Chapter 59

MELISSA'S POV
RECAP
As I waited for the kids in the living room, I tried to distract myself with an episode of the office but either the show had fallen off or I was too preoccupied with different thoughts I couldn't enjoy it. I couldn't get my mind off the fact that Ken had threatened to divorce me over a trivial matter, I mean, we weren't Mary and Joseph who didn't record any fights in the bible, we were Melissa and Kenneth and we fight a lot.
But with all our multiple altercations, Ken had never made such a statement so it made me feel uneasy. Amber had said he was drunk that's why he said it, but Ken was mostly drunk. What if he ends up drunk like that again and actually gets divorce papers, what would I do then? I couldn't possibly raise my two children without their father, could I?
I know Amber was doing it but I've also seen her complain and cry secretly cause it was very hard, I couldn't allow myself nor my children go through such an ordeal cause my once loving husband had switched roles with a drunk. I've heard Mrs Rosemary talk about endurance being one of the pillars of a lasting marriage and I've tried to implement everything she had ever said but marriage is hard.
The sound of a car driving into the compound brought me out of my daydream, Amber had arrived with the kids and I needed to talk to her. It wouldn't do to just sit and wait for Ken to get the divorce papers, I had to do something, fast. There were two options in regards to this case, try to stay in Ken's good graces or better still, serve him the papers first. The second one looked promising but the first was more secure.
If someone told me 10 whole years would pass but Daniel Fletcher's smile would still give me butterflies, I would have vowed to set my head on fire and ride on a flamy motorcycle into the dead of the night but here I was, 26 years old, 10 years after graduation, two kids and an asshole husband later and butterflies were swarming around in my stomach.
After the kids followed Clary, the nanny into the house, I walked to Daniel's black SUV with the intention of expressing my gratitude for bringing my kids home but also make enquiries why it was him and not Amber. Some things just didn't change even after so much time had passed and Daniel's sexual jokes were one of them,
'Are you supposed to look this hot after two kids?" He flashed me his smile that did things to my stomach. I was supposed to be offended that he had directed such a comment to a married me but instead I felt excited. Did he still feel I was hot even after all these years?
I tucked the smile that was threatening to pop out in my face, deeper into the same treacherous face, 'Thank you for bringing the kids back home" I decided to take another route, it wasn't wise to entertain Daniel Fletcher. Not at all.
I got another smile for ignoring his advances, 'Just doing Amber a favor, how are you, Lisa?" He winked at me. Was he supposed to be doing something like that? My brain was sending a thousand splendid signals to my heart but the organ was ignoring all of them as it started beating so loudly I was scared he was going to hear it.
Lisa was the name Daniel Fletcher had called me back in highschool, it had a nice ring to it whenever he said it and as he did, I jumped into a time machine back to a decade ago. I saw a younger me sitting in the back of the gym with my cheer leader outfit on and Daniel Fletcher winking as he blew me a kiss.
The young me had blushed profusely and honestly, I wouldn't blame her, there were only a few gorgeous men on the planet and Daniel Fletcher was in the minority. 16 year old me had giggled as he walked past every time he did and he did quite a lot trying to get my attention. It was funny though, his attempt to get my attention, I couldn't concentrate on anything that wasn't him.
'Let's do some catching up, Lisa. Go on a date with me" Daniel's voice sounded through my day dream, it was hard deciphering which one was talking. 18 year old, Daniel Fletcher, Assistant captain of the hottest set of boys in Oxford Oaks or 28 year old Daniel Fletcher, a CEO and still looked as hot as he did back in the days.
'Lisa?.." He spoke again and this time around I was sure it was the 28 year old Daniel Fletcher who was staring at me as I stood rigid next to the passenger side window staring at him or maybe into his eyes, I wasn't sure.
PRESENT DAY
The car looked like Amber's but I wasn't about to take the risk, it could be anyone. My foot was hurting as hell and Stacey was nowhere to be found along with Ken Jr.
The room was a complete mess as I tiptoed back into it, Ken hadn't followed me outside which meant he was probably in the bathroom and I was right, he wasn't in the room. I had told Stacey to get her brother and run after I got out of the room but as she ran downstairs, I realized I had left my phone on the dresser.
Blood was all over the floor and the phone was also on the floor next to the door, I didn't know what had prompted him to throw the phone at the door but whatever had pushed him was going to be the same thing that was going to get me and my children out of the mess I had put us in.