Chapter 11

No! No! No!
The sharp prick of the EpiPen causes Az to emit a hissing sound.
I silently thank God!
With the EpiPen safely discarded, I carefully lift my son into my arms, who seem to weigh hardly anything, and tenderly place him into his bed.
I rush towards the fridge to get some ointment relief for his swollen skin. The applicator has a metal cylinder that offers a refreshing coolness against his sensitive, overheated skin.
“Oh, Az! Why didn’t you read it before you ate, son?” I try to say calmly, but anger boils inside me.
Not with him. But with Chelsea.
Having sex with my husband is one thing, but attempting to murder my son is a whole other level.
“You should have read it! What if that happens and I’m not around?”
“I’m sorry, Mom,” he says in a weak voice, touching his throat.
The sight of him in pain causes my heart to shatter into pieces. “Shh, don’t try to talk. Wait until your throat feels better,” I say, carefully spreading the cream on his face.
He closes his eyes.
I thought it would be fine to leave him with his father, but it’s clear that it’s not a safe option. Not with Chelsea around!
“I think it will be better if you stay here this weekend instead of going to your father’s house.”
Az’s eyes snap open abruptly, causing him to wince in pain. “No, please, Mom. Let me go, I don’t want to be away from Dad.”
“Buddy, you’re not feeling well. Besides, your dad asked me to stay with you this weekend.”
“Ohh... He doesn’t want me to go there?” he asks, closing his eyes again.
Despite his already flushed face, it turns an even deeper shade of red at his question.
“What? Of course not, buddy! He wants you there. He is just busy,” I respond promptly.
“Please, Mom, I want to go! Let me go...” he says, almost begging, and I take a deep breath. “It wasn’t Chelsea’s fault. She didn’t buy this bar JUST for me. She has a box of it in her kitchen. She must have forgotten that I have a lactose allergy.”
Az, as always, has an uncanny ability to decipher the unsaid, making it difficult to hide anything from him.
“Still, it’s dangerous,” I say as I finish applying the cream.
I get up, and just as I’m about to leave his room, he says, “I miss Dad so much, Mom... Please let me stay with him this weekend. I love being with you, but I’m afraid he’ll end up forgetting me...”
I immediately stop on the way. I put the cream on the nightstand and hold his reddened hand. “Az, your father will never forget you! Never think that again, okay? We got divorced, but you have us both forever. Can you hear me? Forever!”
Az gives me a crooked smile because his face is still swollen. “Okay... Are you going to let me stay with him then?” he asks me with his pleading puppy eyes.
Uggh! How can I resist him? “Okay. But only if your father can stay with you the whole time! I have to talk to him first.”
Gosh! I already know I will regret this.
Even though it has been hours since Az’s body returned to normal, my heart continues to race, replaying the intense events in my mind.
Now, he is finally asleep after having barely eaten dinner.
My son is so fragile, so small. My concern for him is constant.
The following morning, he was already feeling much better.
Now, Az is bursting with excitement as he anticipates his visit to his father’s house.
Since buying a new phone is too pricey, I opted for a used battery from a nearby store yesterday to get my phone working again.
I’m glad I did it because yesterday evening, I called Logan and demanded that he look after our son while he was with him, and I told Chelsea to stay away from my son.
Yet, I won’t be there to stop her.
Logan’s furious reaction to what she did actually had a calming effect on me, making me feel more at ease about allowing my son to go there.
“Az, come on, take a bite!”
“I don’t feel like eating.”
“Well, you need to eat. You need fuel to grow strong and healthy.”
I know he might prefer a more diverse breakfast, but it’s the best I can do right now.
He glances at his book beside his plate and startles when he hears my firm voice. “Azrael Andrews, you need to eat!”
He looks up at me, shocked. I usually don’t pressure him to eat or become overly strict with him for any reason. But yesterday, he had an anaphylactic shock and barely ate anything. Today, he needs to eat properly. His body needs the nutrition.
Thankfully, he takes a bite of the apple, his face expressing surprise. “Okay, Mom. You don’t need to be so serious,” he says apprehensively, shifting in the chair.
It appears that he does not like me being too stern with him, just as I do not like being too stern with him myself.
“Good. Another bite, please.”

