-Chapter Two-

I grip Roy's hand and drag him swiftly out of the supermarket.

"Mom! That woman is calling you!" he tells me in confusion as we scamper out. 

We step into the cold night when I notice that Riana is following us quickly.

"Quick Roy!"

I open the car door and push him in the backseat. I climb quickly and start the engine as fast as I can. 

The engine roars to life and I drive away as fast as I can.

I can see Riana from the side-view mirror, standing staring at us in astonishment, with her big bump shooting.

"Mom, who was that woman? And, why do you look so scared?"

I look at him from the rear view mirror.

 "You see those evil witches you hear from the bedtime stories, she is one of them. And she wants to harm us."

From the look on his face, I don't think he bought that. My little boy is really smart. 

He just shrugs and looks outside the window.

I wonder how many more lies I have to come up with. It is like the past has come back to haunt me. 

If Riana knows where I live now, that means Karla will be next. Then before you know it, the whole of Kingswood will know I live here.

And that is not good.

Not when I'm protecting my baby.

Not when I am hiding from Ramon... 

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The next morning, Roy busts inside my room and bounces on my bed. 

Ugh! 

It is Saturday. 

He is not going to school and is what he does every Saturday morning. Making sure I wake up and just being stubborn... 

He bit my cheek one morning trying to wake me up. Roy is a handful but I can not imagine what my life would be like without him. 

"Grandma will be here anytime soon... And I am starving, mom. So, wake up!" he demands. 

"Am I your maid little man?," I ask sharply. 

He smirks. "Is that even a question, young lady?" 

I find myself laughing and the next minute I am tickling him.

He collapses in a laughter. I love my baby's laughter. It is so energetic and loud and just so full of life. I love watching this lively kid of mine. 

He is my everything. 

I head to the kitchen to start making breakfast. 

I had to learn how to cook whether I liked it or not. I mean, having a baby forced me to be a pro at it. Especially because he is such a foodie. 

I am done making him muffins and chocolate milk. The wide grin on his face as I set breakfast in front of him is just everything. 

A car honks outside. 

I look outside to see mom and Rupert step out of the car. 

I dash to the front porch. 

"Your Grandma is here!" 

I announce to my baby. 

His face lights up with joy. 

"And Grandpa Rupert?" 

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Royce and Rupert are busy playing with toys, sitting on the carpet in the livingroom. 

My mom and I are enjoying hot black tea at the coffee table. 

My mom looks kind of nervous and uneasy for some reason. I wonder what is wrong or what she is hiding. Something is bothering her. 

I can feel it. 

"How is your book 'Sweet Stranger' coming along?" she asks abruptly. 

"Getting a lot of hate for how I ended it," I say, though I know she does not give a damn about my book. 

She hesitates for a moment and stares at me sternly.

 "Is this the life you honestly want?" 

"What do you mean, Mom?" 

"Hiding out in a small town at a small house with your son, pretending you have a passion for writing when you could be making billions beside me?"

I feel irked by what she just said. 

I swallow hard and glare at her. 

"I do not pretend to have a passion for writing, Mom. I love writing. It is the only thing that helps me escape reality..." 

"You will not run away forever, you know..."

I set down my mug of coffee down and glare at her. 

"Where is all this coming from, Mother?" 

"I have just been wondering a lot lately about you. I mean, don't you ever think of finally coming back to Kingswood?"

"And have my baby's life in danger because his mom is crazy rich? No! I am protecting Roy from that town! And believe it or not... I am happier than I have ever been in my life. I am happy here. I love it here. It is more peaceful and quiet. And I have the most important thing with me, my baby. And that is all I need, Mom."

Then I recall an important piece of information that I almost forgot to fill her in. 

"I saw Riana last night..."

She is startled. "What? Where?" 

"At the supermarket. I was with Roy, shopping. I vanished and drove away before she could speak to me." 

 "I told you you can't run away forever." 

I squint my eyes at her. "You gave her my address, didn't you?" 

"Really? Why would I do that?" 

"And, how did she appear out of nowhere in the exact town I live in. I do not believe in coincidences, Mom." 

