8 - Unexpected Curveballs

This chapter is dedicated to carlieann826 who together with @ashpash24 gave me this little motivational boost to pull me out of my little writing slump. Thanks you, guys XD

8 - Unexpected Curveballs

Rena's POV

I struggled with the Park's involvement in my life from the start. The fear that Ryan could harm Noah consumed me and it didn't help that everyone else around me told me to suck it up. The laws were clear - since I killed Brent, his parents had a right to establish a relationship with their grandson. Inadvertently, it was my fault if something would happen to my son because I had taken matters into my own hands. It seemed that my punishments were piling up.

The visits were at least supervised though I didn't trust the guardian, Angela Davenport, as far as I could throw her. I found her quite annoying in her hippie ways and she clearly wasn't a fan of me either. Noel told me that she usually favored mothers but we hit it off to a bad start when I constantly started crying at the outset of the visitations. I just couldn't stand looking at Ryan after everything he had done to Brent and resented Charlotte for siding with him despite being abused by him for so long.

Otherwise, my life was absolutely boring and ordinary. I went to school, minded my own business and refused to make friends. The slightest touch by a stranger irritated me and once I went totally off when a guy tried to hit on me. Therapy with Doc had become a nuisance - we were both fed up that I didn't make any progress. The only thing that ran smoothly were my probation visits. Mr. Rose was a busy man and ushered me back out of his office after a five minute update and a urine test. I wasn't a trouble maker back then and flew totally under his radar.

I could have easily continued to live in my isolated world in which only Noah, my dad, and Kade were a welcomed part if I hadn't run into Patrice one day when I was leaving Doc's office. I hadn't seen her in almost eighteen months, ever since the night she had left the shelter. After dropping off an envelope with Doc's assistant, she approached me when we were just about to enter the elevator.

"Hey, what's up?"

The question was casually tossed at me and I thought she was just being polite.

"Okay. How 'bout you?"

"Fine." She played with her manicured fingernails, the silence between us awkward. Just as the day I had met her, she was wearing designer clothes, a wool skirt sweater combination under a warm winter coat with soft boots all the way up to her knees. A beanie completed the ensemble, her long, bone straight hair falling halfway down her back. I had always wondered how black women got rid of their curls but felt stupid to ask the question.

"How is your mom?" I inquired instead.

She finally gazed at me, tears in her eyes. "She is having a lot of problems with my dad. It has been hell."

I instinctively stroked her arm. "You want to get some coffee and talk about it?"

A few tears tickled down her cheek. "Would you mind? My friends all don't know and I have no one else to talk to."

She looked so distraught that it made my heart cringe. "Not at all. Come on, my treat."

There was a small diner across the street from Doc's office which was almost deserted when we entered. A booth in the corner shielded us from nosy looks and guaranteed some privacy. We ordered coffee and apple pie and I gave Patrice some space until she was ready to talk.

"My mom finally filed for divorce just after Christmas, but my dad got temporary custody again." She stared at the wall with empty eyes. "When she tried to come home, he had changed the locks and didn't let her back in until she signed an affidavit that she had made up all that stuff about him. After that, he beat the shit out of her before calling us kids downstairs and forcing mom to tell us that she was a whore and terrible mother." Tears were rolling freely. "He made us spit on her."

The lump in my throat almost made me cry. "I'm so sorry, Patrice."

"That's not all." She wiped the tears off on her sleeve. "He made her drop the divorce after he told her that he'll take Lamar and Alyssa away from her and she would never see them again. Since then, he has been controlling her every move. She is not allowed to go anywhere without his say-so." The floodgates opened again. "And the other day, he spanked Lamar real bad. He wasn't able to sit without pain for a week. Everyone is just tiptoeing around the house since then, waiting for him to explode. It's unbearable."

I knew the feeling, having myself walked on eggshells around Brent for the longest time. "Did you tell Doc Sullivan?"

She shook her head. "I just talked to him a few times when the custody petition was still pending and only dropped off a check for him today from my dad. I don't really like him - he is a dick and very annoying. I never told him what was going on. If I did, my dad would probably kill me."

I couldn't help but smile. When I had first met Doc, I had hated his guts. The annoying part was spot on, that man had a talent to get under your skin with the most irritating questions.

