Leah
"What did you guys talk about, sweetie?" I asked Jason as we walked down the dimly lit street toward home. "You were laughing pretty back there."
"Oh, loads of stuff!" Jason said brightly. "I told him you snore like a horse."
I screeched to a stop, my eyes going wide with horror. "You did what?"
He shrugged, completely unbothered, and kept walking ahead of me. "We were talking about you and I just told him."
"Why were you talking about me, Jason?" I hurried to catch up with him, my mortification building with every step.
"Well, I told him I was looking for the person that made you cry," he said matter-of-factly. "So I could tell that person to stop hurting my mommy."
My heart clenched painfully in my chest.
I stopped him mid-stride, squatted down to his level, and wrapped him in my arms, holding him tight.
"Sweetie, I told you I was fine. It was just a rough day at work."
He nodded, but I could tell he didn't quite believe me. He pulled away and resumed walking.
"What else did you guys talk about?" I asked carefully, bracing myself for whatever embarrassing revelations were coming.
"Well, he asked me your name and said I should describe you so he could help me find you." Jason swung his arms as he walked. "I told him you had brown hair and a big nose. Oh, and that your lashes fall off a lot, so you have to put new ones on. And you turn red when you're angry and green when your tummy hurts."
I listened in absolute shock as my five-year-old continued his enthusiastic ramble about how he'd described his mother to a total stranger.
"He said he'd help me find you."
"That's it?"
"No! We talked for a long time…" Jason launched into an animated recap of their entire conversation. How they'd discussed his favorite cartoons, then circled back to talking about me, including how I gagged when brushing my teeth, how bad my "poo" smelled, and a whole mortifying list of other details I desperately wished he'd kept to himself.
No wonder Damien had been laughing at me.
If I'd known all this before walking onto that balcony, I would have gnawed a hole in the floor and climbed straight into hell myself.
But despite the overwhelming embarrassment, I couldn't help remembering the sound of his laugh. It had been so carefree, so… different. For just a moment, he'd seemed almost human.
Well, I never got to see that side of him directed at me.
The second he'd spotted me on the balcony, he'd gone rigid, his expression shuttering back into that familiar stoic mask. I'd felt like he wanted to say something, but Jason had run to me immediately, chattering about how loud and chaotic the daycare had been.
I'd crouched down to listen to my son, and when I'd looked up again, Damien and his assistant were gone.
I hadn't gotten the chance to thank him properly. Would I ever? He'd come for the fundraiser, he probably had dozens of other engagements lined up after this.
“Anything to avoid seeing him again,” my traitorous brain whispered.
My son had basically described me as an ogre. How was I supposed to face that man now?
"Chloe! Mum, it's Chloe!" Jason suddenly sprinted ahead toward our house.
I looked up and saw Matthew and his daughter illuminated by the streetlights, standing right in front of the stairs leading to my apartment.
"Matt! What are you guys doing here?"
"Well, Chloe and I just came back from getting groceries," Matthew said with a grin, "and we decided to pop by with some good news."
"What good news?" I asked, holding my breath.
"The suspension's been lifted!"
"Seriously?!"
"Yes!"
I dropped everything I was holding and flew into his arms, nearly toppling us both over. His deep laugh rumbled through his chest as he caught me and held on tight.
"No hearing?" I asked, pulling back to look at his face.
"Nope. I resume Monday."
My heart soared with relief. Finally, finally, I could let go of some of the guilt that had been crushing me.
"I'm so happy for you, Matt," I said, hugging him again as we headed inside.
"Me too, Leah."
"And here I thought you were fine not working there," I teased, poking his arm. "You were just trying to make me feel better."
He threw his head back and laughed. "It worked, didn't it?"
"Hardly. I could see right through you." I poked his chest playfully.
He caught my finger and held it against his heart. "Now I can drive us back home after work. That is, if I'm not running the night shift."
I went quiet.
He noticed immediately, his brows furrowing. "What's wrong?"
I sighed and slipped my finger from his grasp, turning away.
"Leah?"
"I'm resigning."
"What? Why?"
"It's complicated," I said, turning back to face him.
"What is, Leah?" His voice rose with concern. "Is it about the case? Is that man bothering you? Talk to me!"
I opened my mouth, ready to explain. To tell Matt that Mr. T was actually the owner of the hotel we both worked at, and that he seemed determined to make my life miserable.
But before I could get the words out, Chloe came running from where she'd been playing with Jason, hot tears streaming down her rosy cheeks.
"Chloe, what is it?" I squatted down and pulled her into my arms.
She kept sniffling, unable to get the words out between sobs.
"Baby, what's wrong?" Matthew asked, kneeling beside us and rubbing gentle circles on his daughter's back.
"Jason said that you won't be my mommy anymore!" she burst out, crying harder.
Matthew and I exchanged a confused glance.
"But she's not your mommy, sweetheart," Matthew said gently, lifting Chloe from my arms and holding her against his chest.
"But I want her to be…"
"Aww, Chloe…" I started, but I was cut off by Jason rushing into the room with an urgent expression.
"No, Chloe," he said firmly, staring at her with a serious expression. "I told you, my mum can't be your mum, and your dad can't be my dad."
"Why not?" Matthew blurted out, glancing at me before turning his attention back to Jason.
Jason looked directly at me, his little face absolutely resolute.
"Because I want to have another father."
I choked on my own spit.