SWNOVELS Chapter 50
COMMENT
Chapter 30
STAKE
oved to the Sonu Ta Goli Sagar Bolig om om self an
sonte višjer som det trough ne bu † pusdied a vive dnes 1 dia
Meny Happy an you pron home town mies refined ilionghi (he Bouis
albo ponnanenude Mechre on day trips out of her was cook then ethilting & Hommand boughts sun hrought my hart and i
Name an Moniletku vecība
Taking my Bangles ou am the the Wilson të duk
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The house was quiet… a little too quiet for my liking.
I had left work early with the intention of taking Hayley out for a little treat since it felt like with every thing going on lately, I barely got to properly be with her. Aside from dinner and a little TV time together each night, we rarely did claborate outings and it was time to change that.
With that in mind, I eagerly left the office after informing Lucy that I would not be in for the rest of the day. I thought of all the things that Hayley and I could do during the afternoon but I’m sure if I asked her she would already have ideas of her own. She was a fairly decisive child and I always loved that about her.
However, when I arrived to the house that finally began feeling like home, I found it too still and eerily quiet. It was only just after noon and it would be too early for Hayley to be taking a nap yet there was no sign of any movement or even life in the entire house except for my own breathing.
I could not hear footsteps, nor voices, nor any sound whatsoever to indicate that perhaps they were some where around the house. A wave of panic washed through me but I pushed it away since I did not want to jump to any conclusions.
My legs dragged me throughout the house to search for either Nancy or Hayley before I could reach any drastic conclusions but as I inspected the rooms followed by the outside garden to the pool side and even the kitchen, I couldn’t find either one of them.
“Nancy? Hayley? Are you guys home?” I called out but my own voice echoed through the house only to come back at me unresponded.
Nancy was not authorised to spontaneously take Hayley on day trips and if there was a need then I would be notified so this was all very unsettling. A thousand thoughts ran through my head and I didn’t know which one to believe and run with.
This has never ever happened before making it all look very suspicious.
I finally gave in to the panic that begged to be unleashed. My brain felt numb for a moment, paralyzed by all the things that I could and should do.
My elbows hit the marble counter top as I ran both my hands through my hair before balling it in
to fists.
What was I going to do? What on earth could have happened to my child?! Where the hell was Nancy?
As those questions swirled through my mind, my eyes flickered on some thing that I hadn’t noticed before stuck on the dark grey fridge with a cupcake magnet holding it in place.
Without any hesitation, I rounded the counter and snatched the yellow square of paper from underneath the magnet where I saw something scribbled on it in handwriting that I knew.
“Taking my daughter out for the day. We’ll be back before it’s dark.”
That was all the paper read with no name for reference because there was only one other person
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besides myself that could call Hayley their daughter.
My hand balled in to a fist crumpling the paper along with it. A frustrated scream escaped my throat shattering the still silence that existed in the house.
If Dante wanted to take Hayley out for the day then he should have damn well consulted with me first before going and doing his own things. Hayley was far capable than I expected but she still had a disability that some times needed more patience and care than others.
Dante was not aware of this. He did not know much about her condition and neither did he know how to manage it. If Hayley did grow tired, she would refuse to accept any help especially in front of Dante as she had reacted once before.
I ran a hand heavily over my face not caring if it dragged my eye liner with it. This was the reason that I held back from telling Dante about Hayley because the man could be spiteful and difficult and he was choosing to do exactly that.
Retracing my steps back to where I had left my bag, I fished my phone out of it and called Dante. It rang continuously before it had went straight to voice mail. I tried again and then another time and then two more times and still no response let alone a call back.
I tried calling Nancy and, thankfully, she did pick up.
“Nancy, thank God you answered. Where is Hayley?” The words rushed out of my mouth and I heard breath on the other end but she was silent for a short while.
“I- I thought you knew. Mr Crawford came to the house and said that he has your permission to take Hayley out for the day.” She said in a confused, half panicked tone.
“You should have called me or left a message or some thing,” I said over the phone even though I knew that it was not her fault.
“I insisted on calling you first but Mr Crawford said he had legal custody of the child and left a note for you on the fridge. She informed me and I grit my teeth together.
That bastard lied to Nancy about having legal custody. I wondered then if he had mentioned to Hayley that he was her father making me to be the liar to my own child.
“Well, I knew nothing about this. Please, do not allow such a thing to happen again without calling me first.” I said as gently as I could manage before hanging up.
I didn’t have much choice but to wait for them to return back home before I sent Hayley to shower or something whilst I gave Dante a piece of my mind.
It didn’t help that Hayley was fond of Dante. I guess blood was thicker than water but it made trying to make her understand all the more tricky.