She shakes her head and sighs. 

"I don't know... But it is a really small world, Camilla. Remember that." 

I sip my coffee observing her. Her legs are fidgeting under the table. Her perfectly-manicured fingers are tapping on the coffee table nervously. 

She is trying so hard to look calm but it is very clear that she is uneasy. 

" Mom, are you okay? Is something bothering you?" 

She plasters a smile. 

"Who? Me? I am perfectly fine!" 

Her smile is fake. And her laughter after saying that is fake too. She is definitely hiding something from me and I must find out what it is and get to the bottom of this. 

I look around and see Rupert going to the kitchen. 

I clear my throat. 

"I need to get more coffee. Want some?" 

Mom nods. 

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"Something is bothering mom. Is she okay? Rupert?" 

I ask him in the kitchen. 

He fetches for some ice cubes in the fridge and pours some water in the glass. 

He takes a puff and says, 

"I also noticed something is bothering her but I can not quite figure out what it is. She refuses to tell me." 

I pour some coffee to the two cups and glance at him. 

"What do you think might be the matter?" 

He shakes his head. "I honestly don't know, Camilla." 

Roy interrupts us and grabs Rupert's hand.

"It is me you should be spending time with! Not my mommy!" 

He chuckles as my little boy drags him away from the kitchen. 

I told you when Rupert is here, I am completely invisible to the little demon. Sometimes I feel as if he tries so hard to fill up the void of a dad with Rupert. 

When I thought they had completely left, my son comes back to demand, 

"Some chocolate milk please!" 

Then vanishes. 

This kid really thinks I'm his mad. Always at his service. Obeying every demand and every order. 

But somehow that is true... 

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I set the cups of coffee on the table. 

My mom is not at the table. I do not know where she has gone to. 

Rupert and Roy are playing outside with a ball I bought him for his fourth birthday. My little baby is growing too fast. 

He will be turning five in a few months. What if he grows up and drifts away from me, stops loving and adoring me the way he does now. 

That would crush my heart into pieces. 

Just through the transparent white curtains, I see mom pacing around, talking to someone on the phone. 

I start walking towards the door so I can eavesdrop on the conversation since she has been acting suspicious. 

"Yes." 

"No way. She will be mad at me if she finds out!" 

She is speaking in low tones and I can not really hear clearly what she is saying or who she is talking to. 

"I can't. Sorry, Ramon. Bye!" 

The mention of that name literally freezes my blood. 

Ramon is out already? 

But she did not tell me. 

Why didn't she tell me? 

And why is she in communication with him?

My enemy? And most of all, what is it she is talking about with him? 

Mom hangs up and opens the door swiftly. 

She is astonished and she almost jerks in astonishment. 

"Mother?"

I give a sarcastic grin, just watching the naked shock on her face. 

"Camilla? How long have you been standing there?" 

"Long enough to hear you talking to Ramon." 

I fold my hands across my chest.

She shoots past me and resumes to the coffee table. She grips on the cup and sips the coffee nervously. 

"What? Aren't you going to say anything?" 

She sets the cup down and looks up at me.

 She sighs. 

"Ramon is back, Camilla. He came to see me and he wants to see you and his child." 

My heart leaps.

 I ask coldly with a frown. 

"And what did you tell him?" 

"That I don't know where you two are. He has been bugging me ever since..." 

"For how long?" 

"About a week now..." 

I am sure that is what she was afraid to tell me. She knows how much I hate that bastard. It is really sad that my baby had to look exactly like him... 

His brown hair and chocolate brown eyes... Everytime I look at the kid, I am reminded of his dad... 

Ugh! 

Stop Camilla! 

"Bring your phone!" I demand. 

"What!" Mom is confused. 

I snatch the phone from her and quickly block Ramon's number. 

And then i DELETE it. 

I give her the phone back. 

"Stay away from him!" I demand. 

She looks up at me. "I will. But be rest assured that Ramon will NOT stay away from you. He said that himself..." 

"What did he say exactly?," I ask in pure agitation. 

"He will find you and his child," she pauses. "No matter what." 

This means trouble... 

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