6.Chapter 6 Keep Dragging Me Down
Bradley stood there like a man who’d already won, his voice steady, calm, and almost maddeningly composed. “If you really love him, you’ll tell him the truth. Help him accept his real family. Stop making a scene—it’s only making things worse for him.”
Melissa felt like her chest was caving in, a dull ache twisting deep inside. She knew he was right. Dragging this out wasn’t doing anyone any favors.
And she couldn’t fight back against Bradley. At the end of the day, she wasn’t even Curtis’s legal guardian—just a foster mom with no rights, no paperwork.
But the idea of telling Curtis to let her go? It felt like someone asking her to rip out her own heart.
She stood there twisting her fingers, unable to form a response. Bradley’s tone turned sharper, cutting through her silence. “If you can’t handle it, I’ll deal with him myself. He’s what? Two, three years old? Kids that young don’t remember shit. He’ll cry, he’ll scream, and then he’ll move on.”
“No…” Melissa’s voice cracked, barely more than a whisper. “I don’t want him to forget me…”
To her, forget the thousand days and nights she’d spent holding him, feeding him, teaching him, loving him? It was unthinkable.
Bradley studied her, his gaze steady, unreadable. “Then you know what needs to happen, don’t you?”
Melissa swallowed hard, her throat tightening as her eyes stung with tears. Slowly, reluctantly, she nodded.
She knew what she had to do. Curtis deserved the truth, no matter how much it hurt. He needed to know that no matter what, she would always love him.
With trembling hands, she pushed open the hospital room door. Curtis had cried himself to sleep, his small body curled into the blankets.
Melissa moved quietly, sitting down by his bed and taking his little hand in hers, holding it like it was her lifeline.
When Curtis finally woke up, his eyes fluttering open, the first thing he saw was her gentle smile.
“Hey, you’re awake, huh?” Melissa said softly, brushing a hand through his messy hair.
“Mom…” Curtis’s voice was raspy, his hand clutching hers tightly, as though afraid she might disappear if he let go.
Melissa smiled, though her chest ached. She gently wiped the tears from his cheeks. “Come on now, no more tears. You’re a big boy, aren’t you? Big boys don’t cry.”
Curtis sniffled, his voice trembling. “Mom… he’s lying, isn’t he? What he said—it’s not true, right?”
Melissa’s smile faltered. For a long moment, she couldn’t answer, her heart caught in her throat. Finally, she took a deep breath and said, “Curtis… there’s something I need to tell you. A secret.”
Curtis’s teary eyes widened, his curiosity sparked despite his sadness. “What secret?” he whispered, his voice barely audible.
Melissa stroked his hand, her touch gentle but trembling. “Promise me you won’t cry, okay? Let me finish first. Can you do that?”
Curtis nodded quickly, his little face determined. “I promise. I’ll listen. I’ll be good, Mom. I’ll always be good.”
Melissa guided his small hand to her stomach, letting it rest there. “The truth is… I can’t have children.”
Curtis blinked, his eyes widening in shock. “That’s not true!” he cried, shaking his head. “You said I was your baby! You told me I was born in the summer—when it was raining!”
Melissa swallowed the lump in her throat and forced herself to keep going. “Your name is Curtis because I found you on Curtis Bridge. It was raining that day. You were so tiny, crying your little heart out in the pouring rain. I couldn’t just leave you there.”
The memory hit her like a tidal wave. That day—three years ago—was still as vivid as if it had happened yesterday. Her chest tightened painfully, and she blinked back tears.
Curtis bit his lip, shaking his head in disbelief, his tears falling harder. He refused to accept what she was saying.
Melissa’s own tears spilled over, but she smiled through them, doing her best to hold herself together. “Curtis, listen to me,” she said, her voice shaking. “Found. Do you know what that means? Like finding a lost puppy or a kitten. That’s what you were.
“And when you find something, sometimes you have to give it back when the real owners come. And now…” Her voice broke, and she couldn’t finish. The words were like shards of glass in her throat.
Curtis let out a heartbreaking wail, throwing himself into her arms, clinging to her like she was his whole world. His sobs were loud and raw, echoing through the room.
Bradley heard the noise from outside and stepped in, his face impassive. But the first words he caught froze him in place.
“You were my little boy,” Melissa was saying through her tears, her voice breaking with every word. “But now I have to give you back to your family.”
Bradley stood there in silence, his sharp gaze softening as he watched them clinging to each other, tears streaming down their faces. A strange, unwelcome ache settled in his chest. It felt wrong. All of this felt wrong.
Melissa looked up, her tear-streaked face turning toward him. Her voice was rough, hoarse from crying. “Please… just a little more time,” she begged, her words trembling with desperation. “I’m begging you, Bradley. Let me stay with him. Just a little longer…”
Curtis whipped his head around to glare at Bradley, his small body trembling with rage. “I don’t want my dad! I don’t need him! I only want my mom!” he screamed, his voice raw and defiant.
Bradley’s expression hardened, disgust flashing in his eyes. He straightened, his tone cutting. “Three years,” he said flatly. “You’ve had three damn years. That’s long enough.”
Melissa swallowed, her shoulders sagging under the weight of his words. She knew there was no point in arguing anymore.
