Chapter 105 Echoes of Silence.

Chapter 105 Echoes of Silence.
Maureen’s POV
~continuation~

Right where we were, we dialed Liam’s number countless times. Each call rang endlessly before dying into silence, the sound pressing heavily against my chest. Linda tried too, using her phone this time, pacing slowly as she watched the screen with growing concern. The result was the same. No answer. No acknowledgment.

My heart twisted painfully, tightening with every failed attempt. Regret crept in, sharp and merciless. I regretted not telling him everything when I had the chance. I regretted every secret, every moment of hesitation, every fear that had guided my choices.

“Don’t worry,” Linda said softly, resting a hand on my shoulder. “He might not be with his phone right now. I’m sure when he sees the missed calls, he’ll call back. You can also leave him a voicemail.”

“I don’t even know what to say,” I muttered, my voice muffled as my chin trembled. The words felt too heavy to form, stuck somewhere between my aching chest and my throat.

“You can tell him anything,” she replied gently. “Saying you’re sorry isn’t a bad thing either.”

I looked at her with blurry, swollen eyes, sniffing repeatedly as I tried to steady my breathing. Exhaustion weighed on me like a thick blanket. My body felt unbearably heavy, my limbs sluggish, my chest aching so badly I could barely think. Without another word, I dragged my feet toward the bed. I sighed deeply, then let myself fall onto it, curling into myself as quiet sobs shook my frame.

I could feel Linda’s gaze on my back, filled with pity. That look—sympathetic, helpless—was the one I hated most. Suddenly, my phone rang. I jolted upright, scrambling across the bed as my heart leaped wildly, convinced for a split second that it was Liam. But it wasn’t.

“It’s Alexa,” Linda whispered, holding the phone out to me.

I hissed under my breath. What could she possibly want? It was Saturday, not a working day. I turned my face away and lay back down, ignoring the ringing until it stopped. I waited for it to ring again, but it didn’t. I concluded it must not be important. Soon, exhaustion overtook me, and I drifted into sleep.

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the curtains, stabbing at my closed eyes. Sam’s cheerful voice pulled me awake. I groaned softly and shut my eyes tighter as the brightness intensified.

“Mommy, Mommy, let’s go to the zoo,” he chirped excitedly. “I want to see the giraffe and the ostrich. I heard they have long necks. Mommy, wake up!”

I turned slightly, the bedsheets clinging to my body. Slowly, I pushed myself upright, my head throbbing violently. My eyes refused to open properly.

“Good morning, Mommy. How was your night?” Sam asked again, climbing onto the bed and bouncing lightly beside me.

“Fine, sweetheart,” I replied hoarsely. “What about you?”

“I’m fine. Mommy, do you know going to the zoo makes you happy?”

I let out a small, tired chuckle. “Really?”

“Yes,” he said enthusiastically. “At the zoo, there are different animals. You get to see them, and you become happy seeing them.”

“Wow,” I murmured. “How did you know that?”

“Aunt Linda told me,” he replied proudly, then paused briefly before adding quickly, “Mommy, let’s go to the zoo so you can be happy. It’s a bad thing to be sad.”

“Oh,” I said softly, momentarily speechless. I nodded slowly. “Okay.”

“Thank you, Mommy!” he screamed joyfully, leaping off the bed and running toward the living room. “Aunt Linda, she said yes!”

I chuckled weakly, knowing fully well Linda was behind it. Minutes later, both of them dragged me out of bed. I was ushered into the bathroom, forced to bathe, and then coaxed into eating breakfast. The food tasted bland and lifeless, but I swallowed it anyway, for their sake.

An hour later, we were already at the zoo. Sam clung to my hand, pointing excitedly at everything around us, trying his best to cheer me up. It was obvious I was still sad. I couldn’t hide it. I wore dark sunglasses to conceal my red, swollen eyes, but nothing could mask the heaviness etched into my face.

Hours passed as we moved from one enclosure to another. When we finally sat down to have snacks, my mind drifted. I found myself scanning the crowd repeatedly, imagining Liam stepping out of nowhere, smiling softly and saying, ‘Baby, I miss you.’ I looked around again and again, my heart pounding with false hope.

Linda noticed. “Maureen,” she asked quietly, “is everything okay?”

“I don’t see him,” I whispered.

“Who?” she asked, confused.

“Liam.”

Silence followed. Linda studied my face, realization slowly dawning. I checked again, then gave up and pulled out my phone. I dialed his number. It rang out. I tried again. Still nothing. On the third attempt, tears welled up, blurring my vision.

“Maureen,” Linda said gently, “Liam isn’t coming.”

“But why?” I asked desperately. “He won’t even pick my calls.”

“You didn’t ask him to come,” she replied carefully. “And he never said he was going to…”

I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I stood abruptly. “I need to use the restroom,” I whispered before rushing away.

Inside, I locked the door and sobbed silently. My phone beeped. A message from Linda read: Get yourself together. Sam is here.

As I finished reading, I burst into tears again—louder this time.

“Hello?” a voice startled me. “Is everything okay in there?”

“I…I’m fine,” I stuttered.

“But you’re in the men’s restroom, ma’am.”

“What?” I screamed.

I flung the door open and froze, staring at three men watching me in confusion.

“S-sorry,” I muttered, rushing past them, my steps faltering.