"You know, Patrice, he's actually not so bad once you get to know him and could really help you. He has a lot of pull with the courts."

She was adamant. "My dad would find a way to get himself out of that mess and then he would come after me. No, I can't do it."

I thoughtfully stirred my coffee. "What about you? Does he still touch you?"

She lowered her eyes, blushing. "You know about that?"

A shudder ran through me when I remembered the day Marcus told me he was going to visit me on death row. "He made some inappropriate remarks to me and I figured it out. How long has he been sexually abusing you?"

She played with a strand of her hair. "Since I was fourteen." Her eyes found mine. "I'm going to Purdue University in Indiana in the fall and will be out of the house. Do you think he'll go after Alyssa?"

I shrugged. "I honestly don't know but he never struck me as a pedophile who would molest his own kids. I always thought he is more like a pervert who likes young girls and is only interested in you since you're not his real daughter."

She nodded. "Yeah, let's hope so."

It was time to change the subject when she asked about Noah. Proudly, I showed her pictures of him on my phone and she admired his small dimples.

"He is a cutie alright. How old is he now?"

I grinned at the picture that showed him with a smudged mouth after he spit up. "Three months. He's growing so fast and every time I blink, he has learned something new. He's really smart."

"I bet." She picked at a few leftover crumbs on her plate. "You know, if you ever need a babysitter, just let me know."

I was sure she didn't need the money, but couldn't shake the feeling that she was really lonely. "Sure, what's your number?"

She programmed it right into my phone and saved my number as well.

"So do you have a new boyfriend?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No. I think it'll be a while before I'm ready. Sometimes, I think I'll never trust another guy again."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I totally get what you mean. I don't know if I ever want another man to touch me after what my dad did to me."

"And what would that be, my dear?" The words were soft but deadly.

My head snapped up and I stare right into Marcus's face. How could I have missed him walking up on us?

Patrice didn't respond, her eyes glued to her plate.

Her stepdad squats down, his mouth right on the level with her ear. "I hope you're not spreading lies about me like your mom, because that would have some serious consequences."

Her face flushed and she bit her lip. She refused to look at him and didn't speak. I held my breath, instinctively knowing not to get into the middle of their confrontation.

"Patrice, answer me." The command was a bare hiss.

Tears began to roll but she stayed silent.

His large hand grabbed a bunch of her hair and he forced her to turn her head to face him. "I said answer me. What did you tell her?"

"Nothing dad, I swear." The words were barely a whisper.

His eyes were pitch black, a flame of rage burning deep within. "You little liar. Wait until I get you home."

The threat vibrated in my ears and I couldn't help speaking up. "Mr. Forrester -"

He cut me short when he poked his finger right into my face. "Don't side with my daughter or you'll regret it. It takes me one call to your probation officer and you'll spend the next month in jail. So, unless you want to be locked up again, stay out of my family's business and that includes any information you may have been privy to this afternoon." He grabbed Patrice's wrist and she let out a small cry.

My hands automatically balled to fists as tears of anger rose in my throat but I realized I was totally helpless. If I spoke up again, he would not only have me arrested but take is out on Patrice. No one would believe me over Marcus's word and he was just the type of man to punish someone just to prove that he was the one in control.

He pulled out his wallet and dropped a twenty dollar bill on the table before dragging a reluctant Patrice from the diner. He shoved her into a BMW convertible which had been parked at the curb before getting into the driver's seat. With screeching tires, he took off.

I was still numb when the waitress stopped by the table to ask if I needed anything else. Her face was blank and she was overly polite. I was sure she witnessed the whole confrontation but had decided not to get involved. She was such a coward - she could have called the police. Yet, even with all the domestic violence reports in the news, people still chose to look the other way when abuse like that happened in public.

When she handed me the check, I paid her with the money Marcus had left, allowing her to keep the change. In a way, it was blood money and I wanted no part of it. Still distraught, I left the diner and got on the next bus.

The whole way home, I replayed the scenario in my mind and my anger turned to panic. Those blazing eyes and threats, all this reminded me so much of Brent when he had been furious at me. A beating had usually followed. I rubbed absentmindedly the burn mark on my hand, my eyes staring blankly through the window. The worst had still been Marcus's hands - when he pointed his finger at me, he could have easily struck me.

