Go Away! My Cruel Husband

Shantelle’s POV

“Hey, baby,” Hot tears carved rivers down my cheeks, blurring my vision. “I got you that PS5 you’ve always wanted. I don’t care if you take the exams or not. Just open your eyes. Please, baby! Mommy loves you so much. Please!”

He looked so small, so fragile beneath the crisps white sheet. His chest, usually falling and rising, just lay stiff and still. The freckled hand that used to hold mine lay slack at his side.

A sob escaped my lips and the ragged sound echoed hollowly in the silence. Please, baby, I’m sorry. But he wouldn’t listen to me. My baby wouldn’t listen anymore.

Today. Today was the day Enzo was supposed to take his SAT. My baby is a genius and since he’s ahead of his peers in junior school, his teachers convinced me to let him take a seniors SAT and possibly get him into a prestigious university at just fourteen years old.

I reached out, my hand trembling as it hovered over his cheek. Why does he look so pale? Why? Why does he look so small? Enzo had always looked small for his age, but right now in this bed, he looked shriveled and tiny.

My eyes welled with tears and the damn thing fell uncontrollably. Enzo, I know you’re just sleeping. It’s time to wake up.

Hesitantly, I brushed a stray strand of hair from his forehead and the extremely cool feel of his skin sent a fresh wave of grief crashing over me. This wasn’t supposed to be the end. No! NO! He was supposed to have birthday candles to blow out, graduations to walk, and grandchildren for me to spoil.

Enzo Please!

Why are you lying in the mortuary of a hospital? Please, baby, wake up. I threw my arms around his lifeless body as the sobs began hitting me in the center of my chest, making me tremble, unable to breathe. Unable to think. No. No!

Suddenly, I was yanked back, a scene exploding behind my burning lids.

One Hour Ago…

Sunlight streamed through the car window, warming my face. Enzo, my precious Enzo bounced happily in the backseat when a ringing phone broke the silence in the car.

I cut a look at Jaxon who was carefully navigating the traffic on the highway and found him taking one hand away from the steering wheel to glance at his phone.

Pressing my lips together, I held myself back from chiding him, allowing him to take the call. A breezy feminine voice soon echoed in the car through the speakers attached to the dashboard.

“Hi, Jax! Guess what?!” The voice said happily and I felt a bite of jealousy in my gut. She was calling him the nickname only I was allowed to call him.

Still, I kept silent as he chuckled. “You know I suck at guesses Julia darling.”

Darling???

I glanced at my son over my shoulder and found him thoughtfully looking at his father.

But Jaxon’s next word snapped my head back to the front. “What?! You are in the city? Right now? You didn’t even tell me beforehand.”

“I know boo. It’s all a surprise even to me too.” Her voice sounded anything but rueful. “Anyway, I’m literally stranded at the airport. You HAVE to come pick me up.”

Expecting my husband to explain to his childhood best friend that he was preoccupied with his family, I was shocked at the bone marrow when he AGREED.

The call ended and before I could ask him what the hell he was doing, he roughly pulled the car to the curb and turned in his seat. “I’m sorry baby but I can’t leave Julia all by herself. It’s been such a long time since she’d returned home. You guys can just call a taxi. I’ll meet you there after, I promise.”

Utterly shocked and filled with fury that his best friend’s arrival was more important to him than our son’s exams, I stormed out of the car with Enzo and watched as my husband drove off, leaving us stranded on the highway!