There was nothing much that I could do except drag myself over to the living room where I crumbled to the floor with my back leaning against the couch like a back rest.
This has never ever happened since Hayley was born. She and I were never away for more than a day’s work and it was time away from her that I knew exactly where she was, roughly what her
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schedule would be, and I could get a hold of her should I feel the need to check in on her.
As much as I knew deep down that Dante would keep her safe, I also could not help the worry that ripped through my b*dy. It was hours of pushing away unwanted thoughts and what ifs that would surely lead to me having a small time break down.
I even considered heading back to the office for a few hours to make the time pass by faster but I couldn’t even get myself to leave the house let alone thinking of driving right now in my current state of mind.
I couldn’t tell after how long of my mind torturously assaulting me that I had fallen asleep on top of the large rug. In fact, I did not even know that I had fallen asleep until I was awoken by the sound of the front door unlatching and opening. The open door brought a chill in to the house and I sat upright immediately aware of the situation before I had fallen asleep.
1 got to my feet instantly and rushed out of the living room to find Hayley enter the house with Dante right behind her. Him, I would leave for later but I rushed over to Hayley and quickly began inspecting her.
“Hey, mum. I went out with Dante and I had so much of fun.” She smiled from ear to ear but I looked at her legs to make sure that she was truly okay.
“I was so worried about you, Hayley.” I said in a soft whisper feeling my heart wanting to combust at the sheer relief of having close to me again.
“Why? I am alright. She said in a matter of fact tone and a small crease formed between her eyes.
“I know you’re alright and I’m happy that you had a fun day but I missed you. That’s all. I k*ssed the side of her face and my nose tickled her ear causing her to giggle.
“Oh, mum, it was so fun. We went for waffles and then to the amusement part and then we went to see the sun set from Dante’s building right at the top.” She filled me on the activities that they had gotten up to and I offered her a smile.
She was not the subject of my anger and she didn’t deserve to be. If anything, she was the most innocent in this while situation.
“Sounds like heaps of fun.” I said as I moved her silky hair away from her face. “How about you go and wash up and lay down for a little bit. I suggested and she nodded.
I waited for Hayley to disappear entirely down the hall way before I so much of looked at Dante still standing where he had been all along. If I had looked at him any earlier then I would have lost my cool right in front of Hayley and I didn’t think that she had ever seen me angry.
“You!” I felt my face immediately transform from being gentle with Hayley to absolute tightened
anger.
“You had no right to do what you did today.” I said through tightly clenched teeth.
Dante stood there with no sense of remorse or realisation that what he had done was bad. He just stood there looking unaffected and unphased by how wrong he was doing things.
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“Taking my daughter out for the day? I think any legal member would agree that I have the access. to such a simple right. Dante responded coldly and my eyes narrowed to slits at him.
Of course he would use the legal trump card on me at this moment but I did not care because what he did today was wrong on so many levels.
“You could have at least informed me about this before you took her. I got home assuming the worst” I hissed at him but he turned to the table at the side to deposit all of the shopping bags he had been carrying revealing his tan coloured coat that oncealed his all black look beneath.
He turned back to face me and his l*p was pressed in to a thin line before he spoke. “Let me tell you how that would have went. I would have called and asked you if I could take her and you would make up some dumb excuse about why I could not or, what you love to do best, run away and his her for the next few years. Now that I know with certainty that she is mine, I will not be deterred from making up for lost time with my own flesh and blood.” He spoke with determination and stubbornness in his entire demeanor.
“Besides, I did leave you a brightly coloured note on the fridge.” She shrugged like that was going to make up for it.
I stared at him in utter disbelief. “That note was as vague and brief and informed me of nothing.” I snapped at him. “You do not understand the nature of her disability which troubles her from time to time. She can’t just be uprooted and thrown in to a day of activities without any consideration.” I admonished him but she scoffed shaking his head at what I said.
“But she is fine. Hayley had no issues and if she did I’m sure we learnt from the last time that I am more than capable of calming her down and helping her. He paused to take in a heavy breath. “Look, Soph, I know this is all new to you but Hayley is as much as my child as she is yours. I will never ever harm her and I would die protecting her. I just want to get to know my own daughter.” He added gently yet his eyes warned me against taking advantage of him.
“Did you tell her that you’re her father yet?” I asked roughly and he shook his head immediately.
“I wanted to. It would be way better if she saw me as her father and not a friend to her mother which is far from the truth but I wanted to know if you would like to explain it to her only because you were the one to tell her otherwise to begin with. I let out a sigh of relief thankful that he had the decency to think about that.
I knew that I needed to tell Hayley about it now more than ever. Dante was clearly not going to back of any time soon and it would be easier if things were cleared out.
SEND GIFT