𝐁𝐀𝐁𝐘 𝐃𝐀𝐃𝐃𝐘 [MONTGOMERY DE LA CRUZ AU]

THIRTY THREE ૐ THE MEMORY BOX

"Does that mean he's not coming home again?"

"No, no," she rushed. "No, I didn't mean it that way, Gray. I'm just saying, your Daddy was and still is busy with his career."

Grayson sighed before proceeding to ask, "How about Daddy Justin? Is he coming home with us back to Grandpops?"

And there it is. What she feared would happen. For Grayson to come searching for the void a person used to fill, for the absence of someone who used to be there. He was still too young to understand, that not everyone was meant to stay.

"I think he might not be coming home back to Crestmont until next month. He's busy with baskeball trainings." She explained carefully, wary with her choice of words to make sure he doesn't ask more. She hoped he would drop the subject once he got the answer he was looking for but instead, the kid had other plans.

"Daddy Justin haven't been coming around much anymore."

Olivia didn't know how to respond. How was she supposed to explain to a 6 year old kid?

"Mommy, can I ask you something?" he continued.

"Of course, sweetheart." Olivia answered, giving him his undivided attention, relieved with the change of subject.

"Do you still love Daddy?"

She froze, her body going completely still and she almost forgot how to breathe. She knew that one way or another, Grayson would start raising confusion and interrogate her for how things were as it seemed.

"Of course I do, honey." Olivia answered truthfully after a few moments of stunned silence. "What makes you think I don't?"

Grayson looks down on his toes, fumbling to put on his shirt before responding quietly. "All my friend's parents live in the same house. Even Aunt Lizzie and Uncle Luke lives under the same roof. You and Daddy live separately and my friend, Eli, says that if parents live separately, it's either they're already separated or not even together at all."

"That's not true!" She protested even if she knew that somehow, the boy was right. She was not expecting for Grayson's rampage anytime soon.

"Then why is Daddy living all the way across the globe? Why does he only 'visit' and not just stay here for good?"

"Gray—"

"Why was Daddy Justin even in the picture? Aunt Lizzie told me he's not my real daddy then why were you with him and not with Daddy?" He demanded.

"Grayson, that's—"

"I never even heard you and Daddy say 'I love you' at least once." The boy noted, his face dawning with realisation, his familiar emerald green eyes watching her closely.

"Yes, your Aunt Lizzie was right. Your Daddy Justin was not your real father. That's a whole lengthy different story for next time." The boy gazed at her, his eyes starting to gloss over at his discovery and she added, "Just because you never once heard your Dad and I say 'I love you' doesn't mean we don't love each other any less." She amends but it was too late for that because the boy had set his foot down on the issue and stood his ground in his other side of the argument. His face was crumpled with the same all-too-familiar scowl she usually sees from Montgomery. The similarities still sends a small excruciating pinch in her heart.

"Yes it does!" Grayson stubbornly argued.

"You're too young to know and understand these kind of stuff, Grayson." She spoke, defeated. "It's not as easy as you think it is!" But the boy had already stormed out of the room, leaving her crestfallen and helpless. She knew that the time would come where he would look for answers about the truth, or why it is the way it is, but she didn't expect that the day would come sooner than she expected. Grayson is a smart kid, unlike other kids his age, he's actually mature for his age and somehow, that was an even heartbreaking thought; having to see her 6-year-old son figure things out for himself when he shouldn't put himself through that kind of difficulty.