Danielle’s POV
*****
By the next morning, I didn’t even bother waiting for my alarm to wake me up as usual.
I shot up, went to the bathroom to freshen up, then stepped out and picked out clothes I’d already prepared before sleeping last night.
Bobby—or Anzari—was resting lazily in his terrarium.
I talked to him once or twice this morning.
He didn’t answer.
Which sadly wasn’t even surprising to me.
Just disappointing.
“Hey, girl,” Kim answered my call mere seconds after I dialled her number.
“Good morning. What’s good?”
I sat on my bed’s edge.
“Nothing’s good,” I shook my head, folding one arm across my chest.
“Okay, I might be a little dramatic for saying that. But I’ve got a problem, Kim. And right now you’re the only person I can relate to.”
My head swerved to the terrarium.
Hmph.
Here I was thinking that the stuck-up spider brute was beginning to open up more or something.
For Pete’s sake, he said I’m the first woman he’s came in.
That should mean something even to deities… no?
“Sure, sure.” Her tone told me she was all ears.
“Talk to me, babe. What’s happening? A problem with the studio?”
“At this point I wish,” I rubbed sweat off my forehead.
“It’s Simon. The bastard picked Jeremy up from school yesterday without informing me. My mom only told me last night.”
There was a beat of silence from the other end.
Then Kim sputtered.
“Wait, wait… hold on.” She huffed.
“The same Simon who came to your studio yesterday? Begging you or whatever to talk to his sorry ass?”
“The one and only.”
“Oh, that two-faced son of a gun!”
“Girl, that’s what I said!” I scoffed.
“He had me fooled for sure. He was probably only testing the waters or looking for a way to tell me. But then he saw I wasn’t going to listen to a word from that lying mouth of his and pulled back.”
“What did Mom say though?”
“She said I should call Simon or some bullshit like that.” I hissed.
“It’s taking everything in me not to call the police on him instead.”
Kim immediately shut that thought down.
“Whoa, whoa,” The words made my shoulders slouch.
“Babe, no. Listen, I’d gladly cheer you on if that were legally possible. But Simon is Jeremy’s father here. And there’s no proof of any harm being done to the kid… so…”
I lifted my eyes to the ceiling.
“He’s legally allowed to take him without fear of arrest.” I wanted to laugh and cry all at once.
“Shit. He got me fucked up.”
Once again my gaze went to the terrarium.
Was it weird that I was remembering what Anzari did to Simon’s house last time?
Because yes—I was.
And now I couldn’t help but hope he did something again.
Anything really.
Unfortunately, the damn spider was so still you’d think it was even dead.
‘Don’t tell me you’re going to ghost me again.’ I thought like he was going to hear it.
Suddenly another call blasted through my phone.
I blinked at the screen, looking between my ongoing call with Kim and the—
“It’s Simon.” I gripped my bed sheets with a jolt.
“Shit, what the fuck does he want?”
“Uhm, maybe discuss next moves about your son?” Kim’s sarcasm was gentle as she giggled.
“Babe, answer him and just hear him out. You can update me later, okay?”
I ground my teeth for a moment before biting the words out.
“Fine. Catch you later boo,” I hung up, immediately answering Simon’s incoming call.
“Where the hell is my son?”
“Ah, ah.” Simon hushed before the question fully left my lips.
“OUR son, Danielle.” He corrected me.
“And he’s here with me.”
“Simon, he’s supposed to be at school today.”
“No worries. I took an excuse on his behalf. They said it’s fine.”
“You…” I held back from cursing him out.
Not when Jeremy could be there.
“Are you trying to get a raise out of me? Is that what this is?”
“Sweet, Danielle,” Simon clicked his tongue, the amusement basically oozing out of his voice.
“Always thinking you’re the centre of attention at all times.”
“Says the sorry man who came begging at my studio yesterday.”
“I only did that to get you to listen,” he didn’t falter.
“I got a new house and I feel with it… It’s time for some changes in my life. As a man and as a father.”
I rubbed the bridge of my nose.
Could this dumbass hear himself right now?
“I oughta pull out an award for you,” I didn’t bother hiding my snark.
“Text me your new address.”
Simon laughed.
“And why would I do that?”
“Because you chicken-brained boogeyman,” I got off the bed, “If I don’t see my boy within the next hour I’m calling my lawyer and taking this to court.”
He was quiet after that.
Perhaps I got him reconsidering.
“Well,” he spoke at last.
“Interesting of you to bring that up.”
My frown deepened.
Before I could ask what he meant by that, he hung up on me.
I stared at a wall, heavily considering dragging him through social media.
Until a message popped up in my notifications.
It was his address.
He stayed in Beverly Hills.
Of course.
★★★★★
The drive to Beverly Hills felt ten times longer than it actually was.
Every red light got on my last nerve.
Every driver who dared to go five miles below the speed limit suddenly became my sworn enemy.
I gripped the steering wheel tightly, replaying yesterday over and over in my head.
Simon showing up at my studio.
Pretending to care.
Conveniently forgetting to mention he’d already planned on taking Jeremy.
By the time the GPS announced I’d reached my destination, I was already halfway out of the car.
“…Holy shit.”
The house towered over the rest of the neighbourhood behind an ornate black gate.
Floor-to-ceiling windows reflected the morning sun, perfectly trimmed hedges framed the driveway, and there was enough space in front to fit more cars than I’d ever owned in my life.
My eyes narrowed.
Did this idiot actually buy this place?
Or was he buried under a mortgage so massive it’d take him three lifetimes to crawl out from beneath it?
Honestly…
I hoped it was the second option.
I slammed the car door shut before making my way up the front path.
My pulse drummed in my ears as I rang the bell.
It didn’t take long before the door swung open.
“Mommy!”
Every bit of tension in my body melted.
Jeremy barreled into me on tiny legs, nearly knocking me off balance as he wrapped both arms around my waist.
His little curls bounced with every movement, and his bright smile was enough to make my eyes sting.
“There you are,” I laughed shakily, crouching to pull him into a proper hug.
“I missed you so much, little man.”
“I missed you too!” He chirped, planting a noisy kiss on my cheek.
“Daddy showed me my new room! It’s really, really big!”
That made something unpleasant twist in my stomach.
I forced another smile anyway, brushing a hand through his curls before getting back to my feet.
Only then did I notice Simon.
He wasn’t standing far from the entrance, dressed in an expensive navy suit with both hands tucked into his pockets like he didn’t have a care in the world.
The smugness on his face irritated me instantly.
I rested a hand on Jeremy’s shoulder.
“Well,” I smiled thinly, “this has been fun. But it’s time I took him home with me.”
Simon smiled back.
But it wasn’t warm.
Far from it.
“That won’t be necessary.”
The words landed like a slap.
My smile disappeared.
“Excuse me?”
He calmly stepped closer until he stood only a few feet away.
“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking these past few weeks,” he began.
“About my life. About my mistakes. About Jeremy.”
I folded my arms.
Then I turned to Jeremy.
“Jeremy, sweetheart, why don’t you go play with your toys for a minute?”
He did just that, scurrying off as I brought my eyes back to my ex.
“Get to the point, Simon.”
He glanced Jeremy’s retreating form before looking back at me.
“I’ve already spoken with my attorney.”
My heartbeat slowed with dread.
Attorney?
Where was this fucker going with this?
He finally said the words I feared more than anything:
“I’ve instructed him to file for full custody of Jeremy.”