Chapter 22 Furious
Dan was furious, for he had never been humiliated before. The heat got to me? No, you got to me. He felt like killing someone out of rage, but he couldn’t do anything given his circumstances.
Madeline spent a lot of time calming Buddy down before he finally stopped crying. She sat on the couch while the boy was in her arms, hugging her. The crying had stopped, but the sniffling hadn’t.
Sebastian was heartbroken. He sat beside Madeline and patted his back lovingly. “I went to check on his situation last night. Buddy seems to be shorter than his peers.”
That was being really roundabout, and all so Buddy wouldn’t be hurt. Aldo’s height was what normal five-year-olds should have, but Buddy was half a head shorter than the average height.
Buddy was still hugging his mother. He leaned his head on her shoulders and tilted his head to look at Sebastian. “I-I’m not short.” He sniffled. “I’ll get taller once I grow.”
Sebastian laughed, and he patted the boy’s head. “Yes, of course you’re not short. I’m tall, and your mother is too. Once you get older, you’ll be tall too.”
“Are you really our father?” Buddy looked at him curiously, still adorable as usual.
“Yes.” He nodded. “The results are out. I am you and Aldo’s father.”
“You’re awesome.” He looked at Sebastian hopefully. “You’ll protect me, Mom, and Aldo, right?”
“Yes.” Sebasitan held his hand seriously. “From now on, I will protect you, Aldo, and your mother. Nobody can harm you anymore.”
Madeline promised that as long as she was alive, nobody could take her children away from her. As for him, he promised that as long as he still stood, nobody could harm Madeline or the kids unless they stepped over his dead body.
“Thank you.” Madeline hugged Buddy tightly. “But I’ve decided to take the kids and leave.”
“You want to stay away from the Taylors?” Sebastian cocked his eyebrow. “But where can you take them? It’s the information age. If the Taylors want to, they can always locate you.”
“It’s a big world. There must be some place I can hide.” She buried her face in Buddy’s shoulder. “I didn’t leave because I wanted to repay my debt to the Taylors, but now, I don’t want to do that anymore,” she muttered.
Her kids were growing, and they needed a safe environment to live in. The Taylors’ treatment of her was starting to traumatize the kids, and that was why Buddy was terrified of Dan. Her debt to the Taylors wasn’t as important as her kids, so she decided to leave.
My debt? F*ck that. I saved their son and worked for them for years. My debt is already repaid. I can’t sacrifice my son just because of this debt.
“I don’t think you can leave.” Sebastian licked his teeth. “My dad wants to see them. He’s been looking forward to having grandkids for a long time now. I came here today to take the boys to him.”
Madeline held Buddy tightly, and she tensed up. “You promised you wouldn’t take them away from me.” She looked at him, alarmed.
“I won’t. So, I have a suggestion.” He looked into her eyes.
“What is it?” Madeline still had her guard up.
“You and the boys can stay at my place,” Sebastian said. “I can take care of you guys. As long as I’m here, nobody can hurt you. Not even the Taylors.” He patted Buddy’s head. “I can promise that nobody can make Buddy cry again.” He then patted Aldo’s head. “And I won’t let Aldo risk himself to protect you two.”
Madeline almost cried. Aldo was only five years old, but every time something happened, he would always be the one to rush in first and ask questions later just to keep them safe. She had told him many times that he should just hide behind her and keep an eye on Buddy like the kid he was, since she could protect them.
Her son would always tell her that he was the man of the household, and that he was old enough to keep her and Buddy safe.
Sebastian promised that Aldo would never have to do that again as long as he was around, and it hit her where it mattered the most. She covered her mouth, and tears streamed down her cheeks. “It’s my fault. I failed to care for them.”
“No. You did a splendid job.” He patted the kids’ faces. “I never did like kids, but that changed after I met them. You taught them well, and they are really likable. That’s why I like them.”
Dad likes us! He says we’re likable! Buddy looked at him with sparkling eyes. His fear was disappearing, and it was replaced by excitement.
Madeline noticed that, and it swayed her decision. He looked at her boys, hesitating if she should take Sebastian’s offer. “Aldo, Buddy, do you want to stay with your father?”
“Yeah!” Buddy nodded. He looked at her, his eyes filled with anticipation. “I want to stay with Dad, Mom. Everyone else has a father. I want one too!”
“Stop talking, will you?” Aldo smacked him and put on his serious face. “I’ll go with what you decide, Mom.”
“Okay…” Buddy hid his anticipation. “I’ll go with what you decide too.”
Madeline’s heart melted, and she hugged Aldo. “I’m fine with anything.” She kissed him. “This time, you call the shots. As long as you’re happy, I’m happy.”
Aldo looked at her and pursed his lips, then he looked at Sebastian. “Can you promise you won’t hurt Mom?”
“Yes,” Sebastian promised. “And I can also promise that I’ll protect her with you boys.”
