Chapter 42 Take her out
Irene kept her mouth shut the entire ride back to the hotel. Why?
How dare she speak when Nelson had threatened her like that?
Because... Because Nelson wasn't the type to make empty threats. At least, not that kind. He had done it before, and he could do it again.
But they weren't the same person... How could...?
Almost everything in this universe was alike... Almost.
Those words... Nelson had used it against her countless times in her universe, and there was a time she went against him once, and he actually kissed her. He kissed her.
She had hated him before, but from that day, her hate grew ten times worse, because that was her first kiss. Nelson stole her very first kiss, and the second, and the third... And a few others after that.
Her life was like the Philippines series Ang Mutag Section E, only without the romantic tension between her and Nelson, and the numerous love rivals, and the boy best friend, and... Maybe a few others.
William was a bit surprised to hear his mother quiet because his dad had reprimanded her.
He turned to look at her and noticed that she stared at the window, refusing to look at either of them.
Then he turned his gaze from her and crossed his hands, his lips pulling up to a small pout.
He had been angry... Really angry when he saw his mother laughing freely with another man. She said she wouldn't live him or his dad again... Then why was she talking to another man like that?
He only wanted her and his father together... Only them.
But he didn't want to make her mad at him for being mad at her.
He didn't really understand what she and his dad had been arguing about, but for her to lock up like that... He was scared.
William was scared that she would change again. That she would want to leave him.
When they got back to the hotel, Irene still didn't say a word. She just quietly went to the room... The one she shared with Williams and went to freshen up.
Nelson went to his room and sat on the bed. He brushed his hair to the back, and let out a sigh.
That was when he noticed light footsteps coming towards him. He turned to the door only to see his son walking towards him slowly, fiddling with his hands as though he was thinking... Or nervous.
Nelson waited until William was close enough before scooping him up and seating him on his lap. Before he could ask what was wrong, he heard the child speak.
"Daddy..." William called him, looking up at him, "Mummy seems angry." He said, finally letting out what he had been thinking of since in the car.
Angry?
Nelson didn't know. He wasn't sure.
"She's not William." He said, trying to reassure his son. He brought a hand forward, brushing his hair back as he answered, "Maybe a bit surprised, but she's not angry. If anyone should be angry, it's us."
He had noticed back at the restaurant that just like him, William had been annoyed with his mother for speaking to another man.
Nelson didn't know how to feel when he saw his son cross his hands while staring at his mother as though she had committed the greatest sin in the world.
Happy? That his son was on his side. Or scared, that the boy was developing signs of PTSD.
William spoke again, snapping Nelson out of his thoughts. "But... I don't want her to be angry at me." He said, still believing Irene was annoyed with him.
Nelson sighed. "She's not angry at you." He said, but as though William wasn't listening to him, he blinked and spoke again. "I don't want her to be angry at you too."
Okay. It was certain to Nelson now that nothing he could do could stop his son from thinking that his mother was annoyed with him.
Maybe she was annoyed. But it wouldn't be at the kid... It would be at him.
"Okay," Nelson exhaled, giving in to the kid's assumption. "What do you suggest we do to pacify your mum's anger?"
As though that was the question William had been waiting for, his eyes lit up and a smile tugged at his lips. "Take her out."
Nelson blinked... What?
That was the kid's suggestion? To take his mother out?
"That's what we did today." Nelson pointed out, hugging Williams a bit too tightly.
The uptight kid finally giggled. Pressing his hands on his dad's chest he tried to push him away. Nelson went ahead with him and released his hold on him.
"No, take her out without me," William said amidst his giggles.
Nelson raised a brow.
"I can stay on my own," William added when he saw his father's expression. "It's a great idea."
Was it?
Well...
Nelson wanted time alone with Irene... He had wanted that since he saw her play the piano two days ago.
He wanted to fully examine her, to watch her so he could figure out exactly what was wrong with her.
The more Nelson thought about it, the more sensible William's idea began to seem.
"You need mummy to like you so that she can never leave us." He heard William say, and Nelson felt his heart slightly ache.
The kid was thinking this hard because he didn't want Irene to leave... And from the way he spoke, it was definitely PTSD. Trauma that he and Irene had inflicted on him because of how hard she tried to leave.
"I'd think about it." Nelson nodded finally, and William's face beamed. "Yay."
His plan was simple. Get his parents to like each other again... That was simple because he knew his dad still liked his mum; it was his mum who had to like his dad... Once they liked each other, they would be a happy family forever.
She would never leave him again.
"Would you sleep here tonight?" Nelson asked after a while, when he noticed that William was already slowly dozing off. "Let's leave your mum alone to her own space, okay?"
"Okay." William sleepily nodded.
Nelson held him in his hands for a few more minutes before gently laying the kid on the bed... He had fallen asleep.
After that, he stood up, grabbed his phone, and walked outside.
Irene was in her room... He knew because she wasn't in the sitting room, and her room door was shut tight.
William's idea came back to his head.
It was good.
Now, all he needed was someone to watch the kid all day tomorrow.
He turned on his phone and dialed a number; the person picked up in under two rings. "Book a flight. Come to Vienna." He instructed before ending the call.