Aaron's POV
"What the fuck were you thinking? Elizabeth!" I yelled as soon as we entered my study.
"Aaron, my son just listen to me once..." Elizabeth tried to speak only to be interrupted by me.
"How many times do I need to tell you, I'm not your son" I replied.
"So don't you dare call me son" I added pointing a finger at her.
"Alright, I won't, I won't, you just calm down, Aaron" Elizabeth said.
"No! I fucking cannot!" I snapped.
"I go away for a week...just for a goddamm week and I return to this..." I trailed off.
"You hired a nanny for my son who looks exactly like his mother" I yelled.
"You hired a woman for my son who looks exactly like my wife, my Alison" I added.
"I cannot fucking believe this" I said running a hand through my hair, frustrated.
"I cannot fucking believe this" I mumbled repeating my own words to myself.
"How could you do this to me? Elizabeth" I asked.
"I know our relation has never been that great but I could have never guessed that you hated me so much" I added as she looked a little taken aback by my words.
"Aaron! What are you saying! How on earth can you even think that I could hate you, my child" She said, surprised.
"I don't hate you, Aaron, I never have and I never can" She added with a sigh and even though her eyes and body language said that she wasn't lying, that there wasn't even a slight hint of lie in her words but yet I didn't believe her because I don't fucking trust her or anybody else for that matter.
Over the years I have learned a thing or two, looks can be deceiving and not everything you see even with your own eyes and hear even with your own ears is true.
"Then what the fuck were you thinking while hiring that woman as my son's nanny!?" I snapped, slamming my hand on the table before me.
"Didn't you think, even for once, how difficult it would be for me to see that damn face each and every day...each and every second of the day..." I paused before swinging my chair around and dumping myself on it, fucking tired...tired of everything...tired of my son needing his mother...tired of me needing my wife...fucking tired of living this goddamm life without my Alison.
"And that too around my own son" I continued.
"You gotta be fucking kidding me" I mumbled thrusting both my hands into my hair while resting my elbows on the table. I felt like pulling my hair out right now.
"Didn't this thought cross your mind once? Even once!? That how that woman...whatever her fucking name is, looks exactly like my wife, my child's mother, the only woman that I ever loved..." I paused.
"My dead wife, if I may add, and how that would be such a torture seeing her in my own house, living with her under the same roof" I continued.
"And most importantly, seeing her around my and Alison's son, playing with him, nurturing him, taking care of him" I added with a tired sigh.
"Didn't you think even once? How torturing and unbearable her presence would be for me? How it would be a mental and emotional torture for me to see a woman who looks exactly like my wife, taking care of my own son..." I trailed off as my study was engulfed by a sudden silence, it was so silent that I could even hear the ticking of the clock and my rapidly racing heart.
"Aaron, now that you have taken all your anger out, will you please listen to me? Without interrupting?" Elizabeth asked softly, rather should I say pleaded for me to hear her out once.
"What other fucking option do I have?" I asked back sarcastically. God! I was raging mad! I felt like I would lose my mind, I fucking hated it when things went out of my control.
Elizabeth looked at me for a moment, probably trying to figure out if there was any point talking to me right now.
"Noah is your son, your own flesh and blood, his mother died when he was two months old...she left a two months old baby in your arms...under your love and protection..." She paused, drawing in a deep breath as if this subject was too difficult for her to speak on.
"And since then you have had him and he has had you and only you, you both have had only eachother and that has brought you two much more closer than any other normal father and son, so you know him better than anybody else" She continued and I know she said that I needed to listen to her without interrupting but fuck it, I couldn't take this torture of her presence anymore.
"And what exactly is your point?" I asked, frustrated as she exhaled a sharp breath as if she has had enough with my tantrums now.
"My point is, Aaron Walker, that you know your son very well, he's just like you, stubborn. He doesn't likes strangers, just like you don't like anybody in this entire world except for your son and dead wife, Alison" She said, the pitch of her voice higher than usual, different than her usual annoying, fake soft and sweet voice.
"Which is why, under such circumstances, if your son has happened to get along with a girl, who looks like your wife, then I don't think it's a bad deal" She added.
"In fact we should be thanking our stars that we found her and I'm not saying this because she looks like Alison, rather I'm saying this because your son likes her...because your son gets along with her...because your son hasn't cried, without any reason like he used to, even once in this past week that she has been here..." She trailed off.
