Chapter 6 You've let him see your weakness

"I'm not okay, Jarek. Can we talk?"

'Okay, let me call you" he replied.

"No, you can't call. There is CCTV everywhere in this house. We can only chat" I quickly replied while I screamed in my mind.

The sound of Kael's car pulling into the driveway jolted me into action. I bolted out of the bathroom shoved the laundry into the basket and hurried downstairs, checking to make sure the kids were occupied in the living room.

Kael's mood when he walked through the door often set the tone for the rest of the evening, and I braced myself for whatever storm might come.

The door opened, and there he was, his tie slightly loosened, his jaw clenched. He dropped his briefcase on the floor with a thud.

"Welcome," I said cautiously, hoping to gauge his mood.

He ignored me, walking straight to the kitchen. I followed, my pulse quickening.

"How was work?" I asked, trying to keep my tone light.

"Stressful," he muttered, pouring himself a glass of water. "The presentation didn't go as planned. My team is full of idiots who can't follow instructions."

"I'm sorry to hear that," I said, even though I knew my sympathy wouldn't make a difference.

He turned to me, his eyes narrowing. "Did you clean my study?"

"Yes," I said quickly.

"Good. And dinner?"

"It's almost ready."

He nodded, his gaze lingering on me for a moment before he walked past me. The tension in my shoulders eased slightly.

That night, after Kael had eaten and gone to his study, I slipped into the bathroom adjoining our bedroom, locking the door behind me. I sat on the edge of the bathtub, my phone in my hands.

Jarek had replied.

"Of course. Let's chat anytime you are available to talk."

I stared at the message, my thumb hovering over the call button. My heart raced as I pressed it,

"Jarek, are you there" I typed the message and sent it to him.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Are you okay?"

I hesitated, the words caught in my throat. But then I thought of Lorien and Azra, of the bruises I hid under long sleeves, of the fear that consumed me every day.

"No," I admitted. "I'm not okay."

There was a pause, and I could read the concern in his message. "Nyra, talk to me. What's happening?"

"It's Kael, He's... he's not the man you remember, Jarek. He's changed. He"

The sound of the bedroom door opening made me freeze and I quickly pressed the send button.

"Nyra, what did he do to you? Do you need me to come over?" Jarek replied, but I couldn't respond.

Kael's voice boomed from the bedroom. "Nyra, where are you?"

I cleared the chat and shoved the phone into my pocket, my heart pounding as I unlocked the bathroom door.

"What are you doing in there?" Kael demanded, his eyes narrowing.

"I wasn't feeling well," I lied, keeping my voice steady. "I needed a moment."

His gaze lingered on me, suspicion etched into his features. "You're acting strange. Is there something you want to tell me?"

"No," I said quickly. "I'm just tired."

He stared at me for a moment longer before turning away.

"Whatever you are planning to do, you know you can't escape me. You don't have a job to live on your own and take care of the kids. So think twice before you misbehave."

I nodded, watching as he climbed into bed.

As I lay beside him, staring at the ceiling, I knew one thing for certain: I couldn't keep living like this. Something had to change. I will take my first attempt at separating from him.

**"

The morning air was thick with unease, a foreboding I couldn't shake as I dressed Azra for school.

She chatted about her princess picture from the day before, her small voice a rare moment of innocence in a house weighed down by shadows.

Lorien, however, was unusually silent. He sat at the breakfast table, picking at his toast, his shoulders hunched as if he carried a burden far too heavy for his young frame.

"Lorien, are you okay?" I asked, pouring him a glass of juice.

"Baby, you don't want to talk to mommy?" I asked him again but he didn't respond.

He shrugged, not meeting my eyes. "I'm fine."

The words felt hollow, but I didn't press him. I knew that look, the one that said he was wrestling with something he couldn't yet articulate.

After dropping them off at school, I waited for a few minutes, hoping to catch a glimpse of Clara. But she never appeared.

I contemplated calling her but quickly dismissed the thought, I wasn't ready to explain everything I was going through.

Clara, the Clara I knew, wouldn't hesitate to confront Kael, calling his bluff and turning everything into a mess.

I wasn't ready for that. I needed time, at least, time to think, to plan.

When she didn't show up, I sighed, got back into my car, and drove home.

Immersing myself in my daily routine was the only way to keep my mind from spiraling.

By mid-morning, I was scrubbing the bathroom tiles when my phone rang on the table. Wiping my hands on a towel, I picked it up and saw the name of Lorien's school on the screen.

"Hello?" I answered, my stomach tightening.

"Mrs. Nyra, this is Mrs. Peters, the principal of Bright Future Academy," the voice on the other end said. "We need you and your husband to come to the school immediately. It's regarding Lorien."

My heart sank. "Is he okay?"

"He's not hurt, but it's a serious matter. Please come as soon as you can."

The drive to the school was tense.

Kael said he was going to come over after I put a call through to him.

When I arrived, Kael was also pulling over in the parking lot.

Mrs. Peters greeted us in the reception area, her expression a mixture of professionalism and concern.

"Thank you for coming," she said, leading us to her office.

Lorien was sitting on a chair in the corner, his head bowed, his hands clenched into fists. My chest tightened at the sight of him.

"What happened?" Kael demanded, his tone sharp.

Mrs. Peters gestured for us to sit.

"Lorien was involved in a physical fight with another student this morning. He punched a boy in his class, leaving him with a bloody nose."

"What?" I whispered, my voice trembling. I turned to Lorien. "Why would you do that?"

Lorien didn't answer, his eyes fixed on the floor.

Mrs. Peters sighed. "When we asked him why he did it, he said..." She hesitated, glancing between Kael and me. "He said he did it because his father hits his mother, and she never complains."

The words hit me like a physical blow. The room seemed to tilt, and I gripped the edge of the chair to steady myself.

Kael's face darkened. "That's ridiculous," he said, his voice cold. "Our son is lying."

"Lorien doesn't lie," I said quietly, my voice shaking.

Kael shot me a look that could have frozen fire. "Are you saying this is my fault?"

"This isn't about blame," Mrs. Peters cuts in, her tone firm but calm. "It's about understanding why Lorien acted out and how we can support him."

Kael stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. "We'll handle this at home," he said curtly.

"Kael" I began, but he cut me off.

"We're done here."

***

The car ride home was suffocating. Lorien sat in the backseat, silent and tense, while Kael was driving his car behind mine.

I kept my eyes on the road, my hands gripping the steering wheel as though it could shield me in the storm.

The moment we stepped into the house, Kael exploded.

"This is what you've done, Nyra," he spat, slamming the door behind him. "You've turned our son into a fighter. You have turned him against me"

"How is this my fault?" I shot back, my voice rising for the first time in years.

"Because you've let him see your weakness!" he roared, stepping closer. "You've shown him that it's okay to be a victim. That it's normal to let people walk all over you."

"That's not true! It's all your fault" I yelled, my voice cracking.

"You were always riding over me, always beating me. You made him see you abuse his mom and he thought it was okay. I've tried to protect him from you severally, Kael. I've tried to shield them from "

"From what?" he sneered, cutting me off. "From me? You've poisoned them against me, Nyra. Don't think I don't see it."

Lorien's voice broke through the chaos, small but piercing. "Stop yelling!"