Chapter 11
Melissa narrowed her eyes at Bradley. “What now? You here to gloat again?”
Bradley’s smirk was sharp and mocking. “You look like you’ve been through hell. Got screwed over again? Come on, spill it. What happened this time?”
Melissa didn’t want to engage, but the frustration clawing at her insides needed an outlet. She crossed her arms and exhaled sharply. “When we were dating, he gave me an apartment. Now his family’s taken over like it’s theirs.”
Bradley raised an eyebrow, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “So, you can fight me tooth and nail for Curtis, but when it comes to some loser and his family, you just roll over? What’s the deal? Think that asshole’s better than me?”
Melissa’s cheeks flushed with anger. “This isn’t the same thing! Curtis is my son-he’s a person. He has feelings. Do I could just let go of him without a fight?”
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She muttered under her breath, barely audible, “If it weren’t for the fact that you can give him a better life, I wouldn’t have let him go. Hell, I might’ve sued you for abandoning him.”
Bradley let out a dry laugh. “Oh, so you’ve got all this backbone when it’s me. But when it’s your ex, you turn into a damn doormat. Pathetic.”
Melissa clenched her fists, biting back a retort.
She never wanted to be a doormat. But the thought of her stepfather made her stomach turn. Just imagining him was enough to drain the fight out of her. And she sure wasn’t about to tell Bradley what Hugh had used to threaten her.
Bradley’s smirk faded, his voice growing serious. “Stay for now. Let Curtis recover first. We’ll deal with the rest later.”
Melissa blinked in surprise. “What? Really?” Relief washed over her, and a small smile tugged at her lips. “Okay. Sure!”
Back at the hospital, Melissa stopped at the door to Curtis’s room, peeking in cautiously. Seeing him lying there, calmly hooked up to his IV, finally allowed her to breathe again.
The day’s weight lifted slightly, and for the first time in hours, her face softened into a genuine smile.
She was about to walk in when Bradley grabbed her arm, halting her mid-step.
Her face darkened. “You promised I could stay! Don’t even think about going back on your word!”
Bradley raised an eyebrow, his tone flat and unimpressed. “Relax. I’m not kicking you out. But you smell like you’ve been living under a bridge. No wonder your ‘friends’ think they can walk all over you. Go next door, take a shower, and change into something decent.”
Melissa glared at him but said nothing, biting back her retort.
She headed to the adjoining room and begrudgingly showered. The hot water was a balm to her nerves, and when she slipped into the fresh clothes Bradley had brought, she couldn’t help but feel a little better. Clean and composed, she walked back into the room with her head held high.
“Mommy! You’re back!” Curtis’s voice was full of excitement, and his face lit up. His wide, shining eyes stayed glued to her as though he was afraid she’d disappear again.
His unbridled joy hit Melissa straight in the chest. They say kids were resilient, that they would forgive anything, and here was the proof.
But she forced herself to keep her emotions in check, setting her face into a stern mask. “So, what’s this I hear about you misbehaving in the hospital?”
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11:57 Sat, 19 Jul W
Chapter 11
Curtis’s grin faltered, and he lowered his gaze, guilt written all over his small face. “I just missed you…
Melina sighed, shaking her head. “How many times do I have to say this? I’m not your mommy”
Tears welled up instantly in Curtis’s eyes, but his little chin jutted out stubbornly. “He said my real mommy is dead. That means you are my mommy”
Melina’s chest tightened. Bradley told him that? Even about his real mother’s death? What kind of man just drops that can a little kid?
Her anger flared as she turned to Bradley, her eyes blazing with accusation.
But Bradley looked as unbothered as ever, shrugging off her glare. He crouched next to Curtis, his voice calm and coaxing Alright, kiddo. I brought her back like I promised. Even got her some new clothes. Doesn’t she look great?”
Curtis nodded eagerly, his face lighting up again. “Mommy is so pretty.”
11:57 Sat, 19 Jul
Chapter 12