Sniffling, she wiped her face and turned back to Curtis, her fingers trembling as she brushed his cheek. “Curtis, you’re my good boy, right? From now on, you have to listen to your dad. Promise me, okay?” Her voice wavered, but she forced a smile.
Curtis shook his head violently, his sobs turning louder. “No! I don’t want him! I just want you! Mom, please…”
Melissa felt like her heart was being ripped apart. Every word, every tear, was a knife to her chest. But she steeled herself, her face hardening as she shoved the pain down. “I don’t want you anymore!” she snapped, her voice sharp and cold. “Don’t you get it? With you here, I can’t even get a decent job.
“I can’t afford nice clothes or anything for myself! I only took you in because I felt sorry for you, but three years of this? I’ve done enough! Do you really want to keep dragging me down?”
Curtis froze, his sobbing cut off by the sheer force of her words. His wide, tear-filled eyes searched her face, desperate for any sign that she didn’t mean it. But as the silence stretched, his expression shifted. The pain was still there, but it hardened into something colder, something darker.
Bradley watched the scene with detached disinterest. This was none of his concern. He glanced at Melissa and said, “You should go rest. I’ll let you know when the results come in.”
Melissa hesitated, looking back at Curtis one last time. His small hands reached for her, his lips trembling, but she pushed them away. Her heart felt like it was being crushed, but she didn’t stop. She turned and walked out without looking back.
“Mom…” Curtis whimpered, his voice breaking as he reached out after her. But she was already gone.
Bradley sighed and sat down in the chair beside the boy’s bed. He leaned back, crossing one leg over the other, his gaze cold and steady. “Wanna talk?”
Curtis glared at him, his cheeks still streaked with tears. “I don’t care who you are,” he spat. “I’m not going to your house! My mom found me, and I belong to her! You’re nothing to me!”
Bradley raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Not bad, kid,” he said, his tone laced with amusement. “You sure know how to talk.”
Curtis’s fists clenched, his small frame shaking with anger. “I’m serious!” he shouted. “I’m not going anywhere with you!”
Bradley tilted his head, his smirk fading into something colder. “Well, here’s the thing,” he said, his voice calm but sharp. “She doesn’t want you anymore. That’s the truth. You can hate it all you want, but it won’t change anything.”
Curtis’s face twisted with rage. “It’s your fault!” he yelled, his voice cracking. “You’re the reason she doesn’t want me anymore! I hate you! I hate you so much!”
Bradley chuckled, shaking his head. “Hate me all you want, kid. But let me tell you something—hating me won’t do you any good. Crying sure as hell won’t. You think tears are gonna fix this? Only weak people cry to solve their problems.”
Curtis’s sobs slowed, his anger simmering just beneath the surface. He looked up at Bradley, his tear-streaked face filled with defiance.
“You wanna hate me?” Bradley said, his tone turning ice-cold. “Fine. But first, get stronger. You think you can take me on? Then prove it. Look at you right now—you can’t even get out of bed. Running your mouth won’t change a damn thing. Fix yourself first, and maybe you’ll have the strength to fight me.”
Curtis clenched his jaw, his teeth grinding as his small fists balled at his sides. “You just wait,” he hissed through gritted teeth. “I’ll beat you. One day, I’ll make you regret this.”
“Alright,” Bradley said with a shrug, clearly unfazed. “We’ll see. But here’s the deal—no more crying, no more whining. That’s kid stuff. You wanna be taken seriously? Then act like it.”
As Bradley stood and headed for the door, he spotted Melissa crouched in the hallway just outside, her shoulders shaking as silent tears rolled down her face.
For a moment, he hesitated, a flicker of something almost like sympathy crossing his expression. But it passed quickly. “Go to the lounge,” he said quietly. “Get some rest. You look like you’re about to collapse.”
Melissa had been at the hospital for days, her clothes unchanged, her face pale, and her body running on fumes. The exhaustion was carved into every inch of her.
When she finally heard that Curtis was out of danger, relief hit her, but it was quickly followed by a wave of overwhelming fatigue.
Now that she had told him the truth—every last painful word—she knew staying any longer would only make things harder for both of them. It wasn’t fair to him, and it wasn’t fair to herself.
Better to get it over with. Prolonging the inevitable would only drag out the pain.
When Bradley offered to help, she shook her head, her voice raw and barely above a whisper, tinged with something broken. “No, I’m fine. I’ve got somewhere to go.”
“Fine, suit yourself,” Bradley replied.
She pushed herself to her feet. Her movements were sluggish, her body feeling impossibly heavy, as if she were dragging the weight of her mistakes with every step. She walked toward the elevator like a ghost, barely aware of her surroundings.
The elevator doors slid open, and a young couple stepped out. The man was carrying a toddler, no older than two or three, with a bandaged leg resting awkwardly on his hip. Both of them looked like they hadn’t slept in days, worry still etched into their faces.
The woman glanced at the medical report in her hands and exhaled deeply, her voice filled with relief. “Thank God it’s not a fracture. I was scared out of my mind.”
Melissa stopped mid-step, her breath hitching. The sight of them—so ordinary, so tender—hit her like a punch to the gut. Her heart twisted painfully. It wasn’t the scene itself but something about him. About them.
Her lips moved before she even realized it, the name slipping out in a whisper so soft it almost broke apart. “Hugh…”
