Chapter Nineteen — Over

Maria paced the living room and wrung her hands nervously. She knew she shouldn’t have been so outspoken, but was that really reason enough for Joseph to punish her like this? Where Chad had hurt her with words and his fists, Joseph was doing it by giving her the cold shoulder treatment her mother had so often used too.

Hopefully, he would be home soon and they could finally talk. She couldn’t take the silence between them anymore. Especially now that all the worries about Bethany and her mother seemed to affect her stomach. For the last two days, she woke up and the first objective of the day was running into the bathroom to throw up.

Maria craved his calming purr and soothing touch now more than ever.

Moose who had been watching her pace suddenly perked his ears and wagged his tail. He looked out of the wide living room window and yipped when Joseph’s truck came into view. Maria took in a deep breath caught between nervousness and determination. She wanted to mend things. He had treated her so well, shown her that she was truly more than just a plaything and a scapegoat, and she didn’t want to lose that to the wrong words uttered during a heated argument.

He stayed in the car for a few more moments, worrying her. His knee had been as bad as ever lately and it seemed to slowly take its toll on him. Maybe she should quickly draw a bath for him, and get a glass of water and Tylenol for him before he even entered the house. She wanted to care for him like he had done for her in the beginning. God, she had never really thanked him for saving her life. Maybe that’s what bothered him and why he kept his distance. Maybe he thought she was ungrateful.

A shiver ran down her spine. She was more than grateful. She loved him for everything he was and everything he showed her since stepping into her life and making it a million times more worthwhile. Without him, she would have died in the snow that day. He was her everything.

Her train of thought was interrupted by the truck door slamming shut. Maria watched Joseph limp toward the house and followed Moose after he dashed for the mudroom door. She put on a smile when she opened the door and greeted Joseph.

It faded quickly though. The air around him burned her lungs. She had never smelled a fouler scent in her life, not even when Chad had been out of his mind while beating her. She swallowed against the wave of nausea that crept up her esophagus.

“Hi,” she tried and was only met with silence as the Alpha entered the house and threw the entrance door shut behind him. The stench only became worse now that the fresh air from outside couldn’t dilute it anymore. It was a mixture of anger and something deeper… devastation, maybe? Where had he been that he returned in such emotional turmoil?

Not thinking about it, Maria closed the distance between them and started to purr as comforting as she could muster while still retching on the inside.

“Stop,” he snapped and looked at her for the first time since he arrived. His upper lip turned into a snarl as she stayed too close for comfort. He stopped the underlying growl vibrating through the thick air between them only when she took a step back.

Maria’s heart sank. He had never growled at her and she had never thought he would. It was all her fault. Tears clouded her gaze.

“I’m sorry, Joseph,” she whispered and clutched her hands to her chest. She itched to reach for him, but fear of him snapping just like Chad had done, stopped her. Maybe it was all her fault; that she was bound to make Alphas angry at her because she was a bad Omega.

Joseph shook his head and squeezed past her, limping worse than ever.

“Can I bring you something?” she tried again, but was ignored.

He leaned heavily against the kitchen counter and seemed deep in thought, the scent of foulness slowly filling the big room.

“Pack whatever things you arrived with,” he eventually said and Maria didn’t need to ask to know what that meant. He was going to send her away. She had fucked this up beyond repair. It was really all her fault. Where was she supposed to go? She didn’t have anyone in this world apart from her mother and sister, and they were with Chad. Did he want her to return to him? Did he care at all?

Maria swallowed against the lump forming in her throat and went into the bedroom to change out of his oversized sweater and into her own, much thinner and less comfortable clothes. She hated them, hated what they reminded her of and what she would probably have to return to now.

Moose’s happy bark echoed through the house and a second later, Maria heard the voice of Alma greeting the big dog. So, Joseph had called his sister to take her away. Would she just dump her at a bus station or maybe a police station?

“You want me to do what?” Alma screeched just as Maria exited the bedroom, her feet heavy and her heart sinking more with every step.

“Just take her away.”

“Have you lost your mind? She’s perfect for you.”

Maria heard him whisper something unintelligible, but clearly angry. It seemed to do the trick because when she appeared in the doorway, Alma only stared at her brother wide-eyed. Whatever he had told her, had definitely shut her up. She looked over her shoulder to Maria and gave her a sad smile.

“Let’s go.” Alma moved over to her and stopped before she turned back to her brother one last time and added, “We’ll talk about this.”

Joseph gave her a snarled, “Leave,” and crossed his arms over his chest. He didn’t look at Maria, not even when she thanked him for everything he had done for her. Disappointed and heartbroken, Maria followed Alma out into the mudroom. Moose trotted after her with a happy face. He didn’t understand and it broke her heart even more. This kind animal understood all of this even less than she did.

She knelt down and ruffled his thick fur, burying her face in his neck before anyone could see the tears running down her cheeks.

“Maria, please,” Alma whispered and held out her coat for her.

