"Hailey." Rob sighed and made her look up. "Don't worry, Mum and Dad won't stay here for long. They're going to depart soon.""Oh." Hailey nodded and buried herself deeper into the blanket. And she had the urge to ask him what he discussed with his mother. Why was the house suddenly quiet? Why wasn't the woman coming for her head? But Hailey waited first. She waited to see if he would bring it up."Rob," she called out his name. "Could you ask your Mum to stop saying mean words?" She said softly. Even though Hailey tried to reason with the woman, she could feel inside her heart that she didn't have any bad intentions toward anyone. Rob was sitting beside her on the bed. And he narrowed his eyes at her request. "I only want her to stop labeling me as a bad person," Hailey explained. She always felt some discomfort whenever his mother said those words. "Hailey." Rob shifted and he held her hand through the blanket. "I told you they will be gone soon," he said softly. "Don't worry
"Your mother-in-law?" Kara frowned, then her expression turned to an agitated one. "Urgh, don't tell me that his parents still bully you, Hailey. Why can't they leave you alone already?"Hailey pressed her lips together to suppress another sigh. Kara seemed to know about Rob's parents too. Maybe the couple had also bullied her in the past."Why don't you tell your husband," Kara suggested. "I'm sure he'll do something about it."Hailey wiped her hands clean and leaned against the counter. "He doesn't want to talk about it." Hailey shook her head slowly. "He only said that they'll be gone soon.""Really? Did they move to your house?" Kara asked and Hailey nodded. "That's bad." Kara shook her head. Then she placed a hand on Hailey's shoulder. "Since your husband said that they'll be gone soon, just exercise a little more patience. Also, understand why they're probably mad at you. Didn't you say that they prioritize the baby— I mean, they should be heartbroken about what happened, rig
***Hailey returned home from the diner, hoping she could speak with Rob about it. If she waited for the event to be close, he might not be pleased that she was telling him too late. Too bad, Rob didn't pick her up today. He had phoned her while she was still at the diner. He told her that he had to go somewhere important. And for the first time, Hailey had to take a taxi home, alone. Rob had texted her the house's address, but she didn't need that. She could tell the driver the direction of the house off head. And she did that successfully.Hailey had been proud of herself all the way. But her happiness was short-lived. Her heartbeat became faster as the car neared the house. For the first time, she was going to be in the house alone with Rob's parents. And Rob wouldn't be around. Although he hadn't been of much help in evading his parents' attack on her, she at least felt more secure in his presence. "What are you doing standing there?" Rob's mother's yell was the first thin
But before Hailey could pick up the card, the woman reached for it first."This looks expensive." She scrunched up her nose. "Tell me, you brat. Who gave it to you? Why does it have a phone number on it?"Due to the woman's commotion, Rob's sister and father had already appeared at the scene. And they watched without any care in the world as the woman berated Hailey non-stop."Is this what you use to communicate with that man? Is this his number?""No." Hailey shook her head quickly and got up from the floor. She didn't even know the man Rob's mother was talking about. And afraid that she would seize the card just like the money, she hurried toward her and held the card. "Please give it back," Hailey pleaded. "This isn't from a man, it's from a friend of mine and I need it."But Hailey's plea only seemed to enrage the woman further. She held on tight to the card and pulled at it. "Let go of it this instant!" The woman yelled. "Are you afraid that this is going to expose you? I'll
"I would have simply gone to a mental facility for the holiday. It might be more fun. Can't believe I have to be caught up in the middle of all this. I hate being dragged into matters that have nothing to do with me."Cassie did not allow Hailey to voice out her confusion. She looked annoyed as she muttered those words under her breath. And Hailey followed her in silence. When they got down the stairs and reached the living room, Cassie turned back with a roll of her eyes and simply walked back to the stairs. And Hailey watched the scene in front of her, her heart thumping again. Rob's parents were sitting on a couch and Rob stood in front of them. They seemed to be scolding him. The only thing that brought ease to Hailey's heart was that Rob was present. His parents' glare just awakened the fear inside of her."And she didn't bat an eye before cutting me," Rob's mother was complaining. She sobbed and showed her finger to Rob. The finger which was now wrapped in a thick cloth. "S
And all of a sudden, Hailey didn't know what happened next. One moment, she was standing beside Rob, and the next moment, she was on the floor with both palms on her cheeks. She couldn't register anything for a few seconds. Her cheeks burned and her eyes hurt with hot tears. There were also voices in her head, indistinct voices. "R–Rob." Hailey lifted her head, hoping that it wasn't he that slapped her, it must be his father.But Rob's father never left the couch, and Rob towered over her, staring down at her with rage in his eyes. "I warned you not to talk back."Hailey hadn't come to terms with her shock yet. She stared at him in a daze, but he pulled her off the ground and shook her. "I have warned you several times, Hailey. How dare you speak to them like that?"Instantly, her vision became blurry. A sob left her lips and her tears fell rapidly. She never saw this coming. She never thought that Rob would believe his parents. Helplessness and grief compounded in her heart.
This new feeling was familiar. There was no doubt, she almost had a baby. She could feel it in her heart that she'd experienced this feeling of loss before. "B–But how?" Hailey demanded. How did she lose her baby? What exactly happened? Rob's sadness grew, his expression looked more sullen than ever. He led her to the bed and sat her down."Remember the story I told you about how you developed this illness?" He sat beside her and asked. Hailey wracked her brain and searched for her memory. She could still remember him telling her the story, however, she had forgotten about the details. "You've forgotten," Rob said calmly as if he was expecting that.And he told her the story again. He told her about how she'd wanted to work in a company and she met with a tyrant boss. Her boss abused her mentally and made her life hell. She fell pregnant during those moments, and because he overworked her day and night, she ended up having a miscarriage. Her pregnancy was only three months old.
Run as far as she could?Hailey stood confused in the middle of the room. What sign did Cassie talk about and why did she need to run? Just when she thought Cassie must be at least cooler than her parents, it turned out every member of Rob's family was weird in their own way. While Rob's mother would jump at any opportunity to pick a fight with her, his father was always at his wife's beck and call even if she was wrong. And Rob. Well, he had no choice but to act as if he didn't care about her in his parents' presence. While Cassie was the strangest of them all. She uttered words Hailey wouldn't understand.Although her marriage with Rob didn't seem to settle well with her also, why would she tell her to run instead of outrightly asking her to leave her brother alone?Hailey scratched the back of her neck as those confusing thoughts played in her head. She left the room and carefully pulled the door close. Then she walked down the hallway heading to the stairs. She met Rob's paren