Someone to Love

Different was just a word. One of them to describe how I felt laying next to Henry Burket, but guilty was never one of them.

It had been one year since we started the affair, but from what I knew Henry had nobody, almost how it felt for me now. Nothing and lost. But that didn't matter when I was in this mans arms, he made me feel assured nothing could ever be wrong with me, it was just the unlucky world and me playing as a mindless pawn. But like all good things it comes to a unpredictable ending. And that came with a single positive.

"Henry?" I call from out of the bathroom of the motel room that we grew found of meeting at.

I had my suspicions, I felt that same way I did with Zela, a tingling for weeks that I couldn't shake and I knew, but didn't want to admit.

"What is it beautiful?" Henry cops to me as I walk to him from the bathroom with the test in hand. And suddenly I can see his heart drop.

"It's positive" I admit to him as he nudges me to sit beside him.

As his hand move to mine and I gasp, prepping myself for a goodbye.

"I will take care of you" he says as I finally look him in his eyes. "Both of you" he reassured me as I smile.

Four hours later

"I know Mrs. Anderson" I say as she grins to me.

"Rebecca is a great child" she assure me with the same old praises of her daughter.

"But that doesn't excuse her from homework" I remind her as she sighs and walks out the door as I continue sorting through the piles of yet to be graded assignment.

As suddenly a knock on my classroom doorsill beckons me from my short silence. Looking up to see a gorgeous woman, long red hair and piercing blue eyes.

"Yes?" I ask her as she smiles to me.

"I'm Micheal's mother" she says as I shake off the coincidence. "Michael Burket" she adds as the air is taken from me as I look to her. Was she being honest?

"LEAH!" I hear a familiar voice yell down the school hall as he stumbles into my classroom. And I know it's him, as I bring my eyes up from his shoes and see who it really is. Henry Burket!

As my throat burned at the thought of talking but I pushed past it, sitting down at my desk and pulled myself together.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't be present but you know how hard it can be to be on expecting" she chuckles as I pull together enough to smile at her, she was innocent after all. "Don't you?" She ask me as I nod.

"I do" I answer her back while I pull out Michael's file. "She's seven now" I confess as I look to Henry getting ready to ask the inevitable question.

"How far along are you?" I ask her as she smiles.

"Six months" she says excited as she caresses her baby bump as I sigh, a stinging coming from my chest.

"Let's carry on shall we?" I ask as I entertain them.

I spent the next hour shutting off my own emotions, focusing solely on job. And I left, that was the bottom line.

That night I spent crying. The tears kept coming, I didn't even hide it, but the truly sad part was that nobody around me cared, not even my husband? Was that too much to ask? For somebody in this world to not hurt me but care for me?

But at that very moment that one request felt impossible. Maybe me and my mistakes weren't worth loving? Maybe it was me?

And then I realized, I couldn't take care of this child. And I had to come clean.

I stayed up that next morning, sitting in the corner and realizing my only option was to pack, pack my things and leave. Grabbing my clothes and jewelry and putting them in a single suitcase wasn't the saddest part. It was packing for my daughter. I waited till she was asleep and took her things and packed them in her small suitcase, hoping that this would work.

But as I heard the door slam I suddenly knew I couldn't have been more wrong.

Sneaking back to my room and ready to tell him as I brace myself. Clenching my fist and waiting for the betrayal to be honestly told.

"Why are you packed" Thomas ask me as I sigh, releasing some of my fear into the air.

"I have something to tell you" I tell him as he smiles.

"What is it?" He ask me as he sits down on the edge of the bed, looking to me for a explanation.

"I know, Thomas" I admit to him as suddenly he's brought to his feet.

"Know, what?" He ask, but in his eyes I can see that those two words explained themselves.

"Your cheating" I say aloud as I see no reaction, only regret in his eyes. "I've known for a year" I spill as his eyes widen.

"So your leaving over this?!" He ask me as I shake my head no to his question.

"I'm leaving because I'm in love with another man" I tell him as finally I see something, anger.

"YOUR NOT LEAVING ME!" He commands me as I try to walk away from him. But instead I corner myself.

