Prologue
“Melanie- what are you talking about?” My throat tightens watching the love of my life smile, lovestruck. Her eyes have never sparkled this brightly for me.
“I love you- just not… you’re not the love of my life,” she tries to explain, waving her hand out towards the street, a red minivan parked in front of our house late at night. This is how she got home tonight… Why are they still hanging around?
“Honey, what are you saying?” I laugh feeling my gut sink as she smiles again reaching for my hand to comfort me. My laugh cracking, exposing how nervous she’s making me.
“We’re not perfect together, there’s better people for us- out there somewhere in the world. The right person,” she starts and I jerk away feeling as though she’s assaulted me physically.
“Honey, you are my person, there’s no one else for me,” I tried to convince her. Does she think I’m cheating? Surely not, she knows I’d never do that to her.
“I’m not your person, there’s someone out there for you, so much better made for you. Do you think we’re perfect together?” She asks with a sad smile.
“Of course! Why do you think I proposed to you!” I laugh, waving my hand towards her freezing at her empty finger. “Your ring- where… did you take it off?” Waves of pain stab into my heart shattering it as I stare at her, seeing pity in her eyes. She pities me.
“I’m saving us both from making a mistake, you don’t love me, truly love me,” she shakes her head, her words a searing iron against my heart I’ve bared to her. She’s crushing it without a care.
“I know I love, truly love you, Melanie, why do you think that I don’t? What have I done to show you that I don’t love you?” I choke out hitting my chest. “It hurts for you to say I don’t when I’ve given up everything for you and our daughter,” I scoff, shaking my head in disbelief. This has to be some twisted test. I’d prefer it to anything else.
“Nothing- but I know fate and fate has brought my love back to me; she will do the same to you…” she trails off watching me with guarded eyes.
“You’re cheating on me?” My worst nightmare comes true at her silence, she has the audacity to blush in her shame, shaking her head.
“We aren’t meant for eachother, we’re nothing alike-”
“Nothing alike?” I laugh, the sound broken and harsh to my own ears. “Everything we have in common means nothing to you? The decade we’ve been together means nothing? I left my wife for you. Does that all mean nothing to you?” She flushes, raising her hands with a frown.
“You chose to leave your wife, just like your family chose to go no contact; they don’t understand love and it’s power-”
“Your love and fate mean more to you than me? Then our child,” she stops and stares at me, ears turning pink as her eyes flash with something hidden.
“I want Ashley to come with me, she’s like me- not like you.”
“Absolutely not! You aren’t taking my daughter to meet some prick you think is the love of your life. She needs her Dad,” I scoff, shaking my head pacing away from her staring out the window. “This is the asshole you’re breaking our family up for?” I want to kill the man.
“She needs to be with people like her, she needs me more than she needs you,” Melanie tries to argue, making me snort.
“You’re a heartless monster thinking you can steal my daughter from me when you’ve stepped out on us,” I growl, staring at her, stalking her. She scoffs, arms crossed suddenly defensive.
“As if you’re any better! You stepped out on your first wife, you didn’t mention you were married until we had been together for years, how do you think your wife felt?” This must be karma. My words are stuck in my throat, feeling the pain, the memories of her crying face, the pain and hatred in her eyes and self doubt all come back to me as if the day I told her I want a divorce is happening all over again.
“How long have you known him?” I choke out the words sitting down as my world collapses. She doesn’t answer yet I feel the weight of her stare.
“We met a few days ago,” she admits after minutes of silence.
“You don’t even know him,” I snapped, staring at her with venom.
“Fate brought us together,” she answers softly, the soft gentle smile she won me with years ago appears. She is gone. The smitten look in her eyes, the gentle expression thinking about it makes me sick.
“You just met him,” I argue, feeling weaker and weaker as I stare at her watching my world crumble before me.
“Love isn’t barred by time, I don’t need to know him for long to know he’s my soulmate.” I laugh, unable to stop the action, shaking my head at my sudden reality.
“You’re nuts and this is a mistake, you are making a mistake are you really going to leave us for some man you just met?” I shake my head at her, not knowing who she is anymore. Did I ever know her?
“I want Ashley to come with me, she needs-”
“Absolutely not!” Rage boils my blood staring at her. “You’re not stealing my daughter to be raised by some man you just met.”
“She’s my daughter too, you wouldn’t understand how to raise her, it’s best she comes with me where she’ll be accepted,” she tries waving her arms towards the stairs.
“No, you can go be a whore all you want, but you will not take my daughter with you,” I hiss standing to face her, she growls, the sound coming deep from her chest as her eyes flash dark amber.
