*Song included is not linked to this chapter. I'm just in love with it so I thought I'd share it with ye :) !*
Recap:
The door swung open and a large husky with startling blue eyes bounded towards me. It pounced on me and just in time the owner grabbed its collar and pulled it away from me. I glared down at the husky.
Its owner was clearly a man as he was wearing men's shoes. They were dark brown leather shoes. They seemed to be Italian. I looked from the ground up. He was wearing straight leg jeans and a woollen jumper. I then reached his face and I couldn't form any words. All the saliva dried up in my mouth.
Iver Hamilton was standing before me with a look of pure shock on his face which probably mirrored my own.
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There was just moment of silence as Iver and I stared at each other. It seemed to last for an eternity. He had aged slightly since I last saw him. Not so much so that it was noticeably visible but you could see a few wrinkles across his forehead. It was probably from all the frowning he does. He was still just as beautiful and chiselled as I remembered. He had a slight five o clock shadow which graced his face. I could feel all my repressed emotions for him rising to the surface. I was defiantly not ready to see him again.
I could feel the stinging of fresh tears at the back of my eyes. My palms were beginning to sweat. He didn't look perturbed in the slightest at seeing me...well besides the look of pure shock and bewilderment on his face.
My hand began to shake at my side and burn with the urge to slap him. The anger I had shoved from my mind when he walked out on me all those years ago was boiling up inside of me. I clenched my fists and tried to control myself. I was bigger than this.
"Iver" I greeted coldly while giving a slight inclination of my head. Even I flinched slightly at the frostiness in my voice but he deserved it.
"Talia." My name gushed out of his mouth in a strained whisper. "I didn't know that you we're still living in Paris" he mumbled while he ran his fingers through his hair.
I rolled my eyes in response. After he fired me I was barely able to survive as I had limited savings and a child on the way. I almost had to move back to London.
His husky began to whine and I was reminded of why I even came over to the apartment in the first place. "Look Iver let's just cut to the chase and leave out all this pointless chit chat" I said while folding my arms across my chest. "Your dog is keeping me up with its incessant barking. Can you please find some way to shut it up."
I could see the frown lines forming on his face and the anger clouding his eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about Talia. If you have a problem then buy some fucking earplugs" He grunted while clenching his teeth.
I actually can't fucking believe him! "You're so bloody immature, you know that! I have a kid in there who takes about 3 hours to put to sleep and you bloody ruin it by being a selfish prick and not keeping your damn dog quiet."
Silence began to pervade the hallway in which we were standing once again. The anger had slipped away from Iver's face and the colour had drained from his cheeks. He was as pale as a ghost.
I had realised too late what I had said, I had brought up my son. The forbidden topic, it seemed. He probably still believed that I had sprouted a bunch of lies about him being the father.
Iver sagged against the door jam, "How is the little tyke?" he asked while shoving his hands in his pockets.
"How is the little tyke" I whispered while frowning. The nerve of him! "You didn't care three years ago when you called me a whore so don't feign interest now Iver." I growled.
Iver opened his mouth to reply but he was cut off by the pitter patter of approaching feet. A head full of curly hair peeked around the corner of my apartment. Mon petit chou walked towards us while rubbing his eyes. His favourite dinosaur pyjamas lay askew on his body, as if he had been tossing and turning.
"Mama, why are you shouting?" He asked. His blue eyes gazed innocently at us. His eyes then focused in on Iver. I could see the confusion in his face as he recognised some of their similarities.
I walked towards him and lifted him up into my arms. He was getting heavier by the day. "Mr. Hamilton and I were just arguing about our favourite superheroes. Can you believe that he likes Superman?" He gasped in reply and his little tired eyes widened in shock. Mon petit chou always believed that Superman was the worst superhero ever. His favourite was Ironman. I had to agree with him there as Robert Downey Jr. made one good-looking Ironman.
"I better put you to bed now because you have an early start tomorrow" I carried him into my apartment and laid him down in his bed. I tucked him in and turned to leave but he grasped my hand.
"Mama, will you read me a story?" he asked. I could see Iver lurking in the doorway of my apartment but I ignored him. I took out his favourite book from his book shelf and began to read. After a few minutes he dozed off into a peaceful sleep.
I flicked off the lights and closed the door behind me. I grabbed a cookie off the kitchen counter and then walked towards Iver. He went to open his mouth but before he could say anything I shoved him from the doorway and closed it behind me.
"Shhh! Don't wake him up again" I whispered. I took into account Iver's pale pallor and the sweat that was gathering on his brow, it seemed as if he was going to faint.