"I am, Thomas!" I tell him sternly as I he grabs my wrist, pulling me closer to him. "Let's be honest with ourselves!" I say as I try to ignore the tightness growing around my wrist. "We were never happy! You never cared about me, not even enough to make me laugh, to fight for me! To fight with me." I say honestly as I started to feel the stinging in my wrist. "And I know where you were on Zela's second birthday" I confess as his hands fall off my reddened wrist. "You were cheating on me" I add as he says nothing. "I only married you to please my mother, because deep down I believed I'd only ever matter to someone as a wife! But I don't even matter to you as that! I'm done thinking only my cooking and cleaning skills will only ever matter!" I tell him. "And I'm done with you." I add to the wound as he collapses onto the bed.

"We can work this out" he begs as I shake my head no again.

"You cheated on me for five years" I say as I look to my stomach. "And there's a difference between me and you" I say as I gain courage. "I fell in love with the man" I explain as I settle my hand on my stomach. "And I'm carrying his child." I confess as that anger comes back as I run down the stairs, spotting him in the corner of my eye running after me. Reaching the door and throwing myself onto the grass as the door closed behind me and a few seconds let my suitcase joined me on the grass.

"ZELA!!!" I screamed as I banged on the door and I had no other option but to leave.

And there I was, looking into my hand and back at the pill that would end the hurt and the pain of the baby that was growing in me. How was I supposed to support a baby when my life was completely falling apart? Standing there, pulling out the only change I had, not even enough to buy this small pill that could save my world.

"So I see your at a cross roads" I hear behind me as I turn around to see Elijah Knight, the man I had been warned about. People speculated that he was the most cold blooded human being that you would meet. And like a fool, I didn't believe them.

"Why do you want to know?" I ask him as he smirks, that was a red flag.

"Because I could help you" he tells me as I sigh, taking the pill from my hand. "At a price of course" he whispers into my ear as I close my eyes, knowing what's next couldn't be anything close to painless as I nod my head.

*****************

"I'm done" I tell him as he shakes his head, detesting my every word.

"Leona" he calls my name as he holds my hand. "I love you" he admits as I don't even blink a eye.

"I lost the baby" I lie as a piece of me wants to tell him the truth.

As he exhaled deeply and I see the pain in his eyes I have to keep going. Tears in my eyes, I do it, for my child.

"Would you have even loved me if I wasn't pregnant?" I ask him as I see tears forming in his eyes.

"I still want to see you" he tells me as I crumble at those words.

"You have a pregnant wife, one that you never told me about!" I admit to him, letting out all the anger that he caused inside me. "I'm not breaking up another family over a fling" I tell him as he stops and I pause.

"Is that all this was?" He ask me, "A fling to you?" He adds as I can see the heartbreak. I wanted more than anything to say no, admit he was more, but I had a job to do!

"Yes" I tell him as I wipe the tears stinging my cheeks, emotions always hurt. "And I don't ever want to see you again" I say as I have to make sure there's no way possibly he'll come back. "My husband doesn't ever want to see you again!" I make it clear as I walk away, pain in my heart as I follow the directions and continue walking until I stop at a abandoned parking lot.

"Here" he says as he hands me the pill. "Take this or continue working with me" he offers as I think.

Holding my hand against my stomach and I can't do it. If I couldn't have him I could have something that held his memory.

"I guess we better get used to each other" I say as I throw the pill on the floor, stepping away on it with my boot.

***Present Time***

Walking up those stairs had to have been the most nerve racking thing I'd ever done. Would he even know who I was? Did he even want to be in my life? Would he close the door on me?

Finally ringing the doorbell and standing and waiting. And the door opened, answering the door was a tall, gray haired, tailored suit man that stood in the doorway.

"I'm looking to speak with Henry Burket" I say as he just nods his head.

"I am Henry Burket" he answers me as I swallow hard and finally work up the courage to explain myself.

"I am Francesca Sanchez" I say, "I'm your daughter" I admit to him as he grasp the door. Start to close the door as I put my foot in the door.

"I don't know what kind of cruel joke this is but I don't have another daughter" he says as I stop.

"Mayor Knight told me" I tell him. "He hid you from me." I tell him as he opens the door again. "I'm Leona Sanchez daughter" I finally say my mothers name and on his face I can tell he remembers her. As he looks into my eyes there wasn't another word, silence built between us as he looked deeper into my eyes and suddenly he pulls me in for a hug.

"I thought you were dead" he whispers into my ear as I melt in his embrace. Knowing, now I had a little part of my mom with me, and I wouldn't be alone anymore.