She thought about asking Joseph once again for an explanation or a second chance, but it wouldn’t change anything. It was over.

***

The drive away from Joseph’s house was silent. The only other car she saw was a dark blue sedan that appeared to follow them, but Maria decided she was getting paranoid, especially when the car took another turn at the next intersection. Alma was quiet as she drove. Where? Maria had no idea.

It didn’t matter right now. The only thing Maria could think about was what she had destroyed with only a few words uttered in anger. At least he hadn’t hit her.

“Do you have anyone to call? Someone you can stay with?”

Maria shook her head and looked out of the window as the world flew by outside. She didn’t have anyone.

“Okay,” Alma said and blew out a deep breath. “I guess you can stay with us for a while until you know where to go or until Joe finally gets his head out of his ass.”

She shook her head and curled and uncurled her fingers around the steering wheel. Alma stayed quiet for the rest of the drive. When they arrived at her apartment, Maria was uncertain if this was really a good idea. The streets were covered in garbage and graffiti covered the walls of the badly maintained houses. This didn’t seem like a safe place to raise children… or house an Omega. It was better than nothing, Maria told herself and smiled when Alma asked her if she was all right.

“Considering the circumstances, I guess so.”

“You definitely cry less than I thought you would.”

“Because I am an Omega?”

“Because I thought you loved him more.”

This didn’t sit well with Maria and her scent quickly changed. “He sent me away for whatever reason. If he had asked me, I would have stayed the rest of my life with him, contently.”

Alma unlocked the door to her apartment and lifted one hand in a soothing gesture. “I’m sorry. I just remember how much of a wreck I was when Kiernan left me and the boys. I was useless for two weeks straight. If not for Joe, I would probably still be eating chocolate ice cream and mini-marshmallows while watching rom-coms nonstop.”

“That actually sounds pretty nice right now,” Maria whispered as they entered Alma’s home.

***

Over the next two days, Maria slept on the couch while Alma shared the only bedroom with her sons, played memory games with the boys and otherwise stuck to herself. Alma worked long hours and called Joseph at least once a day to argue with him, but whenever she hung up, Alma wouldn’t say what was going on. Maria felt like one single raw nerve. She tried her best to look forward, but to what? She had no money, no formal education and no documents. If she tried to find a job, she couldn’t even use her own name lest people recognize her as the missing Omega from Rosslow. And seeing Charlie and Aiden didn’t make things better. Every time they laughed, she was reminded that she would never have children of her own. Whenever they came to cuddle with her, she had the feeling of faking comfort. Every interaction hurt.

On the morning of day three, she couldn’t take it anymore.

“I’m sorry, I have to see my sister and my mother,” she told Alma over the breakfast table. She looked down at her cup of cocoa. “And since you don’t want to tell me what’s wrong with Joseph, I have nobody else in the world.”

“Trust me, if I could, I would tell you everything I know, but I am still working on it. His stubbornness is legendary.” Alma let out a sigh and shrugged. “It will probably get him killed one day.”

Maria’s heart clenched at that. Even now that he had sent her away, she couldn’t stop thinking about Joseph and the last thing she wanted was bad things happening to him. Something was wrong and she hoped that when everything was okay again, that he would reach out to her. That sliver of hope was the only thing she could cling onto. That and her sister. Her mother probably wouldn’t listen, but Bethany?

Hopefully she was still okay. Chad had only ever been angry at her and nobody else, but if Bethany didn’t behave or did something wrong, who could say he wouldn’t snap at her too?

“Where do you want to go?”

Maria took a sip of the thick, sweet beverage. “To my family. My mother and sister.”

“But aren’t they living with your husband at the moment?”

Maria nodded, a shiver running down her spine. “Yes, but today is Wednesday. Chad usually spends the evening at the gym to keep fit and make sure he is still seen as a completely normal person.”

Now she could see how fake Chad was. He had only ever participated in charity when he was certain a camera would be present to document his humanity. Everything he had done, had only been for show.

“I see. But I can’t bring you there. I have work in an hour and the boys still need to get ready for the day. They will definitely miss you.”

“I will miss them too,” Maria said, only half telling the truth. They were wonderful children, smart and simply sweet as sugar, but even though they were of a much darker complexion, she could see so much of Joseph in them. She saw him in their sparkling eyes and wide smiles.

Alma nodded and walked into the entrance space to retrieve her secondhand purse. “I’m sorry, I can’t give you more.”

She handed her two fifty-dollar bills with a sad look in her eyes. Maria felt bad taking it. She needed it, but she also knew that Alma and her boys needed every penny they had.

“I will pay it back once I can, I promise.”

Alma waved her hand dismissively. “Nah, just promise me you will not go back to that asshole indefinitely. If your mother and sister don’t believe you for whatever reason, get on a bus and come back here. You’ll always have a place with us.”

“Thank you. I will.” It was calming to know she was welcome somewhere, even if it was on the couch of a one bedroom apartment.