Chapter 69 I will fight for custody
I stayed there for close to one hour, and by the time I left, my eyes were puffy and my throat dry. Talking became painful for me. I drove back to the house, while Dashiell returned to wherever he had in mind. He knew I needed a moment to myself, and didn't strike up any conversation with me. He just let me be.
At home, I left the kids with Mara and retired to my room, so I could cry to my heart's content without being disturbed. I plopped down on the bed and closed my eyes, letting everyone wash over me.
I took a leave from work to avoid being bombarded with questions. I looked like a zombie. My eyes were bloodshot, and the dark circles around my eyes were alarming. Having stayed up all night, thinking back to the precious time I spent with Mama Kaka, I barely had sufficient rest. I slept at the crack of dawn, but it wasn't enough to soothe my soul.
After I had my bath and an ice cream, I felt good. Even though the weight of Mama Kaka's death was still there, I felt lighter. Having let out those tears made me feel good. Dashiell called to check up on me. He didn't ask about my babies. He only asked how I was doing and hung up after I told him I was feeling better.
I will fight for custody
"Thank you." I smiled at her. "It's good to be back." I walked into my office. "I still have some things to take care of. I don't think Dashiell will let me take more than two days off work." Striding over to my desk, I plopped down on my chair as I let out a breath.
Though Dashiell wouldn't have minded if I took a year off, I wasn't about to abuse that. Not only that, but mourning shouldn't take that long. Even though I still felt bad, and wanted so badly to return to the graveyard, I know Mama Kaka wouldn't want that. If she were to be alive, she would have loved to see me at my work. And I vowed to make her proud.
"You don't have to worry about it. I have done some of your work for you." She walked over to my desk and picked some files up. "I couldn't access your system, so I had to work with the ones I could find. Not only that, but I have prepared a draft of the design you proposed. We are waiting for you to go through it, so we will proceed."
I blinked, stunned at her words. "You guys did the work for me?" It was unbelievable. I thought I would return to work, to meet my desk filled with enough work to last me a lifetime, only for them to complete everything for me.
"I did it." She sat on the chair opposite mine, smiling shyly. "I knew you must be going through some personal issues, which was why I wanted to take the chip off your shoulders. You don't have to thank me, though. It's the least I can do for you."
"Thank you."
"Come on." Groaning, she fell from the chair. "I have some things to take care of. See you later!" Without waiting for me to call her back, she ran out of my office.
A smile tugged on my lower lips as I watched her. Benita certainly was like a kid.
....
I spent most of the day designing a new necklace. Mama Kaka had a special necklace she always wore. She said it was passed down to her mother from her grandmother, who got it from her mother. Though I couldn't recall much about the designs on it, I wanted to recreate it for the new unveiling.
A knock sounded on my door an hour after lunch, and Dashiell walked in. He smiled when I lifted my gaze towards the door. "Good afternoon," he greeted as he hurried over to my side, smiling. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm good." Nodding, I narrowed my eyes at him, my eyes taking him in. "What are you doing here?"
"I brought this for you," he said, opening the box to reveal a beautiful silver necklace with a small locket. "It was Grandma's. I know how much she loved you, and I think she'd want you to have it." He passed the pocket over to me, smiling. "It's yours. You can have it."
My fingers instinctively reached for the jewellery, but I pulled back, feeling a pang of remorse. "I can't accept it. We're not together anymore. It's not right."
As much as I wanted to reach out to take the necklace I was thinking about a few minutes ago, I couldn't do that. The guilt couldn't let me do that, not when I knew what taking it would mean.
He persisted, placing the box in front of me. "Please, take it. She would've wanted you to have it. You were like a granddaughter to her. You know Mama Kaka loved you more than she cared for any of us. I know she wants you to take it. It doesn't seem right for you to reject this. Please have this, Nova. It's yours."
"No, it's not. It's not mine." I tried to push the box back, but he wouldn't let go. "Fine. But know that I'm only doing this because I want to honour Grandma's memory."
I took the lock from him, sighing as I ran my hand through the familiar necklace. Oddly enough, I felt a calming presence as I touched it, almost as if Mama Kaka were here with me.
I lifted it to my lips and placed a kiss on it as tears streamed down my cheeks. I thought I had shed all the tears in my eyes, but it didn't seem to be so. He watched me, waiting for me to stop crying. Though he didn't say anything, I could tell he only stayed back because of something.
"What's wrong?" I frowned at him, leaning back in my chair as I observed him. "Do you have anything else to say?" I put the necklace back into the box, waiting for him to say what he had in mind. Clearing his throat as he watched me, he brought up a topic I dreaded. "How about the kids...our kids."
My heart sank, and I felt a surge of protectiveness. "What about them?"
"They're mine, aren't they? Is it wrong for me to ask about them?" His voice was low, and I sensed a hint of accusation. "You aren't going to keep on lying about their parentage, are you?" I frowned, taking a defensive stance over it.
I should have known he wasn't going to let things drift. Not when he knew the kids were his. Anyone with eyes could see the remarkable resemblance between him and Willow.
"They are mine, aren't they?" He asked once more, his tone letting me know he wasn't going to let anything slide.
I nodded, my grip on the box tightening as if it could shield me from the storm brewing. There was no use lying about it. We both knew they were his. It would only take a DNA test to prove it.
He got up from the chair and leaned on the desk, his eyes burning with intensity. "We should be together, raise them as a family. Come back to me, and we can work through this. We can be a family
again."
I shook my head firmly, trying to keep my voice steady. "No. I won't go back to you. We're done. I deserve better than the way you treated me. This isn't up for any debate, Dashiell. I'm not getting back to you."
He sneered, his face twisting in anger. "You think you deserve better? You're the one who left me, who kept my children from me."
"I took off because I had to because I couldn't take your lies and cheating anymore. And I kept the kids from you because I wanted to protect them from your toxic behaviour!" Folding my arms, I narrowed my eyes to slits.
Glaring at me, his voice dropped to a menacing tone. "You'll regret this. I'll make sure you don't keep me from my children. I'll fight for custody, and I'll win. We both know I will."
All the blood drained from my face at his words. I knew it would come to this. This was what I had dreaded for a long time.
"Don't let me do this, Nova," he whispered, sitting back on the chair. "I don't want us to fight over this. Why can't we just sort everything between us? I don't want things to get ugly."