Now and Forever novel Chapter 49

"Lucas!" I screamed in horror when the little human turned the faucet on, spraying water all over the whole bathroom.

My voice probably startled him because he jumped a little and turned around to face me, his face pale like he'd just seen a ghost, "what're you doing?" I rushed and turned it off, looking back down at him when I was sure there wasn't anymore water coming out of the shower head.

How did he even get off the bed?? Oh this kid makes me question things I didn't even know could be questioned.

"Shower," he said and tugged at his pajama shirt, "wha- now?" I asked and he nodded his head.

"It's only six am," I cried picking him up, I put him on my hip I walked out of the bathroom, being careful not slip on the water.

I'd barely gotten any sleep last night because he'd keep waking up whimpering -sometimes crying- for his mom and I'd have to pat his back until he'd go back to sleep. Alexander was nowhere to be seen- probably somewhere around the house because I didn't hear him leave.

"I'm hungry," he announced right before I was about to close my eyes. Ugh... "What do you want to eat?" I sighed and sat up. Guess I won't be getting sleep anytime soon...

"I.. I want.. umm.. I want to.. I.. umm.. want.. I want-"

"How about toast?" There's no way I'm going to sit here and let him ramble on- I don't have that kind of patience..

"Eggs?" I asked when he shook his head 'no', "a sandwich?" his answer was the same, "pancakes?" Please say yes please say yes please say yes... "yay!" I smiled and clapped my hands when he nodded 'yes'. He first furrowed his eyebrows at my odd behavior but ended op smiling, showing off the huge dimple on his cheek.

There is no way someone could take a look at this kid and say he isn't Alexander's..

"Come on then," I held out my hand and helped him off the bed, "wait, mingo," he slipped his hand out of mine and ran over to get his stuffed flamingo. What is it about flamingoes?

On our way down the hall, I decided to check in on Alexander. I opened the door to his study and looked around until my eyes fell on his sleeping figure on the couch. That looks really uncomfortable.. "Alexander," I whispered and shook him awake, Lucas waiting patiently by the door.

"Hmm..?" He fluttered his eyes open, "go to bed," I ordered as he slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"What time is it?" He asked in a raspy voice and picked up his phone from the table, he sighed and stood up, "I better get ready for-"

"No," I declared and he dipped his eyebrows, "It's almost seven-"

"How many hours a night have you been sleeping these last two weeks?" I raised an eyebrow and he stayed quiet, "exactly. Go to bed-"

"But-"

"You'll go to work in the afternoon," I turned around and walked away. He fortunately didn't argue but obliged.

God did I feel powerful right now..

"But you said you wanted pancakes Lucas," feeling powerful = gone.

"I want ice-cream!" I swear to god this child..

"No, Lucas. No Ice-cream!" Sometimes they need a little tough love.. right?

"But I want ice-cream!" He screamed again, his lower lip quivering. Don't tell me he wants to cry now..

"And I said no," I stopped cutting up fruit and turned to face him when he'd started crying. I looked at him, he looked at me. He wants to throw a tantrum? Fine!

We stared at each other until his crying slowly went down, "are you done?" I asked and he sniffled while nodding his head. Here I was thinking I loved kids...

I went back to cutting up the fruits to little sizes so he doesn't choke and handed them to him on the little plastic plate I'd gotten last night.

"Do you not like the banana?" I dipped my eyebrows when he'd put all the bananas at the side and was now only eating the strawberries, mangoes and grapes, "no," he replied and put a strawberry in his mouth.

"That's okay," I smiled and took them off his plate, feeling bad for letting him cry earlier on.

***

It had been a whole week since Lucas's.. arrival and still there was no sign of Jessica.

Alexander was.. well Alexander- he'd sleep in his study and would only go to bed when Lucas wasn't there- almost like he was scared him. Yes, scared. For what reason? I have no idea..8

I hadn't been to work -or anywhere in general- and I'm pretty sure I have a lot of work piled up on my desk.

But that ends today. I love taking care of Lucas, I really do but I can't do it all by myself. I mean, I have work too.

"Who's-"

"Hi Charlotte! Is Alexander in?" Charlotte looked up from the sleeping figure in my arms, her face filled with confusion, "yeah-"

"Thank you!"

"Wait-"

"Alexan- oh I'm sorry.." I felt heat creep up my neck out of embarrassment when I interrupted what seemed like a meeting- though it was only Alexander and some other man that looked around his early to mid thirties.

"I'll go-"

"No it's okay," the man smiled at me, "we were done," he turned back to Alexander and shook his hand, "oh," was all I managed to say.

"Robert James, nice to meet you..?" The man -Robert- held out his hand for a handshake.

"Oh uh, Amelia Knight," I smiled and shifted Lucas so I could shake his hand, "beautiful name for a beautiful angel," he whispered, "thank you..?" cleared my throat and looked at Alexander in uncomfort but he wasn't looking here.

"Look forward to working with you," he squeezed my hand one last time before opening the door and leaving. Work with me?

"What're you doing here?"

"Well hello to you too dear husband," I put my handbag and Lucas's baby bag on the floor and sat down in front of Alexander, patting Lucas's bag when he stirred in his sleep, "do you need something?" He asked, ignoring my earlier statement.

