Page 28 of Unexpectedly In Love

“Rosemary why did you leave that night?” he asks.

Zac moves away from me slowly.

“Why is he calling you Rosemary, Anise?” Rosemary trembles in frustration.

“Because that is her name,” Eryx replies his voice sounds venomous.

I need to get out, turning to the door I try to slide it, but it doesn’t budge. My knuckles become white holding on the door handle. Each tug is becoming harder because my palms are getting sweaty.

“Rosemary, what are you doing?” He asks his voice is wrapped in concern.

“Oh, for god sakes her name is Anise. I am Rosemary,” Rosemary shouts.

“Anise?” Eryx sounds confused but my focus is on the door. I need to get out now.

“What’s going on?” I can hear Sage enter the office. This stupid door wouldn’t fucking slide. My armpits begin to sweat.

“Anise is telling people that her name is Rosemary,” Rosemary is shouting and all I want is this damn door to be opened.

I’m throwing my whole body into opening the door. I know I must look a fool, but I have to go.

“Anise say something,” Rosemary demands stamping her foot on the floor.

“I can’t” that’s all I could say.

“Anise? Your name is Anise?” Eryx voice may sound soft. But that was the same voice he used the night he killed Stavros or whatever his name was.

“Yes, her fucking name is Anise,” Rosemary was beginning to get angry.

“Mommy said a bad word. You owe me two dollars for the curse jar mommy,” Chance says as he appears in peripheral view.

“Go sit your little behind on that chair for me please,” Rosemary scolds Chance and he goes running in the living room crying.

As I pull, my newly manicured nails crack. It can’t get any worse.

Then I hear footsteps coming down the stairs accompanied by the sound of a wailing baby. I stare past Eryx and see Cassia’s dress through the white balusters.

“No, no Cassia,” I whisper, shaking my head hoping that she will see me or hear me. But she couldn’t hear me over Kai’s screaming. She comes into the room rocking Kai in her arms. She stops right at Eryx side.

“Anise, I swear either your child is teething or his rehearsing to become America’s Idol.”

Please if there is a god stop this from happening. I can feel the oxygen leaving my lungs.

“For an eight-month-old baby this child has the lungs of Luciano Pavarotti.”

Cassia scans the room and from her face she realizes something is wrong.

“Am I interrupting something?” Cassia says as she rocks Kai who is still screaming.

Eryx turns to Cassy and takes Kai out of her arms. He holds Kai in front of him. My son stops crying and begins to laugh and coo. His little chubby legs kick as he laughs at Eryx. Eryx takes in every part of my baby. I can’t even swallow it was all over for me. My breath feels like its leaving me.

He knows, he fucking knows. Those grey eyes switch to mine, I can see the hot flaming in them. My adrenaline spiked; my heart was galloping. All I could hear was “Run” and I did right into the unopened glass sliding door.

“Oh, fuck.” That’s the last thing I heard before my world went black.

* * *

“Give her room,” someone screams. I open my eyes and there is a blaring light in my eyes.

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