Chapter 11
A week later, Molly closed the door of the nursery and erased her false smile. She’d dropped Rose off after a harrowing morning.
While most children took some time getting used to going to nursery, Rose actively hated it. She would try to hide in the flat, then cry at the top of her lungs—those lungs had only grown stronger since she was a bairn—and worse, give Molly the puppy eyes.
This was all because Molly hadn’t exposed Rose to children her age. Now her daughter refused to socialise.
Molly ducked her head as rain pattered on the pavement. It was gloomy and wet, like it always was in Glasgow. The weather suited her just fine today.
Today was the first time Molly had left Rose alone at the nursery. She’d stayed every day, first hovering at the edges of the room, and then, as per the teacher’s guidance, waiting in the other room.
But things hadn’t improved.
Now Rose hated her. Even refused to speak to her sometimes. And Molly felt like the dirtiest of garbage. She was a terrible mother. It was all her fault.
She’d stayed in an abusive relationship, allowed her baby to witness all that, then run with no plan in mind, and now had to stay sequestered in a flat where Rose never interacted with anyone but Molly and Leo.
Leo. That was another unexpected situation. The man had shown up every day in the morning at seven a.m. sharp. This after he left their home after midnight every day.
Molly waited for traffic on either side of the road to halt. When the light turned red for them, she set off, crossing the street to take the opposite pavement. At this time of the day, this road was busy with cars.
A group of people clutching bulging grocery bags rushed past her, one of them also holding a sandwich box, a drink, and a chocolate bar as they raced towards Merchant City.
The large grocery store on Duke Street was a godsend.
The city centre also had its share of smaller stores, but they were always packed with office workers or students.
Molly had never worked in a corporate office to be rushing around during lunch time, but she certainly had worked retail to know the stampede it caused, especially when you didn’t restock the meal deals fast enough.
Hadn’t Leo worked in retail as a teenager? He had told her his story once during one of their day trips out with Rose. She remembered it just like she remembered every little titbit she learned about him.
For one, Molly knew the man had made significant changes in his life.
He’d stopped sporting tired eyes. He even found time to work out.
If she thought his forearms were impressive before, now they were drool-inducing.
Not to mention that six-pack. She didn’t need to see him shirtless to know he had one now.
Not when she’d broken down last night about the shitty situation with Rose and he’d held her against said six-pack.
Who knew hard muscles could be sensual instead of being scary?
Molly shook herself then grabbed the keys in her pocket.
In hindsight, trusting Leo the day she ran away from Johnny had been a good decision. It had paid off, perhaps a little too well. She pictured his forearms and his six-pack again. Then the fact that he wore glasses when he worked.
That last piece of information she’d only figured out this last week, when she’d taken a break from work to see him sitting on the sofa, Rose sleeping by his side, as he read something on his tablet.
Of course, he had cleaned up the house too. He did that every time he saw dishes in the sink and toys lying around. Apparently, they were a trip hazard and the dishes a stink hazard.
And he’d also noticed the squeaky front door, which he’d repaired without being asked. As any good landlord might, he’d told her.
Bullshit. The man was just an angel. So how long was she going to leech off him?
In the last two years, Molly had recognised a pattern in her life.
She’d had her best pal, Anthony, who’d been her family and support system until he’d disappeared.
After he’d left, she’d met Johnny, who’d said and done the right things until he’d shown his true colours.
Now here she was, on the same cycle with Leo.
No, Leo would never hurt her, but they weren’t in a committed relationship, and she had to give him space to live his own life. She had to be far more independent than she was now.
Maybe it was time for her and Rose to move out. She had enough saved up now. Besides, Rose had grown too reliant on Leo, and him on her. What happened when Leo met someone and started a family of his own?
Her mental worry brigade had distracted her. That’s how Molly almost walked to her flat without noticing him.
Johnny.
Her heart caught in her throat. What the fuck was he doing here?
Molly’s hands trembled. Her flat was a block away, and she’d been headed to it without any pedestrians acting as a safety barrier.
And standing here on a wide road, with only a few parked cars, she was entirely exposed to him. If he turned around, he’d see her as plain as day.
Molly tightened the hood of her jacket around her head. Leo had insisted she buy a jacket with a hood and forgo the fancy fur ones Johnny had liked.
Hoods kept her dry and hidden.
Molly’s legs trembled at what might happen.
She could turn around, but it would look suspicious.
Instead, she found a doorway to a set of tenement flats and used it to hide herself.
These old tenements had a slight depression at the entrance that led to a couple of stairs, and to a door that led to the close.
