I never wanted this.
I glance at the jewelry holder where a pair of glimmering pearly earrings are. I think back to the white gown I put in the basement. I remember the exact moment we reached the threshold and he closed the door behind us, leaving me there unceremoniously. I breathed a sigh of relief. I started undoing my hair, kicking off my shoes. He took off his tie, storming to his study, his long steps bringing him away as distant as my heart felt. I went straight to unzip my dress with a coat hanger and then shoved the dress into the deepest part of the basement compartment.
Now here I am three months later, releasing my teacher's tight ponytail after a long day of work. Stretching out, my hair fans across my shoulders and tumbles in waves over my chest. I get up and amble downstairs to grab something to eat. The clock reads 8:30 pm.
As I'm finishing up my dishes, I hear him at the door. Every cell in my body is on red alert. I get up immediately, making a beeline for my room. His voice stops me in my tracks.
Connor Love.
My husband.
"Where's dinner Dani?" His voice makes me want to punch something.
"That's not my name." I grit out under my breath, gnashing my teeth together.
"Last time I checked my name is Daisy. Cook is on leave today, remember?" I turn around slowly to meet his eyes with a glare.
Connor is the epitome of handsome CEO. Lean, works out, tough, sexy, all that and more. I'm not immune to him, my body reacts to him physically, but that's all. I want a divorce as soon as we can get our parents out of our business. He's cold-hearted, hates children, narcissistic, workaholic, doesn't want to take off any time with me ever. I don't want to spend the rest of my life with somebody who's not even compatible with me.
We have a silent agreement about the upcoming divorce. Our parents expect us to be popping out babies anytime soon, but we don't have a sex life, though we promised each other we'd honor the exclusivity commitment for the time being.
Ignoring my correction, he lets out a grunt and goes to the fridge.
As I'm grabbing my keys, he looks up at me from the table, the salad wrap half in his mouth.
"Going somewhere?" He raises an eyebrow as he swallows a bite and speaks.
"A walk." I say crisply.
He nods, looking back to his phone, no doubt checking something for work.
The night air is cool outside and it's a stark difference from the warmth of our home, Connor's house. Hugging myself and placing my hands in my jacket pocket, I step forward. Passing the guard post, I wave at the guards.
They wear red and black, nodding at me and pressing the access button for me to leave the compound. Rich people are well protected is what I've come to learn.
My parents weren't all that rich, but they were best friends with one of the richest families, which happened to be Connor's parents. They met in college and hit it off, especially our fathers. And eventually they decided to promise their children to each other to build a joint legacy in the future. That was their dream, but not mine. I just happened to be that first child sacrificed to my father's dream.
There is a street cleaner ahead down the winding road that goes into Main Street. I wave at him as well and cross the street. I walk a few streets ahead and survey the quiet surroundings. A convenience store is lit up but other than that mostly residential houses nearby are all quiet and with low lights.
I see a single flower dangling from a vine, as I walk past a fence. Mesmerized, I gaze at the beautiful flower.
I'm looking for my phone in my bag to take a picture of the flower, when I see two shapes forming in the distance. They grow larger and soon I see who they are. A strange pairing. A toddler and a dog behind the toddler. But what stops me from moving on and looking away is the movement of the child.
The little boy is running. His steps show he is doing the best he can. As they come closer I see tears streaming down his face. The dog follows behind. The dog is black like the dead of the night and I can see his teeth glinting in the dark. I think of my pearl jewelry again. The dog is going rather slowly, like he's playing with his prey. The young boy can't be more than 3 years old, and I gasp as he totters towards me. The road with ongoing cars is just past where I stand.
I look around to see if I can spot a couple, a father, mother, or a family member. There is nobody around near our compound at this hour. All doors are shut, lights are dimmed. It's not that our city has a curfew. Rather, past 11 pm, the gangs and such come out and it becomes a dangerous field for anyone if they happen to be nearby.
I can feel the boy's fear, and it makes my heart thump roughly in its cage. As the boy and dog come closer and closer, I make a pivoting step. Choosing my decision in a split second, I haul the boy into my arms and stand my ground, making a loud noise to scare the dog away. I quickly fish into my bag and grab the first hard thing I can find to throw at the dog. The dog stops, backing off then running away.
The boy buries his head into the crook of my neck. I let him sob and wet the back of my shirt, before he calms down. I put him down slowly and squat so we're eye to eye.
"Hi, what's your name?"
"…T-Tyler." He utters.
"Hi Tyler. That was a bit scary. But I think that dog won't come back. Where are mommy and daddy?"
I ask the most important question, expecting him to say he got lost or that his parents are waiting.
His round brown eyes swivel to the side and he replies, "Gone."
More tears go down his face. His tone is flat, and I realize he means he doesn't have any parents, at least not now. The next best thing would be to contact child support services. He could have run away from an orphanage or something like that. But as I bring my phone out, the boy looks so scared and begins to yelp in fear.
"No! No!" He clings to my legs and my heart breaks for him.
"Alright, alright." I put away my phone, swinging him into my arms. He calms instantly.
As I trudge back towards the compound where my home with my husband is, I then recognize that I have to explain the appearance of this child to my husband. I'm only going to have Tyler stay in our home until I can get child support to come pick him up, but still. I doubt Connor will even be willing to harbor a child or allow him to come into our house.
My husband, the ultimate child hater. His reasons, unclear because he hardly ever talks to me. We met as kids and I don't remember if we got along but certainly as time passed we didn't talk anymore. He became the hotshot CEO of a top five company and me, a regular primary school teacher in a regular school.
When I unlock the door Connor stands right in front of me, cleaning his shoes. He looks at me first and then the child.
Irritation flickers like lightning onto his face and I brace myself for the thunder, almost flinching when he opens his mouth.