It's after 3 AM when the bedside telephone rings, startling me and Silas. For a moment, I just stay there, warm and cozy, ignoring it. Minutes later when it's still ringing, Silas sighs into my neck, "It must be urgent. If you don't mind I can pick it up."
"Mmkay," I murmur, rolling over to breath him in. He reaches for it, the sheet slipping down his torso, revealing the tattoo on his chest. Instinctively, my hand touches the ink, feeling how smooth and hard he is.
"Luke, oh, it's okay. She must have left her cellphone in the study." Silas flops back down on the bed, holding the receiver against his ear. I lean on my elbows, suddenly concerned. Luke can't be calling at this hour if it isn't urgent.
I watch Silas listening to him, his thick eyebrows furrowing gradually. "Are you sure? Do you have any idea who might have helped her?"
Suddenly aware, I sit up, clutching the sheet to cover my chest for modesty's sake. Silas nods, sitting up as well.
"Thanks, Luke. No, it's okay."
"Is everything alright? Is it Megan?" I ask just as he hangs up.
He nods his head, pursing his lips first. "Yes, she... she broke out of the prison thirty minutes ago."
"Silas?"
He reaches for my hand, his eyes still narrowed. "It's going to be okay."
"She's going to come after us," I say, my voice low. Blinking twice, I let him squeeze my hand.
"We can't stop living because of that." He smiles, one eyebrow raising subconsciously. "We are going to sleep now and tomorrow when we wake up, we'll live like any other day. If she comes after you or our son, we'll fight back."
"But for how long?" I stare at him now, resentful and habitually scared. I don't want to hear him say anything to that so I add, "Where do you think she can go?"
"I don't know." He shrugs, his green eyes wide and aware. "For new credentials, she will have something planned out. For all we know, she can be already out of the state."
"No, Silas. She waits all these years to break out. And she does that the same week you come out. It isn't a coincidence."
"Dawn?" He almost laughs. "I didn't leave the country before I made sure you were okay and had all the clues of where I might go. She doesn't have anything holding her back."
"She does," I interject, exasperated at how he can't see what I can. "You and Adrian..."
"Don't be ridiculous, Dawn," he frowns, shaking his head as if dismissing a joke. "It's already late. Just go back to sleep, okay? Come here."
"Silas." I push his arms away from me, out of instinct. "I need to go check on the baby."
He only nods but remains silent. Reaching for the tee shirt I had been wearing, I pull it down over my head, tugging it down to my panties. He watches me, his face impassive. I don't know if he realizes the sinking feeling inside my chest. I don't want to let him see that now that he has said all these.
The door to Silas Jr.'s bedroom is ajar, the glow of the nightlight hitting my face. The sight of his bed paralyzes me, leaves me numb as if I have just slid into a pool of cold water. The covers are kicked back, the bed empty. Before jumping into any conclusions, I open the bathroom door, saunter into my study, even the TV room. He's nowhere.
Tears stream down my face, my stomach locking up tight.
Please, God, not him.
"Silas!" I holler at the edge of the staircase, hoping his high-pitched voice will call back, "Mommy!"
But no response reaches me. Only my husband stands behind me, scowling, concerned.
"Hey, what happened?"
"I can't find him," I choke out, dread clutching my body, making me helpless.
"Did you look everywhere?" His eyes widens, sweat breaking out the instant on his forehead.
"I didn't see downstairs."
"Come with me. He might just be having a snack or something in the kitchen. Come on!" His hand snakes around me wrist, tugging me along with him.
He isn't there. He isn't anywhere I thought he would be. Half an hour later, a ringtone fills the hallway. Silas, his hand still on mine, leads me to my baby's room, rummaging through the quilt before finding a large buttons cell phone. It rings like a broken tape-recorder.
"I'll put it on speaker." Silas waves it at me.
I nod, wiping my cheeks absentmindedly.
"Megan," he speaks first, his voice sardonic.
"You do realize that you're making me admire you even more, don't you?" Her derisive response comes. Silas closes his eyes as if in pain.
"Cut to the chase," he grits out, his eyes open now. "Where's my son?"
"He's alright. I'm just calling to make a deal."
"I'm not making any deals with you."
"The sapphire for your son. Simple trade."
"Now you need money from me to flee the country?" My husband looks like he wants to laugh.
"Don't make this hard for me, Silas. I'll text the time and place," she pauses for a while before her voice softens, "Oh, and, can't wait to see you again."
He sits back down beside me, his eyes on the floor, silence erupting between us. Looking at him, I just wonder what he's thinking, what he's feeling, why he's making me feel like this, what we're going to do.
It's painful.
What is she doing to my baby?
My eyes drip with tears when I mutter, "It's our fault. We were... we were in there when she took him."
"Anything she does isn't anyone's fault, Dawn." His eyebrows knit together. "Do you regret this?"
"What?"
He looks at me, green eyes anxious, almost hurt, his curls matted at the left just where I had tugged in between kisses hours ago.
"Us? Do you regret us?"
"This isn't the right time to discuss this, Silas." Despite heavy tears, I glare at him. "Our son-"
"It is," he throws in. "While I am concerned about my son, I also want to know if his mother wants to be with me or not."
"I still haven't made a decision about what to do with our marriage, Silas. Sleeping with you clouds my judgment."
"Clouds your judgment?" His thick eyebrows rise. "I never pressured you into anything. You wanted me to..." he trails off.
"I know. It's just-"
"Just what?" He stands, towering over me, his eyes piercing through me. "What, Dawn?"
"I'm not ready to be a wife again."
The reaction isn't what I expected. He stares for a whole minute, his expression deadpan before he speaks, "I'll take the diamond out. You get ready and wait for me in the foyer."
So, I do what I was told. There's so much pain in this world already. I have wanted to keep my son far away from the life his father has seen. But I have failed. To hope and be disappointed again aren't what I look for anymore. Pulling on a pair of jeans, I take my jacket with me and climb down the stairs.
The door, however, is wide open, showing only darkness. A frown emerges on my face. Suspicious enough, I call out, "Silas!"
No answer comes from the upstairs. With a sigh, I reach for the door knob, observing the driveway, seeing nothing in the dark of the night. There isn't any time for me to retaliate when my head reels. Before I know, pain spreads through the back of my skull and as I fall on my knees, I notice the weapon that hit me fall on the floor beneath me with a thud.
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We've reached the climax, ladies. The bitter truth will be out shortly. Stay with me. I'm updating soon.