"Get up." Samantha urged, pulling the duvet off of Skylar, who had spent the last one week burrowed in her bed, wallowing in self-pity.
"No," Skylar muttered before hiding her face under a pillow. She didn't even want to think about how pathetic she must look at the moment. She hadn't showered in days, her hair felt greasy and she was pretty sure the stench of her body odor would suffocate anyone who came near her. Mercifully, Ethan had volunteered to take Penny for the week so the little one wouldn't see her mother in this state.
But Sam had never been one to give up when things got rough. She grabbed Skylar's arms and pulled her off the bed. When Skylar looked at her through her bleary, swollen eyes, she was glaring at her with her hands on her waist, ready to give her a tongue lashing.
"What is wrong with you Skylar?! Look around you, it's pathetic. I almost tripped on two boxes of Ben & Jerries on my way to your room. You can't fall apart now. Penny need you!"
"I'm sorry. I just...can't. I know I am being pathetic but what if he's really done with me. I can't lose Stefan too, Sam. I'm so so stupid." She felt miserable and the thought of Stefan leaving her made her want to never get out of bed again.
"Even if he does, you will get over it and you will move on with your life. I didn't even see you break down this badly when you found out you were pregnant with Penelope." Samantha sat down next to her, "Everyone has been so worried about you, Sky. Ethan calls every day to check in on you, Penny misses you terribly."
Skylar ignored the part about Ethan," I've missed her badly too, I'm a terrible mother."
"You're not a terrible mother, hon. We all need to break down sometimes." Samantha consoled her.
"Has...Has Stefan called?" Skylar asked hesitantly, albeit hopefully.
"No, he hasn't. But give him some time, Sky. Both of you need space right now."
"Now get your shit straight babe, I told Ethan to bring Penny by today to visit. Start by taking a hot shower and I'll tidy up your room."
Skylar walked into her ensuite to shower and when she saw her reflection in the vanity mirror, she cringed.
Sam was right. She felt much better after the shower, washing a week's worth of grime and dirt had a refreshing impact on her state of mind.
When she came out of the bathroom, she could hear giggles and peals of laughter downstairs so she got dressed hurriedly and ran down the stairs, eager to see her baby again.
The three people occupying the dining table looked up as they heard the pitter patter of her footsteps coming down the stairs. Penny squealed as soon as she saw her mother.
"Mama! I mwissed you." She waddled towards Skylar and held her arms out to be picked up.
"Hi, baby! Mama's missed you so much, I hope you didn't trouble your daddy." She placed kisses all over Penny's face making her giggle.
"No mama. Daddy and I had a lot of fun, he lemme have ice cream for dinner and we went to the bouncy castle too!" She exclaimed excitedly.
"He let you have ice cream for dinner?"She glared at Ethan, teasingly, a smile on the edge of her lips.
"Penny, you little sneak, you told me you could keep a secret." Ethan moved his fingers towards her, poised to tickle Penny. But before he could, she let out a gale of laughter.
Just then, Penny started looking around distractedly, "Mama where is daddy Swefan?"
Skylar found herself at a loss for words. How was she supposed to tell her three-year old that her fatal mistake had mostly likely lead to her first father figure walking out of their lives, maybe forever?
Before she could break down, Sam intervened. "Baby, your daddy is....staying away for a little while until he and mommy make up."
"Aunty Sam, I wanna see daddy." She pouted.
Samantha nodded. "I'll talk to him, darling."
Penny nodded happily easily distracted by her plush teddy bear lying on the couch.
Ethan rose from his perch and cautiously walked towards where Skylar was.
She seemed lost in thought, so he cleared his throat to grab her attention.
She turned towards him with a careful smile. "Ethan, I can't thank you enough for taking care of Penny this week."
Ethan nodded," It's no problem, she is my daughter too after all."
He shifted his feet awkwardly." Can we um... talk about what happened that night?"
"Do we really need to? To be honest, I'd rather not. I just want to put that night behind me."
"Okay." Ethan agreed grudgingly.
After Ethan had left, Skylar found herself sitting in her room clutching her phone in her hand, her fingers poised to hit call on Stefan's name in her contacts. But a google alert sprang up and when she read it, she felt her world crumble around her.
"Agency Mogul, Stefan King cheating on girlfriend with former flame, Kendra Anderson?"
On his way home that day, Ethan thought about all the things he could have done differently. But it was only when he entered his empty, silent house that the weight of his loneliness hit him. The last couple of days had been a refreshing change. Penny had brought so much joy into his life and now that she wasn't here, he felt bereft of all happiness.
He wanted the three of them to be a family and in his heart was willing to do anything to win back Skylar's love. Little did he realize that he was now one step closer to his dream.
YOU ARE READING
The CEO's Mistake (Editing)
Romance"You can't take my baby away from me!" Skylar was hysterical, her voice cracking towards the end. "Then maybe you shouldn't have kept her away from me!" Felix screamed, throwing his half drained glass of alcohol at the wall. "She's all I've got da...