"Yes I do actually," he raised an eyebrow, urging me to go on, "you need to keep an eye on Lucas while I-"

"I'm busy-"

"Well so am I!" I looked down at Lucas and when I was sure he was still asleep I looked back at Alexander, "I've been doing all the work while you've been avoiding him all you can, for what reason? I don't know and I don't think I ever will when you don't talk to me. You're going to keep an eye on your son while I go finish up whatever work is waiting for me," he looked at me intently, his grey orbs staring straight into my soul as I spoke.

"Fine," he said after a short while of us staring at each other.

"Everything you need is in his bag," I stood up and walked over to the sofa set, carefully putting him down I took off his shoes and put pillows on the ground incase he fell off. I then walked back to where I was sitting and picked up my handbag.

"Bye!"

***

"Are you coming home now?" Alexander asked through the phone, his voice indicating that he was tired, "mm-hmm," I replied and closed the file I was reading, "see you in a few," I then ended the call after hearing a 'bye' from his end.

I packed everything and was ready to go until someone emerged from the door of my office, "Robert?" My eyes widened when I saw it was the man from earlier on, "what're you doing here so late?" I asked and looked up at the clock that read 10:08 pm.

"I came to meet someone actually," he smiled but something was off about it, "this late?" I adjusted and tightened the hold on my bag when he came a little too close for my liking.

"Mm-hmm," he took a step closer and I stepped back, this went on until my back was against the wall, "did anyone ever tell you you're beautiful-"

"I need to go-" he grabbed my wrists and pinned then beside me, "what're you doing?!" Panic laced my voice as I tried to free my hands from his hold, "let me go-"

"Shut up!" He seethed an placed a slobby kiss on me collar bone.

This is not happening- PLEASE TELL ME THIS ISN'T HAPPENING!

"Please," I cried, tears now spilling from my eyes when my brain processed what was happening, "shut it!" his hands moved from my hands to my hips, his lips still doing a nasty job on my neck and collar bone, "you're hurting me," more tears spilled from my eyes when his long fingers dug into my flesh.

That's gonna bruise.

I tried to push him off me but he was two times my size which meant he was two times as strong. No one was here. No one could hear me screaming. I was all alone.

His hands made their way up my body and onto my chest, squeezing my boob awfully hard. There was no point in screaming anymore, no one could hear me anyways. He the started unbuttoning my shirt with one hand, the other holding my hands so I couldn't be able to stop him.

I closed my eyes, tears still streaming down my cheeks silently. Nothing can stop the inevitable from happening now.

He suddenly stopped and stepped away from me, my eyes slowly opened only to see him staring hard at my baby bump, "you're pregnant," he stated- more to himself than me.

I took this as the opportunity to run. To get away from this awful, awful excuse of a human being.

I grabbed my bag off the floor where it'd fallen and ran out of there like my life depended on it- it did but you get it! I'd fortunately taken off my shoes earlier on in the afternoon when my feet were hurting.

Thank god...

"Wait, Amelia!" I think the fuck not.

***

Have you ever scrubbed your skin so hard it got red but you still felt dirty?

Sat under the shower head for hours you don't even realize there's water still running over you?

Wanted to peel your skin off so bad, that you even thought of getting a knife and slicing it off yourself?

"Amelia?" There was a knock on the door and I recognized the voice as Alexander's, "ye-," my voice broke and I cleared my voice before going on, "yeah?" I replied and stood up, switching off the faucet, I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around my body.

"Are you okay?" I opened the door and he squinted due to the light, "mm-hmm, why wouldn't I be?" I answered a little too fast but he fortunately didn't notice, "are you sure? You've been in there for over two hours."

"I'm fine," I smiled- or at least tried to and he noticed this, "I don't believe you," he stepped closer to me and put his hands on my hips but immediately snatched them away when I flinched.

"What? Did I hurt-"

"No you didn't, I'm fine," I placed a small peck on his cheek and walked passed him, "wait," he took a hold of my hand but I snatched it away, taking him and myself by surprise.

"Amelia.."

"I better go-" he took a hold of my hand again and held it up to the light, his eyebrows drawing closer and closer together when he started seeing the bruising around my wrist. He then slowly lifted up my towel high enough to see the bruising on my thighs, his eyes getting darker and darker with each second he looked.

"Did they..?" I shook my head, knowing exactly what he was asking. A tear escaped my eye and he stepped away from me, like he was scared of touching me.

"Who did this?" He seethed, avoiding eye contact with me. I looked down at the floor, playing with my fingers and hoping he wouldn't ask again but of course, he did, "Amelia," he growled, "who did this to you?"

"I don't know," I mumbled, "bull shit," he raised his voice and I looked over at Lucas's sleeping figure on the bed, "who did this to you?" He enunciated each word slowly- it was scary.

"What are you going to do- where you going?!"

"I have work-"

"I almost got raped and all you can think about is.. is work?!" What. Is. Wrong. With. ME. Ugh god kill me now...

"Until you realize how serious this is, there's no reason for me to be here!" He turned around and continued walking, "It was Robert! Okay? Now can we stop shouting before we wake-"

"What?" He turned around slowly, his jaw clenched and his hands folded into fists, "I really don't want to talk about this-"

"Robert-"

"Milia?" Lucas called, forcing my attention away from Alexander, "yes?" I knew the yelling would wake him, sooner or later, it had to happen..

I turned back to Alexander- rather where Alexander was supposed to be but he wasn't there.

Oh god...