Carey woke up with a throbbing headache. He had spent the night at a hotel, and he was in so much pain as a result of Sam's beating. He hadn't bothered to do first aid on his cuts, and he was now paying for them.
He held his head using both of his hands and went to the mirror on the wall where he looked at himself.
'Don't get back to that point, Carey. Don't let her make you be the person you used to be. You're changed,' he told himself.
He looked at the red sores on his body, and he was filled with hatred and spite for Karen.
'How could she choose him over me? I deserve to be with her. I will not let her get away from me. Whatever it takes, she will be mine,' he told himself.
He didn't want to acknowledge that he and Karen were at that point, majorly because of him. He had let Liz come between them.
The bank manager, Ryan, had suspended him after hearing about what Liz had written in the bank.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Smith. We do care about our reputation, and inasmuch as you have been a good employee, we have no choice other than to suspend you for a while. We will get back to you in due time after the matter is settled," Ryan had said.
"But she is lying. None of what she said is true," Carey had defended himself.
"Maybe, maybe not. We will carry out an internal investigation. We will get back to you if you're innocent. Now, if you will excuse me."
~
Angie had connected Karen with some agent, who had rental houses, which Karen loved instantly.
The apartments were partly furnished hence Karen didn't have to start from scratch.
She had made arrangements with Carol, who had wired in some money into the agent's account.
Carol also promised to visit her as soon as she could. Karen had called Nelly, asking if it was possible for her to move to Atlanta and Nelly was beyond thrilled to.
She was settled. She had a job, and she had two solid friends. She still had her family's support, and she was somewhere Carey wouldn't find her and bring trouble into her life. Sam was still around, though he was a bit withdrawn. Karen understood why.
She only had to invite Angie and Val into the house for some housewarming, and then it would be all good.
She was relying solely on Angie's advice at that point. Angie had encouraged her to completely cut ties with Carey, and Karen had blocked him.
Unknownst to Karen, Angie was back at her house in Atlanta, and Carey had paid her a courtesy call, still suspecting that Karen was staying over there.
'Honestly, I don't know where she is. I came home to find the house empty. She was nowhere to be seen, and I couldn't get hold of her through the phone," Angie had said.
"Are you sure?"
"Definitely."
"Where the hell did she go with my son!" Carey asked in anger. His fists were folded, and he was bleeding.
"I don't know."
"You know, and you will tell me now where my son is. She will not go away with him."
Angie had relented and given out Karen's new address, and it's not because Carey was so demanding.
No, she had wanted it to play that way. But giving the address isn't the only wrong thing she did against Karen. More was to come.
Along with Carey, Angie had gone to the Atlanta Police Department.
That morning before Karen left for work, she received members of the police department as visitors.
"Hey," Diadry, one of the officers, said after showing Karen her badge.
"Hey," Karen said numbly.
What did those people want with her?
"A complaint has been launched against you for child neglect," Clinton, the other officer, said.
"What are you talking about? Child neglect!" Karen asked, laughing. "You might have gotten the wrong address. Look at him, with his nanny. Doesn't he look healthy to you? What child neglect are you talking about?"
Then the door opened, and Carey walked in.
"I knew it had to be you," Karen spit when she saw Carey.
"I want him back," Carey said.
"He is mine! I'm the mother…." Karen answered as she fought the tears coming out of her eyes.
"Definitely. You should receive the trophy for best mum in the world. What of those days you left him in the house or in a stranger's care to be with your boyfriend?" Carey asked sarcastically.
"What are you even talking about? I never did such a thing," Karen denied vehemently.
"I'm sorry, miss. The allegations are very serious. You will have to go with us to the police station," Clinton said.
"What do you say now?" Carey asked, smiling victoriously.