Chapter 4

I was starving; full out roaring stomach style. All I could remember about the dinner I “ate” last night was the food that I barely touched before Adam waltzed in and kicked me out.

Wow, I actually felt more offended by the fact that he kicked me out before I got to actually eat anything than the fact that he kicked me out, period.

So there I was, sitting alone in a depressed looking corner of a depressed looking restaurant with a depressed looking table on a depressed looking chair, feeling depressed. My hoodie was covering my face from view and it gave me a sense of isolation and privacy, if that even made sense.

A waiter came to take my order and I spent 3 whole minutes just going through the menu because nothing looked appetizing enough to eat. Goddamit stomach, make up your damned mind.

Finally, I settled for a Bolognaise spaghetti and blanketed mozzarella with french fries on the side.

What can I say? A girl’s gotta eat what a girl’s gotta eat.

The waiter left to input my order while I decided to let myself look around and stare as I please. People would probably think I’m rude for staring but I honestly couldn’t find it in me to care anymore. I was too tired and too carried away with the depressed mood of my surrounding to even think about what would be running in their heads by then.

Something in the corner of my eye caught my attention though; a familiar hair color that I couldn’t possibly forget.

It was impossible to forget the shade of his hair even if it was styled then. I quickly turned my whole body to look at the man who was walking past the restaurant with three little kids in his arms. A little Asian boy was sat on his shoulders and was pressing his tiny fingers onto the man’s forehead to the point that the area started to turn white.

A dark-haired girl with dark skin and doe-like eyes was being carried against the man’s side and was playing with the fabric of the man’s shirt. His left arm was circling her small waist and he hugged her close to his build. His right hand was linked to a slightly chubbier little boy’s hand. The kids looked around with their innocent and oblivious eyes while the man’s eyes were cautious and weary.

While his grip on the kids seem to be loose and his strides weren’t going on a frantic pace, his eyes darted everywhere a few times as if to make sure that they weren’t being watched. I casually placed my menu up and slid my body down on my chair slightly to hide my face while I watched them.

I kept on watching them through the restaurant’s window while they strolled past by me. The little girl tugged slightly on the man’s shirt and pointed somewhere to their right.

My eyes followed their line of sight and saw a park with an ice cream stand near it. I saw the man nod and with a slight disbelief, watched them cross the road to get some ice cream.

I didn’t know what I was expecting but it definitely didn’t include the man, who I thought was a maddened and cruel, man to comply to the little girl’s demands and actually buy all three of them a cone of ice cream each.

After buying the ice cream, they kept walking and turned a corner, disappearing from my sight. I released a breath and looked to my left where the waiter was looking at me weirdly with a tray full of my order in his hands.

My stomach grumbled angrily at the sight of it, demanding to be fed as soon as I get my hands on the food. The second the waiter set the food on the table, I took the laid out utensils and started wolfing down on it. While chewing, I tried to savor the taste and think about what I saw earlier at the same time.

Surprisingly, the food in my mouth didn’t turn bitter at the thought of the guy who forced me into joining the competition that might claim my life. The sight of the children clinging onto him softened a part of me that saw him as the enemy; the part that hated him for being a threat to my family and to Adam’s.

It was definitely my fault for diving head first into this life impulsively without thinking about the consequences that might affect the people I love. I was selfish and stupid. This train of thought was what made up my mind to leave Adam.

‘Who were those kids?’ Now that I thought about it, it was a bit strange. Could it be his children?

Considering our generation’s high teen pregnancy rate, I shouldn’t be surprised. But that’s not likely since none of their features resembled his; not even by the slightest.

Or it could be children he snatched from gullible parents; although I didn’t see fear etched on their faces or understand why he would do that if it would add up to the list of people he needs to spend money on, it was still possible. He could be into child trafficking. I mean, he didn’t exactly present me a very bright first impression.

Perhaps it’s his nephews and niece? I never thought that the man who threatened me in the woods would have the heart to nurture or be kind to children. He did blackmail me by endangering my loved ones’ safety, so excuse me for my lack of faith and belief.

Thoughts that those children might be trafficked sent a ringing alarm in my head. I stood up abruptly from my chair, almost knocking my chair backwards, and pulled out a few notes to pay the bill before dashing out of the small restaurant.

I took off running in the direction I saw them head last. A few meters ahead, I saw a small park and the sight before my eyes halted my next steps. I slowed down to a walk and eventually, my feet stayed rooted to the ground.

I saw the man that threatened my family standing behind a child who was sitting on the swing. He helped push her gently and the girl squealed in excitement, her dark hair falling behind her every time the elder man pushed her forward. Her small hands gripped the chains holding the swing and her eyes were squinted while the other two boys played with the slide a meter away.

Unconsciously, I started creeping closer and slid behind a tree. I was close enough to hear what they were saying and all I could hear was laughter and the young girl’s squeal.

“Colton, can I go next after Ollie?” One of the boys asked him. He had blonde hair and he had a blue shirt and a darker shade of blue trousers on. He was standing beside the slide while the other boy was already climbing up the stairs to go for another round.

The other boy was tanned and looked to be a little bit older than the girl but definitely younger than the blonde kid. None of the kids seemed to acknowledge the difference in their skin color or origin. The sight made me smile and for a minute, forgot that I was spying on the man who threatened the safety of my family.

At least they didn’t seem like they were kidnapped since they all looked like they were fond of this ‘Colton’ dude. He didn’t look half as bad with these kids around him but I can’t give him any more than that since he did blackmail me.

I spent the next 10 minutes milling around and trying to hide from their line of sight. There were a few times that Colton probably felt like he was being watched and, from where I was standing, I could see that he was looking around with narrowed eyes. Eventually, it got to the point that he ordered the kids to stay and look after one another while he stepped away and started walking around. That was all it took for me to bolt out of my hiding place before he could find me.

I pulled on the hoodie on top of my head and tightened it so that it wouldn’t fall off before running away, hearing Colton’s enraged shouts behind me.

The sound of boots hitting the ground in a faster pace than my own shoes made panic shoot through me. I pumped my legs faster and turned into a secluded alley, running past buildings, in and out of main roads with cars beeping their horns at me.

A car beeped their horn so loudly that it startled me for a moment before I realized that I was going to crash into it if I didn’t think of something soon. I couldn’t stop now; Colton would catch up to me and find out who I was and would then figure out that I’ve been stalking them in the park. He then would probably kill every single person I love.

A distant memory of my brother teaching me how to jump over the hood of a car when I was younger filled my head and my limbs took over, relying on the memory to guide their movements, all I could do was pray that I wasn’t going to break my neck while doing this like I almost did last time.

The car came at me and I braced myself, running ahead and chanting ‘Just do it!’ in my head for the umpteenth time while pushing away all my concerns.

When the car was in front of me, I swung myself towards it and reached out, I planted my palm on top of the warm cap of the engine and jumped forward, swinging my feet and angling my body with my hand as a pivot. I didn’t stop even as my feet hit the pavement; I just kept on running until I was far enough to feel safe.

I finally looked back and when I didn’t catch any sight of my pursuer, I started to walk back to my car and gave myself some time to catch my breath. That was not easy shit. I think I burnt all the calories I put on the last month. Especially jumping over that car; it’s a miracle I didn’t have a heart attack by how fast my heart was beating.

It was noon when I finally reached my car and continued on with my journey home.

The whole drive home, I wondered what he could possibly be doing in that small town. Was his family there? Was he just taking the children out on a mini getaway? Was he visiting someone? Was he visiting the children?

Even when I reached home and walked into the empty house, I couldn’t stop questioning his business in that town.