Broken Strings
Chapter 29

MELISSA QUIZON

“Mommy, I don’t want to be here.” Reid pulled on my dress so he could get my attention.

We were in the middle of Wright’s large living room. He was discharged from the hospital last night. When Reid woke up we were already here at Wright’s house and he gets cranky because his environment suddenly changes.

I also told his teachers that he’s not gonna be able to attend his class today because he’s tired of the trip.

“Why don’t you want to come here? Our house is better than yours?” We looked at Bobbie who was reclining sitting on the one sitter sofa. She stood up and approached Reid, she was taller than my son because she was older than him.

Reid hid half his body in my thigh. “I don’t have a playmate here.”

“Here I am, ah.” Smiling Bobbie said.

Reid looked up at me. I stroked his hair. “Mommy, let’s go home.”

We heard a squeak from the stairs. Wright was there, he was down the stairs. He looked at me and then looked down at my thigh, at Reid.

He knelt in front of me. he glanced at Reid. “Don’t you want to be with me, Son?”

I almost fell when he hugged my two thighs, to hide his face.

Wright sighed and looked up at me. His eyes are asking for help.

“Let him be first.” I mouthed.

Wright nodded and stand up. He towered me. He caressed my cheek and smiled. A smile did not reach his eyes. “Good morning, Baby.”

“Sir, you have a visitor.” We looked at Wright’s housemate. He only goes to Wright’s house twice a week to clean up and then he leaves.

I held my breath when I saw who had come. Those brown eyes, red lips, the beautiful contour of her face.

The bitch.

Claire.

“Hi, Wright — Ow!” She stopped what she was going to say when her eyes flew at me. I felt Wright tensed up. “Hi, Melissa.”

“Reid, take Bobbie outside and play. We’ll just talk.” Wright’s told to the kids.

“Come on, we have a mini-playground here.” Bobbie pulled Reid away. At first, Reid was hesitant to join but eventually, he followed. “It’s fun there There’s a slide.”

He brought my son to the lanai door. I felt even tenser when the two children disappeared from my sight.

“What are you doing here, Claire?” Wright said emphatically.

Wright would have held my hand but I immediately pulled you away from him. I don’t want to touch him. I don’t want to look at him. If only I could run out of the house, but here I am, unable to move and unable to take my eyes off the woman who ruined my dreams.

She was about to approach Wright but he immediately raised his hand, a sign that he doesn’t want her near him.

“Because I plan to visit you when you get home. To avoid gossip.” She hesitates to smile. “How are you, Melissa? Remember me?”

“How could I forget?” I said sarcastically. I crossed my hands over my chest.

She winced at my answer. “I think we need to talk.”

“I don’t want to talk to you.” My expression is blank. Cold. Emotionless.

Wright stood between us. “Claire, leave. Please.”

“We need to talk, Melissa. Hear my side.” No. F**k you!

“I don’t need it,” I say emphatically. “Can you just leave? I’m irritated by your face.”

I heard her sigh.

Wright turned to me. “You don’t have to be harsh on her, Mel.”

Seriously? He is defending his woman in front of me ?!

“I’m not here to cause trouble, Me ——“

“What? Are you stupid? I told you, I don’t want to hear what you have to say. Which of the words ‘I don’t need it do you not understand? Do you want me to Translate it for you? Are you stupid or are you just really stupid ?! Didn’t you study for you to understand what I was saying ?! “

“Enough, Melissa!” I looked sharply at Wright as his tone of voice rose.

Both sides of my eye warmed up. My throat hurt from holding back the tears.

“F**k both of you!” I shouted before I turned my back.

“What? Are you running away, Melissa? You’re not going to deal with me? You’re so weak.”

I stopped trying to get out of the lanai door when I heard Claire say that.

I faced her. “What did you say?”

“You’re a coward. Why are you so scared to hear what I’m about to say, huh? “

I smirked. “I, maybe, a coward but at least I’m not ruining other people’s lives. I’m not afraid of whatever you say, I just don’t want my ear to hurt and waste my time on the lies that come out of your mouth. Try to drink muriatic acid to cleanse the inside of your body. ”

“Melis —“

“Will you shut up ?!” My tone of voice rose. He bowed his head.

Claire sat on the one sitter sofa and crossed her legs as if she were the owner of the household. The whiteness of her legs and thighs became even more apparent because of the shortness of her skirt. I also sat in front of that sofa. While Wright was restless so he just sat next to me, a few feet away from me. He hovered over his head with his right hand.

“So, Claire, I’m sitting down. I am ready to listen to you. Are you happy now?” I faked a smile on her.

“More than happy. So, Melissa, has Wright explained to you about our plan before? The break-up thing? ”

My eyebrows rose. “Yes. Also, how can he use me just to get you back? He loves you so much. And then?”

