I nodded my head and forced myself again to smile. “O-Okay. Just call me if you need anything,” I said and watched him go to his room.
As soon as he's out of my sight, I lost it. The threatening tears from my eyes slowly streamed down on my face. Am I a bad mother for lying to my own son like this? Did I make the right decision? I don't know anymore!
I thought Aaron already forgot about his father. He went back to his usual self the next day. He became livelier again and I was so happy but at the back of my mind, I still couldn't help but to get worried.
“Mommy,” he whispered before bed, looking up at me with an expression that tugged at my heart.
“Yes, honey?” I asked as I caressed his smooth hair.
“Are you sure… he’s really gone? What was he like?”
My smile went frozen and didn't know what to say all of a sudden. He's pertaining to his dad. Here I thought he already forgot about it but he's asking about him again.
I forced a smile, tucking him into bed. “It’s… complicated, honey. Just… don’t think about it.”
“But…” He was about to say something but he was too sleepy to utter a word already. And seconds later, Aaron fell into a deep slumber.
That night, as I lay in the darkness, I couldn’t take it anymore. My love for my son was stronger than my pride. It was time to do something I had never wanted to do.
I reached for my phone, scrolling through old contacts until I found the number I’d once deleted, only to restore at the last moment. Alpha Damon. I hesitated, my fingers trembling over the screen.
He probably doesn’t use this number anymore, I thought. It’s been so long.
Yet I dialed, my heart pounding as I waited, almost praying he wouldn’t pick up. But on the fourth ring, he answered.
“K-Kierra? Is this really you?” His voice was deep, a bit raspy, as if he hadn’t expected to hear from me again.
I took a breath, struggling to keep my voice steady. “I’m not calling for myself,” I said, each word like a piece of broken glass. “I’m calling because our son needs you.”
There was a long pause. I could almost hear him processing the words, the years that had passed between us thick in the silence. Finally, he spoke, his voice barely a whisper. “Our son?”
My chest tightened. “Yes, Alpha Damon. Our son. He… he needs to know you’re alive.”