"Aaron, dear..." She paused with a sigh.
"I have seen your son happy with her and that's a very rare sight" She continued, softly.
"And I know whatever you said was correct. You are right in your place to feel enraged towards me, I can understand where you are coming from" She added.
"Seeing a woman in your house, around your son, who looks exactly like the love of your life, but the only thing is that she isn't, can be torturing, unbearable...I get it, trust me I do" She said.
"But Noah likes her and that's nothing less than a miracle for us all...and I think that should be a good enough reason for you to endure this torture" She added, giving a slight nod to her head.
Her words pushed me into some deep thoughts. Whatever she said made sense, she was correct, it's not an easy task to handle Noah...to have him like ourselves and if this woman has managed to get along with Noah within the short span of a week, then I guess it's not a bad deal.
But the only thing here is...me...my stupid heart, which I know would make go through hell whenever I see her with Noah.
And I obviously also doubt Elizabeth, sure whatever she said was absolutely correct, I can tell that she has clear intentions there...but she's also a cunning woman and no matter how hard I try, I just cannot believe that she hired that woman just because she somehow magical felt that Noah would get along with her.
Hold on! When she hired her, she obviously didn't know that Noah would like her and get along with her, so...
Well...so I was fucking right about it. She has not just hired her for Noah, but also for me. She without any fucking doubt hired her just because she looks exactly like Alison...there are obviously other reasons and plans in her mind for hiring her and it's not hard to guess those reasons.
"When did you hire her?" I asked a moment later.
"Well, I met her a day after you left for Japan and hired her right away" She replied.
"Can you elaborate how you met her?" I questioned, observing her behavior and I could tell that she has sensed something off about mine.
"I-I met her directly during the interview" She replied hesitantly and I could see it right through her that she was lying.
"So you interviewed her, that means that there would have been other women too, who came for the interview" I said, playing along with her lies for a while. I hate to say this but I was enjoying this a little bit, it pleased me to see Elizabeth Walker, at a loss of words.
"Then that means that she must be exceptional at her job, I mean that's what made you choose her among the other women, am I right?" I asked.
"Yeah, of course, she's exceptional" She replied, with a slight blush on her cheeks.
"Hm. Is that so? What are her qualifications then? I mean does she have a baby of her own? Or two perhaps? Has she worked as a nanny before? How many years of experience does she have with babies?" I boomeranged her with questions as she visibly gulped. She was nervous.
"What?" I mumbled, pretending to be confused by her silence.
"Do we have a report from her previous employer? About her behavior with their kids? Did you run a background check on her? Are there any criminal records filed under her name? Is she an alcoholic? Is she a drug addict?" I added yet another series of never ending questions, as she wiped off the sweat on her forehead with her palm.
"What?" I questioned her silence.
"Does she have any experience with kids?" I asked again.
"Well, how can she? When she used to work as a goddamm waitress at some cheap diner" I added and her face turned pale. She looked like a deer caught under headlights.
Boy! I was enjoying this!
"Am I right or am I right? Mrs. Elizabeth" I asked sarcastically while putting emphasis on her name.
"The car ride from the park to this house, and the time you made me wait for your arrival, was more than enough for me to run a background check on her and find out even the colour of her bathroom tile" I explained, clearing her confusion that she attempted to mask.
"But seems like a week wasn't enough for you to do the same" I added as she sighed.
"Aaron..." She said a moment later.
"Do you think I would hire her as the nanny of my grandson without running a background check on her? Without knowing anything about her?" She asked.
"I know everything about her" She mumbled.
"She used to work as a waitress but got laid off the same night that I fortunately met her, she was stressed, jobless, eating a sandwich, sitting at the bus stop" She said.
"I hired her as Noah's nanny right away, sure, it's true that when I hired her I had no clue about who she was or where she came from but the moment I sat back inside my car that night, I made sure to find out everything about her and I did as I reached home" She explained.
"But I just didn't want to tell you because..." She trailed off, helplessly.
"Because then I would question you that why did you hire a woman, a waitress if I may add, who has zero experience with kids, has never even held one in her arms before, as the nanny of my son? Instead of someone who was experienced?" I said, saying the thoughts in her head out loud.
