The joy I felt at Andrew’s arrival was quickly extinguished when Hades walked out on me. I’d already lost him once, so I shouldn’t be so devastated. But knowing I may never see him again and he wanted it that way left permanent scars on my bones. He didn’t just want nothing to do with me…but also Andrew.
The most amazing person in the world.
I’d had a much higher opinion of Hades. He was loyal and committed, but all those qualities I’d once adored were gone. Now I sat in Andrew’s room, staring blankly out the window as he slept in the crib. I was heartbroken, and no bandage was strong enough to fix it. I understood it was hard to see each other when we used to be so happy, but I still couldn’t justify his decision.
Andrew would never know his father.
I looked at the picture frame on the dresser, the image of the man I loved. I wanted Andrew to see his father’s face whenever he wanted, to know his father was there even when he was hundreds of kilometers away. But now I couldn’t look at it…even considered taking it down.
Was this my fault? If I had never slept with him again, would he still be here?
Did I push him when he wasn’t ready?
I considered calling him many times, but I had too much pride. If he wanted nothing to do with me, then I wanted nothing to do with him. I knew I was just bitter and sad at the moment, but I meant it all the same.
He abandoned us.
My mom called to me up the stairs. “Honey, you have a guest.”
I’d just given Andrew a bath and changed his diaper. He was in a blue onesie, and he looked so cute in his comfortable crib. There were many times when I had to stop and stare because he looked so much like Hades. I stepped into the hallway at the top of the stairs. “Who is it?”
“A very handsome young man.”
I rolled my eyes. “That doesn’t help at all, Mom. What’s his name?”
“I don’t know…Fire or something.”
He was a hot guy named Fire… Took me a couple seconds to figure it out. “That’s Ash. He’s Hades’s brother.”
“Whatever. He’s here.”
I walked downstairs to meet him in the entryway. I was in a loose t-shirt and jeans. I’d put no effort into my appearance, but I was too sad to care if I didn’t make a good impression. I opened the door and looked at my former brother-in-law. “Hey, what are you doing here?”
“Taking your mom on a date since she thinks I’m hot.”
I rolled my eyes.
He smiled. “And Fire is a kinda cool name.”
I opened the door wider and welcomed him inside. Just like my son, Ash looked like Hades. They had the same eyes and the same build. “How are you?”
He shrugged. “You know.” He didn’t elaborate on what that response meant. He was a man of few words, and he rarely shared his life with outside people. “I wanted to meet my nephew. According to Hades, he’s gonna break some hearts when he gets older.”
Like a typical mother, I was already so proud of my boy. “Yeah, he’s absolutely beautiful.” Ash mentioned his brother and I wanted to ask what else was said, but at the same time, I didn’t want to know. “Follow me.”
We went to the third floor and entered Andrew’s room. Ash clearly didn’t have much experience with kids because he stood at the rail with his hands in his pockets and just stared.
I came to his side and looked down at the baby boy wrapped in clean clothes with a warm blanket draped over the side. I watched Andrew look at our new guest, and I wondered what he was thinking, if he recognized him as his father since they looked so much alike.
Ash whispered quietly, “You guys did a good job.”
“Thank you…”
“I guess some good came out of you having sex with my brother.”
I smacked his arm playfully. I grew up as an only child, and Ash felt like the brother I’d never had. He teased me but made me feel loved at the same time. “You want to hold him?”
“Like, pick him up?”
“Yeah…that’s what you do with babies.”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. You think I can handle that?”
“You’re gonna have to. You’re his uncle.” I picked up Andrew and placed him in Ash’s arms. “Support his head and keep both arms under his body. See? It’s not so hard.”
Ash stared at his nephew for a couple minutes, and naturally, his eyes softened a little bit as Andrew worked his magic. He moved to one of the rocking chairs against the wall and took a seat. Like a mother, he grabbed the blanket to make sure Andrew was comfortable.
I took the seat beside him and watched him fall in love with my son.
After Ash stared for at least ten minutes, he turned back to me. “He’s pretty cool.”
“I know.”
“And he’s super cute.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“What? He is.”
“I’ve just never heard you talk like that before.”
He shrugged and returned his focus to Andrew. “There’s a first time for everything.” He gently rocked the chair back and forth as he supported Andrew with one large, powerful arm. Like his brother, he had a watch on his wrist.
Since he was here and he knew Hades wasn’t, that must mean he knew Hades had left us. He hadn’t mentioned it, and I suspected he wouldn’t. “Since Hades is gone now, I guess you and I can get together…”
He slowly turned his head back to me, his eyes wide as if he couldn’t believe what I’d just said. “Yeah, that’d be pretty hot. You and I make more sense than you guys ever did. But…I can’t. I couldn’t do that to my brother.”
Maybe he didn’t realize I was joking. “Why? He doesn’t want me anymore.”
He looked at my son for a little while before he glanced at me again. “We both know that isn’t why. It’s because of the exact opposite.”
Tears welled up in my eyes because the sadness was too much. I would never forget the way Hades had walked out of here with no intention of coming back. It was so cold, so harsh. “Whatever the reason, he’s a coward. He can treat me however he wants, but it’s not right to abandon Andrew.”
Ash continued to rock Andrew as he let the silence snuff out the conversation. He probably didn’t want to get involved, but he also felt obligated to defend his brother. “You abandoned him, Sofia. Let’s not forget that.”
An invisible knife went into my gut, and I felt so betrayed. All I could do was stare because I couldn’t believe he’d said that to me. “I didn’t abandon him. I told him to kill Maddox.”
“And you know he couldn’t do that. He doesn’t give a damn about his life, only yours.”
“He still didn’t leave me a choice.” I felt my voice rise as the rage started to get to me. “I had to protect my child. I had to protect myself. If I continued to live there under that asshole’s reign, I never would be able to sleep at night.”
He held up his hand to calm me down. “I get that. But you still left him, and that wasn’t easy on him. He got the short stick of this whole thing, and you know it. He still suffers every day, living as his fucking puppet. He’s a goddamn prisoner. Seeing you and Andrew once in a while is just torture for him. You really don’t get that?”
“I do, but…”
“No, you don’t.” His eyes suddenly turned harsh. “He’s trying to do the right thing for everybody. He loved you so much and sacrificed everything to have you. When Maddox had you, he made the ultimate sacrifice by forfeiting his life. My brother and I have had our differences, but he is not a coward. That guy would slit his own throat just to make you happy. He’s trying to do the right thing for everybody…and of course, he’s the bad guy for doing it. I promise you he feels a million times worse right now than you ever could.”
The tears swelled to an enormous size, and I couldn’t keep them in place. Their weight was too much, and they cascaded down my cheeks to my chin. I sniffled loudly then wiped away the moisture with my fingertips.
“You know he’s not a coward, so don’t ever say that again.”