"That's my son" He whispered as he leaned against the wall behind him for support. "How...how could you keep this from me, my own flesh and blood? You know how much family means to me, Talia!" he exclaimed as tears glistened in his widened eyes. His jaw was clenched and so too were his fists. His knuckles were white with the strain.
I raised my eyebrow at him in disbelief, "What, did you fall down the stairs or something that you forgot what happened in Ethan's kitchen four years ago. I told you that I was pregnant with your child and you threw it back in my face by calling me a sadistic bitch." I clenched my fists at my side. His chiselled face was looking like a nice target for a slap right now.
"I told you that he was yours Iver, you just chose not to believe it, so don't accuse me now of keeping my child from you. I gave you ample opportunity but your pride was too great to see the truth." Silent tears streamed down my face as his hurtful words from that faithful night four years ago ran through my mind once again.
He broke my heart that night. He ripped it from my chest and stomped on it until there was nothing left. Ethan and I had been a mess for months after that. We were both inconsolable. Then the baby came and everything changed. Even though he reminded me of Iver every day, I could feel myself getting better, becoming myself once again. And now once again Iver had screwed me over.
The tears in Iver's eyes had not been shed, they were still welling in the corner of his eyes. "Talia, you don't know how many times I've ran that night over and over again in my mind, wishing that I hadn't reacted the way I had." He reached for my arm but I moved away and glared at him.
"You can't blame me though Talia. You had plenty of time to tell me that the child was mine but you left it until after your father practically disowned you."
"Of course I can blame you Iver! You jumped to conclusions and wouldn't let me explain myself. Admittedly I should have told you earlier but I wasn't sure how you would react. I wanted to know for sure what your feelings were for me because I loved you Iver and I didn't want you to leave me when I told you. In the end, I guess my hunches were correct. You did leave me. You left me to raise a child on my own." I turned away from him. My tears started to splash on the wooden floor.
"Talia...I'm sorry. I never should have jumped to conclusions. I was just so overwhelmed after everything that happened." I could hear him gulp loudly behind me, "I still love you Talia"
My sob caught in my throat and my chest tightened, "Iver, if you loved me you would have gone after me. You would have called or made an effort to see me over these last four years."
I slowly turned to face him. I could see the pity swirling about in his eyes. "I don't want what you are offering me Iver because it isn't love, it's a sense of duty that you feel towards me and the child. You feel that you must care for us and make up for what you did in the past but I don't want that."
His calloused hand reached out towards my face but I flinched, "Don't touch me Iver, I mean it".
"Talia, I want what we had once before-"
"How can you say that?" I shouted quietly. "You left me. You didn't want me in your life and now suddenly you find out I wasn't lying and you want us to pick up where we left off? That is never going to happen. I trusted you once and look how that turned out" I pivoted on my heel and turned towards my apartment.
"You can't keep my...our son from me!" He shouted at my retreating back.
"If you think that I would deny you access to your son then you really don't know me. But know that I'm not doing this for you I'm doing this for him because I don't want him to grow up not knowing who his father is and having an empty void in his heart. I just hope that he isn't as disappointed in you as I am." I placed my hand on the door handle and tried to compose myself before I entered the apartment.
"At least tell me his name, Talia" he whispered.
I stepped inside my apartment and turned to face him, "His name is Raoul" I replied and then closed the door behind me.
A.N. Okay I would like to apologise for my two month absence. In case some of ye didn't see my message, I was in Paris with my friend for a while. When I got back I started to get my offers for university. Basically I didn't get my first choice which I pretty much expected I would get so I now have to go to a different university. I didn't have any accommodation sorted so I had a lovely stressful two weeks trying to sort that out as accommodation was nowhere to be found. Anyway I then got the flu so I am currently in bed trying to get better so I can go out with my friends to a festival at the weekend.
So that's the full story. I had barely anytime to breathe let alone message ye guys and let ye know that I hadn't abandoned ye. I'm really sorry for the extra-long delay. Hopefully I will be able to get up a new chapter pretty soon.
Now that it's not summer anymore I hope that when I start uni that I will get back into some sort of routine for updating. When I finish the Hamilton charm which will be soon enough, I think, I'm going to have a new rule where I can't post a chapter unless I have the next chapter already written out. That's the plan anyway.
P.S. The kid in the photo is similar to the Raoul I pictured in my mind. Just imagine him with blue eyes like Iver Hamilton and slightly darker hair. He is such a cutie
Thanks so much guys for being patient. I love ye :* !!!
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