Chapter 30

She could not think of anything else that could go wrong with her day because she believed she already had the worst part.

What was supposed to be the best day of her life had just turned into a big fat joke.

"Mrs. Jules Hawkins."

What a joke!

Of course, she was just like any other girl. She also dreamt of a wedding cut out from fairy tales and filled with magic spells.

She also fantasized about walking down the aisle with her pretty dress, floating flower petals dropping down her hair, and loud cheers that filled the air.

She almost had one not so long ago. She was about to have the wedding that everyone would talk about. She was about to marry the man she loved.

But like a dream, it disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Mom..." The only consolation behind the things she had lost was her son, who had a beaming smile on his sweet face.

He ran toward her before she could enter the massive double doors after their unceremonious luncheon wedding celebration.

Meaning it was just her eating her lunch with her friend while her husband sat on the other side, talking to his friend. Afterward, it was over.

"Mom..." His son called to her. "Damon..." Then Oliver stopped as if he made a mistake. "Dad..." He corrected himself before continuing. "...said that I am starting school by next week. Is that true?"

Once again, she was caught unaware of this plan. Although some kids started schooling at two, Oliver had yet to enter a formal school.

The only one she could afford was the small daycare center located in her old place. However, she intended to enroll her son in a regular class once she had received her salary. But the incident happened.

"Oh, he said that." Of course, she wished for her son to study at the best school and to have a good education.

But she hoped he would have discussed this matter before telling her son. She would have liked to have a say in her son's future instead of taking a backseat while Damon planned Oliver's life without her.

"Can I?" Her son looked at her with pleading eyes, expecting to hear her approval.

But how could she disappoint her son by saying no, seeing the excitement in his eyes? Besides, her son getting a good education was not a bad deal.

"Of course, that is great news." So, how could she say no to that? But she still intended to talk to her husband about what she thought of his tactics.

She was not about to stay quiet in this marriage, even if he paid her to act as his wife. She still had a voice in this arrangement, suddenly remembering that she could renegotiate her contract.

"Yey! Thanks, Mom." Oliver shouted, shrieking at what seemed to be at the top of his lungs. "I have to tell Topher and Ayesha." He exhilaratedly roared.

He had literally roared like a lion to show her he was the King of the Jungle. But she stopped him before he could run away from her.

"Wait! Who is Topher and Ayesha?" She placed her hand on his shoulder as she tried to extract the information from her young child.

She did not like not knowing the people her son associated with. She could not simply trust the people surrounding them, knowing they were not her family or friends.

It was not that she could never trust any of them. She guessed she needed to know them more before they could earn her confidence.

"They are my new friends. They said that they go to school not far from here." Oliver explained to her.

"Who?" She asked again, still clueless to what her son was saying, but not for long.

"They are the children of Matilde. One of the cooks." Damon suddenly joined in their conversation.

She remembered leaving him in the car since he was still busy talking to someone. Frankly, that was all he did during their entire car ride.

She could not help but wonder if he had ever let go of that electronic machine in his hand because he was always on it.

"She and her children lived in one of the houses in the estate." He added as an explanation. "And Oliver would be studying in the same school. So he could have friends."

Damon stood behind his son while placing his large hand on their son's slim shoulder. In her eyes, they looked perfect together.

And when her son looked at his father with admiration, she felt like a knife stabbed across her chest, slicing her heart into two.

She believed her son deserved a father. But was Damon the right man for the job? Or would he only leave her son with broken dreams at the end of this arrangement?

Even though he was the source of her son's life, would he be the father Oliver needed to guide him through the rest of his life? She guessed she hoped so, for her son's sake.

"Oh, that is great. Can you introduce me to your new friends?" She supposed she should be thankful that her son adapted well to his new environment and made new friends.

She should be relieved that despite her son's last traumatic experience, he seemed to recover from his injuries. Slowly, he was returning to his old, adventurous, and energetic self.

"You can do that later. But for now, your mother and I have some things to discuss. Why don't you go with Nelly? I think it is time for your rehab." Damon asked their son to go with Nelly, who was already waiting for him on the other side of the hallway.

"I guess I will see you later, Mom." Oliver hugged her before he ran toward Nelly, leaving her to stare at his back.

Suddenly, she could not help but feel like her son was slipping away from her grasp. They used to do almost everything together. Now, he seemed to have many things going on with his life, while she was also busy with hers.

But she told herself that this was just temporary. She just needed to adjust to their situation. And then she and her son would be back in their routine.

It would be her and her son once again.

It would be just the two of them against the world.