Chapter 3 Nightmare

Audrey couldn't stop breathing. Every now and then she looks back, afraid that Christian will keep following her. She swear to anything, she doesn't want to have anything to do with that man anymore. Just once in a lifetime.

Audrey immediately took out her car keys, and told Jack to get inside immediately.

"Mom, Christian has been so good to me. He was the one who helped me to-"

"Enough! Don't say that name again in front of me. I don't want to hear it!" Audrey half snapped at Jack.

Jack's eyes reddened, holding back tears at the sound of Audrey's screams.

"Sorry, Honey. I didn't mean to yell at you. But, forget about that guy. He's not a good man. You know what a good man looks like, right?"

Jack nodded then hugged Audrey.

"Good men don't hurt women. Like I've never hurt you," replied Jack.

"Right. You'll never hurt me, never. But someone has hurt me, even destroyed me into pieces," said Audrey in a half whisper. Her heart was broken to see Christian's presence a few minutes ago.

Christian's face had haunted her for years leaving a pain that no one could understand. Even because Christian all stay away from her, even her family is against her. Her family is an Orthodox Catholic and still an old minded, that believe a girl should endure their chastity!

When all that happened to her seven years ago, even though it wasn't her will, she was blamed again. If only Christian hadn't suddenly appeared like today, maybe she wouldn't feel like her heart is being stabbed with pain.

Audrey started the car engine, her eyes filled with tears causing dew in front of her eyes.

"Jack, if you still had a dad, would you be happy?" Audrey asked Jack who was beside her.

"Dad? But you said dad is no more?"

"Just in case, do you want to see him?"

Jack shook his head.

"Why?"

"I don't need daddy. I just need mommy."

Audrey cried profusely leaving a question in Jack's mind. He had never seen Audrey cry so much. Audrey never taught her to hate a 'daddy' she just said her dad died in a car accident to silence Jack not to ask her again about 'daddy'.

Audrey covered her mouth with one hand trying not to get too emotional.

"Are you happy with mom?"

"Very happy, Mommy," Jack answered with certainty and then smiled, showing a row of neatly lined rabbit-like teeth.

*

"No!"

Her breath hitched, sweat dripping from Audrey's temples. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand, it was only two in the morning. Then she glanced at the left side of the bed, Jack was still asleep. She just had a dream.

Dreamed something really bad, that made her want to stay up all night.

"Oh Gosh. Please don't meet me again with Christian. Meeting him was a nightmare for me," Audrey said. One hand rubbed her arm trying to dispel the worry that kept swirling in her mind.

Audrey rubbed her face roughly, there was a feeling of fright. Hopefully yesterday's meeting with Christian after all these years was her last.

Audrey tried to close her eyes again, and get rid of the uncomfortable feeling in her heart. She hoped that there would be no more fragments of memories about the past that had to be present in her dreams. Too painful!

*

Early in the morning Christian wakes up, and asks the maid to prepare all his needs. Melody, a 60 year old woman brought Christian's suit. The woman had been at the Butts' home for nearly 40 years. she knew how bad the family was.

"Last night I heard dad had a fight with mom, what's wrong?" Christian asks Melody, tying his tie in front of the big mirror.

Melody lowered her head, her vulnerable face not daring to look directly at Christian.

"Mr. Howard brought a woman into the house last night. As usual your mom can't do anything."

Christian pulled his lips slanted upwards, it was clear from the look on his face that he never liked the old bastard, even though without him Christian would never have been born on this earth.

"So it's true, the fruit doesn't fall far from the tree. Mom always told me to get married, have children, stop playing with girls. Then how's it going with the old bastard that mom always loved? He can't change his bad character himself, and then lectures me every time I bring a girl into the office or into my apartment!"

"Sorry, Mr. Chris. After all, Mr. Howard is your father."

"That's right, he's my father. But he created a monster like me."

Christian spreads one hand, Melody swiftly helps put on the coat.

"Then did he hit mom?"

"As usual, there's no doubt," Melody replied curtly.

"Then?"

"What's even more surprising is that woman that Mr. Howard brought is already two months pregnant. He also quarreled with the woman, asking her to abort the baby in the womb, but the woman refused."

"Just throw it away, I don't want to have a little sister or brother from that bitch. Bother fighting, defending, in the end the fetus will never become a baby born into the world. Come on, I'm going to the office."

"Sir, don't you have breakfast first?" Melody asked.

"Nope."

Christian descends the stairs half-running, to find Jane-his mother-standing at the window looking out. Chris wondered what his mother was looking at to get so serious.

"Mom?" called Chris softly.

The woman he called 'mom' immediately turned around, then smiled-sadly-at Chris.

"You want to go?"

"What do you see outside?" Chris followed Jane's gaze, he saw Howard-his father-carrying a woman into a black car. It was definitely the trash woman he brought home last night.

"No need to say anything, Chris," Jane said dryly. She had been used to witnessing such a sight for nearly twenty-five years. Admittedly, it all started with the mistakes ahe made so Howard became the ruffian he is today. Jane couldn't blame him.

"Mom, the past sometimes makes us give up on everything, doesn't it?"

"I know, I know very well. I shouldn't have made that mistake, if I didn't do that then Howard would still be the Howard I knew in college until he became a master in the trading world. Come on, don't you have to work? Don't keep your clients waiting," said Jane. She rubbed Chris' shoulder.

He doesn't know who to hate so much. Mom or dad?

No one can blame Chris. It was his mother who had an affair with his father's accomplice, when his father's business was going uphill. But at least Howard didn't divorce his wife.

At that time Howard had said if Jane could do something like that to him, he would stay but he would tell him what it feels like to be betrayed by getting her 100x the lessons of what she did before. Howard did, even though he knew he needed Jane by his side, but made Jane endure to enjoy the pain.

"Chris," Jane called before her son was completely out of sight.

"E-em?"

"Get married."

"I'll get married when I've wiped out half of the world's female population," Chris replied casually, then stepped into the car.