In the morning, Eva was surprisingly on time with dropping the girls off to school.
Fridays was also the day when she finished her work early.
She was walking from the bus stop to the school to pick them up in the afternoon with still plenty of time left.
The black car with tinted windows pulled up.
The window rolled down to reveal Callum in the back seat. He sat there leaning against the other side with a cigarette in his hand.
"May I speak with you?" Callum asked. Eva froze. She didn't want anything to do with him.
Someone came out of the car and opened the door for her. A muscular man, quite likely Callum's bodyguard. He nudged Eva into the car. Eva tried to resist but this time she didn't have a sharp object in her hand. Instead she found her phone in the pocket and tightly wrapped her fingers around it, ready to call for help.
She sat down on the seat beside Callum, leaning as far away as possible. She coughed at the thick smoke from the cigarette.
"I don't think we started off on the right foot last night. It is quite important to me to have Emmi and Suzie with me. They are the only family I have left and I am theirs. I am sure that you understand." Callum said but his words didn't seem very sympathetic. Eva gulped and remained silent. "You obviously care very much about them for whatever reason. But I'm sure that we can strike a deal. What would you say about five hundred thousand?"
"What?!" Eva turned to face him, furrowing her brows and her lips parting. She barely stopped her mouth from dropping wide open.
"Not enough? A million?" He offered. Callum put his cigarette out in the ashtray and good the cheque book and a pen out.
"What?" Eva asked sharply. Callum looked up at her in slight surprise. She would never realise just how stunning she was. Her blonde hair shone in gold in the sunlight that still managed to break into the car through the window. Her skin radiated. Her cheeks were reddened in a light blush. And her large almond shaped eyes were a colour of hazel green. The deep green with specks of amber and brown.
"Okay. I see." Callum looked back down and wrote something. "Ten million." He said as he passed her the cheque. Eva looked at the paper with a number on it in her hand. She never saw a number this high on a cheque. It gave her even more satisfaction when she lifted it and tore it into shreds. She then left the car and slammed the door behind her.
She heard the car open and the door close behind her as she walked down the pavement.
"Miss Green, isn't it?" Callum talked behind her, clearly following her. "Please don't be unreasonable. You can barely provide for them. With me they will have everything they will ever need."
"You do not get to appear out of nowhere and tell me what they need!" Eva turned around and waved her finger at Callum who was much closer behind her that she first realised. "You do not know what they need. They needed you almost a year ago. Now, it's a bit late, isn't it?!"
"I had my reasons for my absence. And I will make amends. They're only like three and five. They'll forget."
"They are six and eight years old. You sound like an amazing fucking uncle." Eva didn't back down.
"Accept the cheque and let them go."
"It's not some stupid hostage situation, Mr Anderson. Those kids have had their home build with me for almost a year. They have lived with me for over half of a year. You can't just take them. They barely started living a somewhat stable life since the accident. You can't force this on them now."
"Take the money." Callum repeated.
"I don't want your damn money. What I want is for Suzie and Emmi to have a home where they are loved."
"And they will. If you don't accept that money now, I will go to court."
"Then do that." Eva said in a challenging tone. "I don't want your money." She turned around and walked off leaving Callum stunned.
Eva picked up the kids and hurriedly went to Donna's house. She already had their sleepover bag packed in the morning.
She was so happy to see her friend who eagerly waved at them as soon as they stepped on the driveway.
"Emmi! Suzie! Eva!" Donna shouted their name, running out to hug the girls.
"Auntie Donna!" Girls showed the same level of enthusiasm.
Donna was a truly amazing friend. She met Eva during university and they both instantly clicked. Even after they finished their education, their friendship grew. Through different jobs and different relationship and life experiences.
Donna married not long after university and divorced two years later. She was a sceptical feminist who lost faith in relationships and dating. Ever since Eva adopted the girls she seemed to have fit perfectly in the image of the cool aunt who travelled whenever she could and brought many gifts and stories back from her adventures. Sharing her more spicy stories with Eva once the girls were out of the earshot.
Right now Eva couldn't be more thankful for Donna. She was increasingly anxious and terrified that said Callum Anderson will show up at her home again. She had nowhere else to go.
Donna looked at her and straight away noticed that something was off, but she hasn't pointed it out, not in front of the girls.
They've painted their nails, ordered pizza, and watched a movie before the girls went to bed.
And then Eva sat down with Donna at the kitchen table with a bottle of Prosecco and a load of tortilla chips.
"So…" Donna started with a mischievous smile. "Emmi mentioned an uncle earlier. Why do I not know anything about an uncle? You didn't say a word about seeing anyone."
"It's not like that, Donna." Eva rubbed the bridge of her nose feeling yet another headache. "He's the stalker I've told you about."
"The stalker?" Donna's face became serious straight away.
"He came to our apartment last night. He didn't want to leave and wanted the girls. He might be their actual uncle."
"Oh my god!" Donna slapped her hand over her mouth to stifle the short scream. "What did you do?"
"Called the police and held him at a knife point."
"And?"
"The police arrived and let him off with the warning. He didn't really fight me beyond refusing to leave and just standing there in my apartment. But…. Suzie recognised him. I think he might genuinely be their relative."
"Maybe he'll let it go?"
"No." Eva shook her head. "I saw him just before we came here."
"Again?!"
"He caught me alone on the way to school. The black car with tinted windows, that was him."
"What did he say to you?"
"He offered me money in exchange for the girls."
"As if they were pennies."
"He offered me ten million Pounds." Eva said which made Donna's eyes widen again.
"Is he really that loaded?"
"He looks it. Obviously I didn't take it!" Eva said quickly. "I ripped that cheque to shreds right in front of him. He did say that he will take it to court to get the custody over the girls. I am so worried." Eva started sobbing.
"You're a great mum to those girls, Eva. You were almost granted a full adoption papers. It's going to be very hard for him to overturn it."
"I am trying to do my best but I am not trying to be their mum. I just want them to be happy."
Donna quickly moved around the table and hugged Eva who was spiralling into a bigger upset. "What if he takes them away?"
"Shush, Evie. You're a fighter. You won't let him. Didn't you say that you pointed a knife at him?"
"I did." Eva laughed through her tears. "And I lost my cool. And I told him that if he was their uncle then he was an asshole to have not come for them earlier. It's been almost a year since the accident and now he shows up?!"
"Exactly! That's ridiculous!" Donna agreed. "Look, if you're worried about him showing up again, you can all stay here for a while."
"Oh no, I cannot."
"The school is closer from here."
"That's true but I can't impose."
"You won't. I could use some company." Donna looked down.
"What's up, Donna?" Eva noticed Donna's mood change.
"Nothing." She said dismissively as she went back to her chair.
"Donna…"
"Okay, alright. I'm just feeling a little low."
"Why? What's going on?"
"Michael is getting married next week. They're expecting." Donna answered.
Eva understood immediately. Michael was Donna's ex-husband. A husband that left Donna for her best friend, another girl they used to be friends with through uni. Every bit of news about him reopened Donna's old wounds.
"Okay, we'll stay with you." Eva agreed. "Let's go and drink and watch some shitty movie."
"I want a tear-jerking rom-com. I need it out of my system." Donna said decisively as she grabbed another bottle of Prosecco.
They both sat on a sofa, drinking, laughing, and crying. Until they fell asleep there.