When I got home, I stormed into my room. As soon as I hit the mattress, the tears began to flow. I wept into the pillow. I couldn't get the memories out of my mind - the pain, the fear, the desperation. Nausea crawled up and I pulled the blanket around my trembling body. I just couldn't erase those irate eyes that were still staring at me from every angle.

My dad sat next to me. "Hey, Rena, what's wrong?"

I sobbed. "I had a run in with Marcus and it really upset me."

His body went rigid. "Did he hurt you?"

"No." I sniffled into the crook of my elbow. "I had coffee with his daughter and he somehow found us and got really mad at her. When I tried to interfere, he threatened he would violate my probation."

A huff escaped my father's nose, he was thoroughly pissed. "Let me call down to the station and you can file a report against him."

I looked straight up into his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. You know that's not possible. He is the Deputy State's Attorney and no one would even believe me over his word. Plus, I'm not sure if he did anything wrong since he didn't even touch me."

He dropped his eyes, the truth was settling in. "What about his daughter? Will she back you up?"

Judging from her face, she wouldn't dare double-cross her stepfather. "No, Dad. She is terrified of him and will keep her mouth shut."

He sighed. "I guess you're right. The likelihood that someone will piss the Deputy State's Attorney off is rather slim. I'm sorry, kiddo." His face lit up. "Let me at least cheer you up and we'll get some takeout food."

I wasn't hungry. "That's okay." Wiping the last tears off on my arm, I glanced around. "Where's Noah?"

"Oh, Charlotte took him. She'll bring him back in an hour."

My eyes go wide. "What? How could you allow her to do that, Dad?"

He was dumbstruck. "Noel called earlier and requested it. Ryan isn't with her in Chicago and he felt it was a good peace offering to make the guardian happy. He said he would call you and clear it with you but when I didn't hear back, I thought it was okay."

With a huff, I slid off the bed and checked my phone. True enough, there were three messages from Noel. Feverishly, I dialled his number but he had gone to court. Kade was next.

"Your brother allowed Charlotte Parks to take Noah!" I yelled into the receiver without a greeting. "Should I call the police?"

"Calm down, Rena." His words only made me more anxious. "We couldn't get a hold of you and had to make a decision. Charlotte is not a threat to him and it will score you plus points with the court."

Panic was spreading in my body like roaring wildfire. "But what if she lied and Ryan is with her?"

"The firm's PI checked and he is down in Oklahoma, working a case. There is no risk to Noah, Rena. You shouldn't try to make Charlotte your enemy. In the long run, she could help you."

She failed to protect her own son when he needed her the most and will not get a second chance to do the same to Noah. "I hate her, Kade. I hate them both. It was their fault that Brent turned into this monster and I won't allow them to do the same to my son."

He sighed. "She is hurting. She lost a son which is really hard. I remember when Haley died - it was torture for my mom and she wasn't even her biological daughter. You really should cut Charlotte a break. She is an abused woman who has lost everything important to her."

The anger flared inside me. "And I won't allow her to steal my son so she can feel better."

There was a moment of silence. "I don't think we should keep discussing this over the phone. I'll swing by later and we'll talk. Just please don't do anything rash when she returns him. It might be best if you'd stayed in your room and let your dad handle it."

It was useless to argue with him, he was fully on team Charlotte in the matter. I couldn't believe he stabbed me in the back like that but I would most certainly give him a piece of my mind when he came over later tonight.

I just cut the line and waited for my son to be returned. In my mind, I was already taking Charlotte's head off and clawing her eyes out. After Marcus already got away with his charade today, I would not allow that bitch to trample over me, too. I was going to fight for Noah - even if the whole world was against me.


OK, Rena is getting into a bit of a fighting spirit here. What do you make of it? Do you think there will be big blow up with Charlotte? And what do you make of Patrice and her situation? You know from the last chapter that they must have stayed in touch since Patrice was the one who used her dad's credit card out in Indiana but do you think the two have become friends?

Please leave comments and don't forget to vote if this chapter deserved it XD

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