Betrayal

8.

||Chloe||

"Mom, mom!"

"Mommy needs sleep" I replied drowsily.

"But There's someone in your bathroom"

My eyes popped open as I quickly sat up, looking around the room in search for Liam; a part of me wondering if I had dreamt of the whole night but  the sight of his shirt spread out on my bed was a fair reminder.

"Honey why don't you go make yourself some breakfast, I'll deal with it, okay?"

"Okay mommy" Mason nodded at me before racing down the stairs.

Just then, Liam walked out of the bathroom with the pair of Jeans from yesterday and water dropping down his face to his bare chest.

"Have you seen my shirt? And where do you keep your aspirin?" He asked groggily.

"Here" I chuckled as I tossed him his shirt.

"You know you should really reconsider the whole drinking thing" I continued as he slipped on his shirt and buttoned his pants.

"Trust me, I've tried" he grinned at me.

The room was silent for the next few minutes with me invading his privacy as I watched him get dressed and adjust his hair.

He walked towards the mirror at the corner of the room, checking himself out as the previous events of last night replayed in my head and I couldn't help but laugh once again.

"Hey can I ask you something?" I questioned as I looked towards the scar I had noticed yesterday.

"Uhm Go for it" he replied reluctantly.

"Where did you...get that scar?"

"What scar?"

"The one behind your ear"

He stood still for the next few seconds, staring at his reflection in the mirror.

"Oh that scar"

||Liam||

Only Lord knows how I seemed to forget the large scar that I incurred from the injury she had given me.

"Well..."

I couldn't seem to think right, I was afraid of saying the wrong thing and messing it all up sooner than expected.

"Well?" She asked.

"Well it's...private?"

"Private?" She cocked her eyebrows and I nodded.

"Tell me." She said as she sat on her bed and crossed her legs.

Her eagerness bothered me, was she beginning to suspect or was her curiosity just at its peak? Either way, I couldn't find much words to say.

"I-I really can't, its quite-"

"Wh-"

An ear splitting panicked scream broke off the conversation before she could go any further.

"Mommy!" The same voice called out.

"Mason?!" she bolted out of the room.

Mason.

I initially remained rooted on the spot, unsure of whether or not to interfere, until I heard Chloe scream out for help. It made the hair strand straight up on the back of my neck. It was the loudest most piercing scream I had ever heard.

I quickly ran out of the room and down the stairs where the little boy, I assumed was Mason, stood with his mouth hung rigid and open as his face remained immobile, his fists clenched with blanched knuckles and the nails digging deeply into the palms of his hand.

"Oh fuck" I whispered as I walked further towards Chloe's direction

A large fire licked the wooden cabinet in her kitchen as she did her best pouring buckets of water around as much as she could.

I began pulling her away as the fire stubbornly refused to calm down, devouring everything in it's path, blazing out of control, ash floating to the ground like great dirty flakes of snow, showering onto everything, sprinkling onto the ground.

"Let's go" I said as I quickly pulled the two to the front door and out the house.

"No, we have to stop it!" Chloe said as she snatched her hand away.

"You can't stop it, its too much" I said as I yanked her back.

"No, let go of me, you don't understand, we have to" she panicked.

Sweat dripped down my face, I couldn't think fast enough but once it began to engulf the living room, there was no going back.

I pulled her and Mason out the door, ignoring her rants and struggling.

"Chloe calm down"

"No, I can't calm down Liam, my house is on fire!"

"I'm so sorry about that but you can't go back in there"

I could hardly breath, nor could I hear my heart in my chest as I watched the tears flow down her face freely as she watched everything burn.

"Liam. Let go of me" she said as she looked over my shoulder.

"You!" She exclaimed to Mason once I let her go.

"How did this happen?" She scolded "I said make breakfast-"

"I was-" he tried.

"I meant cereal or something!"

"I'm sorry mommy!" he exclaimed.

"What am I going to do now?!"

"It was an accident" he said, on the verge of tears.

"Its always an accident, isn't it?"

"I'm sorry" he said as tears rolled down his cheeks and his body went pale.

"Chloe..." I said and she quickly snapped her head towards me with tears rolling down her cheeks; a long vein weighing on her forehead.

"Its okay, we can fix this" I said calming her down.

Just as she was beginning to calm down, Mason decided to pitch in a suggestion that aroused her temper over again

"How about we stay with daddy?" He whisper-cried and I instantly tensed up.

Oh.my.God

"We cant stay with daddy, you know why?"

"Chloe please" I tried, hardly prepared for what she would say next.

"Cause your daddy never even had decency to see if I was still breathing after he took everything away from me! He's an impulsive, obnoxious bast-"

"Chloe, calm down!" I cut her off in frustration as I watched them cry and the guilt spread through the pit of my stomach.

By now, the firemen had arrived at the house, running in as I walked up to her and embraced her the best way I could.

"Shhh, its okay"I cooed.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry"
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