Chapter 34: Escaping Again

“I already gave you a chance to disappear with your son forever but, apparently, you decided that our agreement was over. I’m only going to advise you once. Take your kid and get the hell out of this town, leave Finn for good, or face the consequences. You already know what they are.”

Gwen read the letter twice, her hands shaking compulsively. It was hard to breathe, her legs didn’t seem to be following her command, and her brain was numb.
She knew that was a possibility, but she wasn’t expecting it any time soon. Just when she decided to try to make things work with Finn again. It was like she was being watched. Luck was definitely not on her side.
She had to leave. Leave Finn, leave town, leave this new life behind; a life she shouldn’t have allowed herself to live in the first place. She had been threatened before, but even so, she decided to play with fate.
Now she would have to pay if she didn’t do anything. Gathering the strength she didn’t know she had, Gwen got up from the floor and opened a few suitcases on her bed.
She started to toss everything she judged necessary from her and Cody inside, realizing that Cody was not there. Why, out of all days, he had to be sleeping at Finn’s today? It would be impossible to run away now, without anyone knowing.
“Okay, calm down, Gwen. Think!” she pressured herself, trying to ease her mind for a bit. She couldn’t do anything without thinking well. “Okay, pack the cases, and buy the tickets. You can pick Cody from school tomorrow and leave before anyone notices,” she said to herself, grabbing some clothes from Cody’s wardrobe and putting them inside the bag.
“Yes, that’s it,” she continued, saying everything out loud so she didn’t forget anything.
After packing, she opened her laptop and searched for a flight the next afternoon.
All her feelings arose even though her body felt still paralyzed from the shock; the remorse for leaving Finn and Stephanie behind without saying anything, the job opportunities, the illusion of finally having a happy family with Cody and Finn.
Everything was disappearing in front of her eyes as she clicked on the confirmation button. Her tears were on the way, blurring her sight, and Gwen lowered her head, giving in to sadness. She didn’t even know how to describe the pain she was feeling. It was like her heart had shrunk to the size of an olive, but it hurt like it was about to explode from inside.
Feeling powerless was the worst feeling she could face at that moment. She couldn’t believe that she had no strength to fight for what she wanted.
Closing her laptop with a blow, Gwen put their passports inside her purse and tried to sleep, though she didn’t succeed.
The next morning, if she didn’t show up for work, Finn could get worried and go after her. That would only make things harder. So, putting on an enormous amount of make up to disguise her dark circles, Gwen put the bags inside her car and went to the office.
She could barely concentrate on her work, looking at the clock and counting the minutes before she could leave. Finn hadn’t appeared all day, which she considered a good sign. She and Cody would be miles away when he finally missed them.
And when it was time to pick the little boy from school, reality started to strike. Gwen broke out in a cold sweat, her hands were shaking, her lips were dry and she couldn’t stop looking around as if someone was watching her the whole time.
She arrived at the school gate as Cody was leaving. The teacher looked at her as if she was about to faint.
“Are you okay, Miss Miller?” she asked, passing Cody’s hand to her so she could take the kid.
“What?” Gwen asked, surprised. “Yes, yes, I’m fine. Thank you! Have great night, see you tomorrow,” Gwen said, pulling Cody and turning away.
“Are you sure you’re ok, Miss Miller?” The teacher asked again, but Gwen was already too far away to answer. Gwen didn’t even speak while putting Cody in his car seat.
The kid was looking at her confused, as if he knew something was up.
“Mommy, what happened? Are you okay?” he repeated the same question as his teacher.
“Yes, baby, mommy is fine. Look, let me tell you something,” she swallowed, trying to come up with something plausible to convince her son. “We need to make a quick trip, alright? Mommy has to go on a work trip, so you’re coming with me, okay?”
“Why? Can’t I stay with daddy?” Cody asked, his eyes already holding tears. “I don’t want to go.”
“Daddy is busy with work, honey,” she explained, sitting on the driver’s seat and starting the engine.
“And what about Aunt Steph?” Cody continued, trying to find a solution.
“Aunt Steph is also busy. We’ll be back soon, okay, Cody? You don’t need to be upset,” she continued, feeling her heart break into pieces for lying to her own son.
She knew he would never see his father again. And that was even worse than the first time she left, because now Cody had met his dad and was already very close to him. She would tear him from his arms like an evil witch. That’s how she was feeling, even though she knew it wasn’t her fault.
Gwen stopped the car in the airport’s parking lot and grabbed the suitcases, before taking Cody out of his seat. She had to ask for help; she wouldn’t manage to get to the gate by the right time if she had to take Cody and the cases by herself.
She called a man that worked at the airport to help her to check-in, and proceeded to the gate, holding the passports in hand and trying to assure Cody that they were coming back. Long minutes passed until she heard the announcement she was dying to hear. The sooner she got inside the plane, the sooner she would be free from that nightmare.
“Ladies and gentlemen traveling on flight GR3371, please have your boarding passes and passports ready at gate 12.” The voice on the speaker announced, making Gwen jump out of her seat.
It was about time, she thought. The line was huge, so she had to wait patiently until it was their time to show the tickets and passports.
“Good evening, miss,” the airline assistant said to Gwen as she grabbed the documents from her hand.
She typed something on her keyboard and checked Cody’s and Gwen’s passports. Gwen saw the woman frowning at the screen in front of her and typing something hastily right after, checking and rechecking their contact information several times.
“Is everything okay?” Gwen asked standing on her tiptoes, trying to see what was on the screen.
The woman looked at her with a puzzling face and Gwen felt her stomach freeze immediately.
“Miss Miller, I’m afraid you can’t board on this plane.”