“She needs to come with me, she’s my flesh and blood just the same, she needs her mother-”
“I’m not giving her up, I don’t care what you try to say. You should be here, being her mother, not trying to step out; what have we done to make you think we aren’t worth it?” Melanie shakes her head sadly glancing towards the window before she stares longingly towards the stairs.
“You wouldn’t understand Thomas… Fate brought me my soul mate. I never thought I’d be blessed with. Do your daughter a favor, let her come with me. She needs me,” she pleads quietly.
“Just stay Melanie, forget about him, whoever he is. You don’t need him, we are all you need,” I beg her one last time feeling desperate. Just chose me. Why aren’t we enough?
“I can’t Thomas… I’m sorry but you aren’t my soul mate… he is and I want our daughter to come with me, so we can be a family,” she smiles. I’m going to ruin you. I feel the pain and betrayal my wife must’ve felt all of those years ago.
“No,” I stare at her watching her freeze as she stares at me blinking slowly. “You can leave and pretend we’ve both died because you will not take Ashley from me.” My anger chills my boiling blood, a painful resolve choking me as I stare at her. She will be dead to me if she walks out that door.
“What? Thomas, she is my daughter too. You can’t raise her like she needs to be raised, you can’t be a good parent to her without me. You aren’t the same,” she growls, fists clenching. Her words make my rage unfurl as I stare at her with disgust.
“I am her father, of course I can raise her. She’s not going with you. You either stay or you forget we exist,” I argue, part of me begging her to stay and forget about that man. But then what? I wait for the next prick she deems her soulmate? The other part of me wants to ruin her in every way possible.
“I’m not staying-”
“Then get out, we’re dead to you,” I cut her off, shaking in my rage. I gave up everything for her. And this? This is what I get in return.
“Ashley is coming-”
“Get. Out. Now.” I point towards the door wanting nothing more than to strike her. So much for love. Melanie’s eyes widen in shock as she sputters.
“No, Ashley is coming with-”
“Do not make me strike you,” I seeth feeling on the edge of doing something I can’t say I’d regret. She needs to pay. “You are dead to us and if you don’t leave I will make you leave.” Her eyes snap open, mouth agape as she stares at me in shock.
“You won’t,” she argues quietly in disbelief.
“Keep standing here and you’ll find out,” I threaten stepping towards her, itching to hit her. It’s not right… but I don’t care right now. She must’ve seen something in my eyes as she steps back before staring at the stairs longingly. “Go up there and I won’t hesitate in making sure your toy knows just the kind of monster you’re trying to be. Does he know you’re married? Know you’re trying to pawn your child off onto him? What’s he going to think when he wants to fuck you yet you have grand plans for him to play dad?”
Melanie stops entirely to stare out the window with a growing frown, I can practically see the doubt festering in her mind. “He’s my soulmate…”
“Why the hell would he want to raise a kid that isn’t his? So early? Such a surprise, do yourself a favor and kill us both. You’re a widow- we’re dead,” I make it clear to her watching as the debate burns in her eyes before she stares down at the ground.
“Why are you doing this?” Her voice breaks in pain.
“You aren’t taking Ashley to be ruined. Just leave, make it easy for everyone,” I spit moving to the hallway pointing at the door. “Leave while you can keep us dead,” my threat hangs in the air as she stares at me before the steps one last time.
“You’re making a mistake Thomas,” she whispers, stopping in front of me, I stare at bright pale green eyes that I fell in love with. Love isn’t real. Her strawberry blonde hair pulled back in a half pony showcasing her soft cheekbones and her heart shaped face. Just like a little porcelain doll.
“You’re the one making mistakes,” I shake my head, reaching for the door. “Last chance before I go out there and ruin your farce,” I threaten again, barely holding myself back.
“Enough… you win,” she sighs, stepping between me and the door before she stares at me with anger. “You’re making a mistake forcing Ashley to stay with you… you won’t know how to keep her safe when she’s older.” Melanie states with anger as she steps outside and into the night. Fake woman, your threats are pointless. I know how to care for my daughter.
“What did I ever see in her?” I spit, grabbing the bowl on the side table. I hurl it against the wall watching it shatter against a decorative mirror. She’s dead to me, every woman is dead to me. Everything falls silent, the house, my heart and my head as reality sinks in. Melanie left me… for what? A deadbeat she just met? I’m disgusted to think she believes this man is better than me, than our family.
“Dad?” A small timid voice makes me turn around to stare at Ashley, a spitting image of her mother. How am I not going to hate you when all you do is remind me of your mother?
“Go back to bed Ashley,” I ordered, turning away and walking into the kitchen to grab a drink.
“But-”
“Bed!” I cut her off pointing at the stairs, her eyes widened before she scampered up the steps, her pink night gown tripping her in the process. Will I hate her too?