🐺 🐺 🐺
*Author’s note:*
*Hello, my lovelies!*
*I want to take a moment to emphasize an important point for those who might find themselves in a similar situation as Az.*
*If you ever need to use an EpiPen, it’s crucial to seek medical attention right away.*
*While the EpiPen can provide immediate relief from severe allergic reactions, it’s essential to follow up with a doctor to ensure that you receive the appropriate care and monitoring.*
*Your health and safety are paramount, so please don’t skip this important step.*
*xox,*
*Sadie*
🐺 🐺 🐺

Logan said he could only be with Az after 5 p.m. Since I worked today, I had no choice but to bring Az with me to school.
As always, he remained silent in his chair, but his eyes betrayed his eagerness to get out of there.
So, as soon as we got off school, I hurried to the market again because I had just received my payment.
“Mom, look,” Az says, motioning towards the toy section at the market.
I hold the shopping cart tight.
Az takes one of the samurai-style plastic swords and jabs it into an invisible person in the air, almost swaying from the force of the motion.
I laugh at his antics. “Careful. You could fall over and—”
“I know, I know, hit my head.” Az rolls his green eyes and lets out a huge, over-exaggerated sigh.
“You want it?” I ask, lifting the tip of my chin to point at the samurai-style sword.
“No, that’s okay, Mom! I don’t want it... This toy is too childish for me.”
He puts the sword back on the supermarket shelf with a disdainful look, and I hold back a smile.

🐺 🐺 🐺

After we reach Chelsea and Logan’s house, I open the car door for Az, and I barely have time to react before he unbuckles himself from his seat and races to the front door, calling out for his Dad in a cheerful voice.
My selfish ass can’t help but think it would be much, much easier if my son didn’t like Chelsea’s comfort house. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt this damn much.
But Az loves his Dad—which I’m grateful for—and Chelsea’s house is way better than mine.
I don’t want to take Logan away from him, or much less the comfort life Az can have with them.
Sadly, there’s not a lot I can do, but I hope Chelsea won’t attempt to feed him lactose-containing food again.
“Dad!” I follow Az’s excited chants toward Chelsea’s front door, where he warmly hugs Logan around the hips.
“Hey, son, why don’t you go inside and make yourself home?” Logan says to Az but looking directly at me.
Az glances up at him, still hugging him, and then directs his gaze towards me. I hand over his backpack to him with a smile, and subsequently, he obeys his father, entering Chelsea’s house, but not before hugging me.
The last time I set foot in this place was one of my life’s hardest days. I resort to blinking forcefully in order to rid my mind of the lingering image.
“You could have stayed with him this weekend, Alicent!” Logan says with a frown, crossing his arms as soon as Az disappears. “You ruined everything I had planned!”
“If it were up to me, he’d be staying with me, Logan, believe me,” I say, taking a step back. “But he insisted that he wanted to be with you.”
“Where’s my money?” He demands firmly. “Chel told me you got paid today!”
“I sent it to you earlier,” I say, taking a deep breath.
“It’s not enough! I want much more! I owe some people, Alicent, who...” He looks around, and for the first time ever, I see a flicker of genuine fear crossing his face. “Never mind,” he shakes his head with a sneer. “Good for you that you don’t have my last name anymore. The people I owe are after me, so lay low until you give me enough to clear my debts!”
“What?” I almost yelled at him. Almost. “What do you mean by that?”
Logan releases his crossed arms, grasps the door handle at his back, and opens the door before stepping inside the house. “These people are dangerous, Alicent. I told you to be prepared! Well, I don’t know why I’m telling you this, it’s not like you’re going out at night, right? You’re so boring! All you do is sleep or work.”
My blood boils in my veins, and I don’t even have time to respond because he abruptly slams the door right in front of me with a loud noise.
Oh, Logan. If you only knew!
Now it’s a matter of honor that I have a fucking one-night stand.