“That time, he didn’t love me anymore. I felt it. “

“Oh, you have feelings. Thanks for informing me. Guess what, I don’t give a shit. ”

“He is no longer that sweet to me. Sometimes, He calls me Melissa or Baby, knowing that we have no endearments for each other. He also always sits on the drums set just to hurt my ears with his toneless beat. And then, all of a sudden, I hear him say, ‘I miss her’. He loves you dearly, Melissa. But the fear that you might regret marrying him only prevailed in his mind because at that time their business was collapsing. ” Claire took a deep breath without seeing any reaction from me. I already know that. Just over and over.

I turned to Wright. His hair is messy and there is a pain in his eyes. My face still has no expression. “I don’t need your family’s wealth. You are all I need. You drove me away. I also felt scared when I told you I was pregnant, Wright. But I still gambled. You should have gambled before. “

Wright did not answer. He was just silent as he looked into my eyes. Suffering and remorse are in his eyes.

“Melissa, it’s not bad if you give him another chance to fix your family. The God that creates us, forgive, who are we not to?”

“It’s easy for you to say that, Claire. You’re not the one who’s pregnant. You are not the one who was kicked out. You’re not the one who experience being fooled by the only person you give everything you have.” I wiped the tears that dripped from my eyes. I swallowed a few times just to stop it from dripping. “It’s simple for you to tell me to forgive him right away just because he loves me so much. If you only knew what I went through. I combined study, work and care with Reid. I hardly sleep because I want my son to wake up, and he has something to eat, we both have something to eat. “

“I want to finish school just to support my son because I want to give him a good life. I endured everything, the sadness, fear, and judgment. Everyone around me what-what is being said to me just because I got pregnant early. “

“It felt like I’m a sinner only because I was pregnant at an early age, I was always the subject of gossip. The only person who supported me and I can rely on, died. I didn’t know who should I can rely on, who can I talk to, I was begging other people to lend me some money. And now, you’re going to tell me to forgive him all because he’s repenting? Because he loves me? I’m not that stupid.”

“Mommy?!” We looked at the source of that little voice. Reid was at the lanai door and looking at me. As Bobbie frowned. “Are you fighting with my Mommy?!”

He ran towards me and immediately climbed on the sofa. He wrapped his small arms around my neck and plunged me into his chest. His hand caressed my hair. “’ Don’t cry, Mommy. I will protect you ”

I cried even more because of what he said. I hugged him tightly. I made the right decision. I’m right that I didn’t get the abortion. God still hasn’t abandoned me. He gave me Reid to draw strength from.

“Daddy, you said you wouldn’t make my Mommy cry anymore. Liar! You promised me. ” My son’s voice trembled. “You’re a liar.”

“I’m going to leave first,” Claire said softly and all I heard were footsteps moving away.

“Bobbie, go to your room.” I heard Wright say. “Reid–“

Reid lifted my face and wiped away my tears with his clothes. He doesn’t care even when his stomach appeared. “Let’s get out of here, Mommy. What I don’t like at all is seeing you cry. I’m hurting too. ”

“Reid, I’m not hurting Mommy.”

Wright tries to hold Reid but he struggles. Wright stood up and knelt in front of our son. Reid slaps Wright’s hands that are trying to hold him. Wright touched both of Reid’s cheeks but Reid forcefully pushed his father’s face. Several times his hand landed on Wright’s face. Tears welled up in Reid’s eyes.

“Reid, son, don’t leave Daddy.” Wright’s plea.

At the speed of events, I was shocked when Wright picked up the crying Reid. Reid squeezed his father’s neck and clung tightly to his dress.

“You said you wouldn’t hurt my Mommy. You promised me, Daddy. ” He said between sobs.

Wright stroked Reid’s back and kissed him on the head. Reid’s cries subsided and for a moment there was silence in it.

“he’s asleep,” I murmured.

He took a deep breath then sat down next to me. I felt his tiredness and exhaustion. His arms remained on Reid’s body, Reid’s head resting on his chest and snoring softly.

I noticed the redness on Wright’s face because of the beating he received from Reid. His hair was still messy as if it had been pulled out several times. He leaned against the headrest of the sofa and closed his eyes. I, on the other hand, remained staring at nothingness. I weigh everything that has happened these past few days.

The silence is broken when, out of the blue, Wright starts humming. Then he sings.

“Didn’t mean to take you for granted. Didn’t mean to show I don’t care. Didn’t mean to throw away this once in the last time of chance being with you. And I’ll drive for 2 hours to bring Butterfingers, I don’t mind the distance, this kismet’s a dance. This time I surrender my everything forever. Life doesn’t matter, just our souls together. Pride no longer has room in me, on bended knees in public I cry. Your name for everyone to know that I love you, I love you. Please hear me now. “

He stopped for a few seconds.

“I still can. It’s just a small thing. ” I heard him whisper. He was still clinging but I could feel the sadness in his voice.

‘Give him a chance, Melissa.’ My heart says.

‘What if he hurts me again? What’s going to left in me? ‘ My brain said so.