BLEACHED

80: After All these Years

Heather clenches her hold on her phone as she stares at the message Domen had just sent her.

The moment the door opens, she glared over to none other than her husband who is walking in as he takes off his jacket.

"What did you say that upset Domen?" Heather asks as she walks up to Desmond who only sighs as he stares down at his wife. "He said you slapped him!?"

"He's only whining like a child because I took something from him." Desmond says as he walks over to the closet and pulls out a hanger, placing his jacket on there before closing the closet. "But he it's his fault."

"You slapped him, why?" Heather continued to ask as she watches Desmond reach down to unbutton his shirt.

"I was very angry when I got there." He says as he takes his shirt off, revealing the still tight and toned muscle underneath despite the age scale rising every year. "I slapped him to calm myself down, then I meant to turn the next to Lavender, but he insisted he'd take it for her. And when I gave him the third, I realized I wasn't the father of a boy. Domen had turned into a man."

He says as he folds the shirt he had on and places it nearly on a drawer.

"He looked at me, challenging me as though I was toying with him. So I wanted to see how far he'd go for that woman, and he disappointed me at the end. Your son is very childish, Heather." Desmond says as he turns to glance at his wife who furrows her brows at him.

"And you think it's his fault? Domen knows his brother was taken from us. He knows you did nothing to stop them, he knows you wouldn't do anything for him." Heather lays it out, getting Desmond to clench his jaw as he shifts his gaze to the window.

Irritated.

Though he knows it's the truth. He didn't do anything to act against his mother and he's going it again, but to his son.

"You should care a little more about the family you have. I loved you before Roman was born and now I don't. My love for you left when Roman left too." Heather grits her teeth and turns to leave when Desmond grabs her wrist as he drops his gaze to the floor.

"I know I had disappoint you, Heather, I regret it till today that I did nothing." Desmond says as he glances down at her hand in his. "I care about you and our son. I love you both more than anything. I'm doing what's best for him and Lavender. He's still behaving like a child."

"You aren't giving him a chance. That's why, Desmond." Heather grits her teeth as she continues to glare at him. "Your son will be thirty in three years. He needs to learn to deal with this himself! He told me he'd handle it."

"He has nothing planned, Heather. I can see how he has nothing planned. He's stuck. When he realized I knew he was panicked. Your son is still an idiot." Desmond rolls his eyes as he walks over to the bed and sits down. "And you jumped into threatening Lavender. Do you want to traumatize her as we were? You know we can't live past that-."

"-And who's fault is it!?" Heather snaps as she crosses her arms on her chest. "You abandoned your first son and watched him get taken from me!-"

"-I did not abandoned him!" Desmond hisses as he stands up and walks to his wife who doesn't back down and stands her ground despite her husband's venomous eyes.

"Then what did you do, Desmond? Elaborate where you were on that day!" She hisses back at him, getting him to grit his teeth as he tries to calm his breathing down. "Explain what you did to stop your serpent mother from taking our child away. Explain!"

Desmond steps back as he notices the tears in her eyes, about to slide down her cheek as she continues to stare at him.

Her eyes growing a soft pink from the anger mismatching her breath as her heart beats in throbbing pain.

She's dreaded for the answer all these years.

She's grown to hate him and his mother.

She's grown to only love Domen.

No one can blame her.

"I'm sorry." Desmond eases his shoulders as he watches a tear slide down her cheek. "I was a coward." He says in a low voice, getting Heather to look away as she closes her eyes and bites her lip, letting the tears come out. "I wanted to prevent it. I promise. But I was shut out and I don't blame my mother, I blame myself. I blame myself for hurting you."

Heather reached a hand to her eyes as she tries to stop crying but is failing to.

"I know you stopped loving me since then. You grew to hate me and only pretended to be normal for the sake of Domen." Desmond continues as he walks to his wife and holds her shoulders. "Which is why I fell in love with you. You're a strong and dependable woman. You put your son above all else, showing you're a great mother. But I promise you, I'll make up for the pain I've caused you soon enough." He says as he brushes his thumb against her cheek.

Heather fails to hold back her tears as Desmond leans her head into his chest, hugging her to him as he lets her cry out.

Though not wanting to at first, Heather warms up to the only bit of comfort he's had to offer her after all these years.

She's finally had her closure.

He's never spoken about it and it ached that he didn't feel anything even after her son was taken from her.

He didn't even show any hint of pain or suffering during those years that Heather was moaning the loss of her son.

Desmond wasn't void of pain from it, he just didn't show it. He didn't want to show that he was affected by it.

But he was fighting a war within him.

He grew to hate his mother once he raised she was a cold and harsh woman.

A woman who only sees her own benefits and doesn't accept failure as an option.

Just as Desmond had made that mistake, he can see his son falling into the same pattern.

So he could only think of the easier way out of it for him.

Even if he loses right to his child, at least he will be able to watch him or her grow.