"But I also know the answer to that question" I added.
"You hired her so you could trap me" I said as she shook her head in disagreement.
"Trap you? How? And what would that gain me?" She asked in disbelief.
"The day that Mrs. Patricia died, you came to my office, trying to convince me to get married once again and I refused right away, leaving no space for any further argument" I replied.
"And when you saw that...woman, that night, you assumed that she would be perfect for me, you thought that if I see her around in my house everyday, eventually I would fall for her since she looks exactly like my dead wife..." I paused.
"Which is why you hired her as Noah's nanny, even after knowing that she's inexperienced" I continued.
"That was your big plan, wasn't it?" I asked sarcastically as she smiled, surprising me.
"Yes, Aaron, that was my plan and I don't see anything wrong in it" She replied.
"I don't see anything wrong in wanting my son to get married again...to move on in his life...to be happy once again..." She paused.
"And most importantly, I want my grandson, Noah, to have a mother, to grow up in a happy and healthy environment" She continued.
"But of course, you cannot give him that" She added sarcastically.
"You'll never get married again, even if it's for your own son's sake...for his happiness" She said, nodding to herself.
"And go on, don't hesitate, fire his new nanny as well...snatch away yet another happiness from his life" She added as I just stared at her, blankly.
She's such a cunning and manipulative woman!
But her manipulation has never worked on me. Never has and never will.
"I know what you are trying to do" I said firmly.
"But that'll never work on me" I added as she sighed while shaking her head.
"Are you really gonna fire her? Aaron" She asked, sadly as I exhaled a sharp breath, frustrated.
"The poor girl really needs this job" She added as I couldn't help but let out a sarcastic chuckle.
"So now you are down to selling me her sob story? When nothing else worked" I replied.
"Probably you don't understand this, Elizabeth, but she would be a walking and breathing reminder of my dead wife" I added.
"How does it matter? You never forget her anyways, she's always on your mind...every damn second, every minute of your life anyways...you are already living through a torture everyday..." She paused.
"So might as well keep her around...for your son" She continued with a slight shrug.
"And moreover I think seeing her around would give you a little relief rather than torture..." She added only to be interrupted by me as I raised my hand, holding two of my fingers in the air, indicating her to stop already.
"Enough!" I snapped and before she could say anything any further, our conversation was interrupted by a soft knock on the door.
"Mr. Walker..." I heard a familiar, timid voice.
The moment I heard her voice...'Mr. Walker', as those two short and simple words left her mouth, my heart started thumping against my chest...I felt as if my Alison was calling out for me.
Goddammit! Even her voice is exactly the same as Alison! How on earth is that fucking possible!? How the fuck am I supposed to endure this torture? That too on a daily basis? I mean that's if I decide against my decision and keep her employed as my son's nanny, which by the way is never gonna happen.
"Mr. Walker, m-may I come in?" She asked, her voice soft and sweet, like some soothing music to my ears, just as Alison's was.
Wait! What the fuck!? Soothing music!?
No! I need to snap out of this.
Just as I was about to snap at her, ask her to get the fuck out of here, Elizabeth beat me to it and said "Yes, sweetheart, please come in".
I shot her a glare.
I told you she was a smart and cunning woman, didn't I? She sensed it that I was about to snap at the woman behind those huge doors.
But the question is could I have really snapped at her? Raised my voice at her? At the face and the voice of my Alison?
Well...I guess we'll just have to find out.
I observed the woman, who looked like my dead wife as she slowly walked in with her head hung low.
"Mr. Walker, I want to apologise for whatever happened back at the park earlier" She said without looking up at me.
"I-I had no idea that it was you..." She trailed off.
"I mean I had no idea that you are Noah's father" She explained before looking up at me.
"Oh. That's alright, don't worry about it" Elizabeth said, casually waving the topic off, not giving me a chance to speak as she knew what I was about to do.
I hated the fact that she dared to cut me off yet again. I hated her guts and what I did next, the way I spoke, maybe it was because I knew that it would displease Elizabeth or maybe because deep down I knew that if this innocent looking woman, standing before me, stayed around, she would cause me some great trouble in future...maybe I was just scared of her presence around me.
"You are fired" I said firmly.
"Now get the fuck out of here" I added.
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Crystal ❤️