These tenements had perhaps been built this way to accommodate the steep incline they stood on.
For now, they protected Molly.
She pressed her back against the wall, then pulled out her phone. Had Johnny found her? Had he followed Leo and Leo had missed it? Her brain reacted on memory alone, throwing her back to a time before Johnny when she had helped other women escape abusive relationships.
Unfortunately, stalking and showing up unannounced and unwelcome at the residence of their partner was just something abusers did.
How lucky was she that Rose wasn’t with her?
Molly held her phone up in selfie mode, but angled it so that instead of her face, she could see Johnny.
Only she didn’t spot him. He wasn’t where she’d last seen him.
Panic once again rose in her chest, making it hard to breathe. She had grown too complacent in her life. This was her fault. She had to move out. She had to—
She spotted Johnny again, this time in front of her building. Well, the building where Leo’s flat was. It wasn’t her flat. Her name wasn’t on the lease at all. There was no lease.
Taking a breath to bring her thoughts under control, Molly watched Johnny.
What could he be doing there? If she crossed over, she’d have a better chance of seeing him. But on the other side of the road was a modern building made of glass and red bricks with no convenient hiding spot offering her refuge against Johnny.
He was hunched over what she knew were the buzzers to the flats. Her pulse thrumming, she waited to see if anyone let him in. When Leo had first brought them here, the front door to the tenement didn’t lock. While you could buzz people, a slight push would shove the door open.
That sort of thing was weirdly common in Glasgow. But then, the next day, Leo had gotten it fixed. And the thing had never broken since.
He’d also replaced the old buzzer with a swanky one that had a service button that only let people in between eight to five on a weekday after logging in their ID.
Molly had thought the new system was an overkill. Now she was grateful for it as she watched Johnny step back and study the building.
So no one had let him in.
Johnny went back to the door. Apparently a simple door wasn’t going to deter him. Molly couldn’t see what he was doing, though. Was he trying to push the door open? Or was someone stepping out and he—
Her phone’s camera caught a sight of his coat for a brief minute, then he disappeared. Shit. He was inside the building.
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
Molly was frozen on the spot, unsure what to do. Could she take Rose and run? But all their stuff and money were inside the flat. She had a card on her—Leo’s card that he’d told her to use.
Shite! Why was she so reliant on that man?
Even as she thought that, like a helpless damsel, she dialled him. The dependence stung, not because Leo made her feel ashamed, but because Molly was no longer the decisive saviour. She had turned into a meek woman, hadn’t she?
Hey—
He’s here, she whimpered. If the old her saw her now, Molly would have hated herself. Johnny, she got out. He’s in the building.
She heard a curse, then scrambling feet before a door shut. Where are you? Rose?
Molly took a deep breath. She needed it before she could speak again.
When she’d been panicked before, now part of her heart sighed at hearing Leo’s voice.
Rose is at nursery. I left her there today.
I was walking home and didn’t notice him until I was a block away.
I’m outside. He didn’t see me, I don’t think.
Leo was running. She heard his rushing feet and puffs of breath. Go to Merchant Square, or to the nursery. Stay there. I’m coming.
But he’s inside. I should—
Don’t go anywhere near the building, Molly. I’m coming to get you and Rose. And we’ll figure out why the hell he was there.
Johnny was there for her. Why else would he enter the building?
Look, there is no way Johnny thinks you live there. The bastard’s probably trying to pull one on me. It’s easy to figure out I own the place. But there is nothing connecting the two of us. Leo was breathing heavy now, and his voice sounded echoey.
What if— Molly held back a sob. What if he gets into the flat? He’ll know then.
Another door slammed. Look, sweetheart, take a breath, get to Rose. I’m in the car. But it’ll take me about ten minutes to get there. His voice was soft, but she could sense the determination. If he gets into the flat, I’ve got you. I won’t let that bastard hurt you.
Molly closed her eyes. Will you stay on the phone with me?
Of course.
This had nothing to do with him. He could wash his hands off them. She wasn’t his girlfriend. Rose wasn’t his daughter.
And yet…
Molly wasn’t going to think about it. Not right now.
Ensuring Johnny wasn’t back yet from whatever the hell he was doing in the building, Molly kept her hood up and walked, as calmy as she could, towards the nursery.
And Leo stayed on the phone with her the entire time, muttering something about a colleague’s weird lunch and trying to make her laugh.
Molly didn’t smile, but her heart no longer raced. When he arrived in less than ten minutes, looking like a demigod out to save her, Molly almost kissed him.