn-out chair by the window, didn’t even acknowledge her. Just glanced, grunted, and kept flipping through a newspaper. The message was clear: *you still don’t belong*.
Upstairs, Lila opened the door to her old room. It was smaller than she remembered, the once-yellow walls now faded into a tired beige. She sat on the bed, pulling Abigail close.
“Mama, why is that lady being mean to you?” Abigail asked, climbing onto her lap.
“She just talks too much. Don’t worry,” Lila smiled, brushing a strand of hair from her daughter’s forehead. “You’re safe here.”
Abigail dozed off after a short story, and Lila sat beside her quietly, staring at her innocent face, Abigail has her eyes, but she took after Ethan in every other thing, the hair color, the nose... Everything, both his curious nature.
Looking at Abigail's sleep,her mind momentarily drifted to the day she found out that she was pregnant for Ethan, she was happy and couldn't wait to share the news with him, that was when she got a call that her grandma who was suffering from Alzheimer's also has a tumor that needed to be removed, her father had said that, they should leave her alone, even if the tumor doesn't kill her, the other illness will, he said that her grandma was a ticking bomb, but Lila wasn't having it, determined to take action, Lila went to Ethan's house that night to ask for his support. When she arrived, she encountered his mother, who had never liked her. Ethan's mother believed that lila was simply using her son for money. It was during this confrontation that Ethan's mother made her an offer that lila felt she couldn't refuse.
Her grandmother is now well, but she is still in a nursing home. She visits her from time to time; some days she remembers her, and some days she does not.
___________
Lila hoped that running here would put some space between her and Ethan. But deep down, she knew better. Ethan was never the kind of man who let go. The coldness in his eyes. That possessive voice. *You belong to me, Lila.*
- Writer
