Chapter 5 #2
Okay, with the exception of one area in her life, everything was nearly perfect.
Occasionally she grew lonely for adult physical activities.
Not that Brock had been any good at it the last few years they’d been together.
Actually, she could only remember the first few times with him being any good. After that, it was more… robotic.
An image of her and Todd wrapped in each other’s arms flashed in her mind, causing her to smile. She might not trust a man for the long term, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want to enjoy them for the moment. And something told her that Todd would be very enjoyable.
She had muddled through her and Brock’s relationship and the hell years of being with him for the sake of Simona. Brock had used her as glue to keep their relationship together.
She wasn’t even sure that Brock really loved Simona. He had appeared to be a good father, but then again, he had appeared to be a good man too.
She didn’t understand how anyone could not love their own child. Sure, she knew there were those out there like her own parents, but she just didn’t have it in her.
Olivia loved everything about Simona. She loved the way her daughter smelled, talked, slept, ate, and laughed. Just being around her made her days brighter. If Olivia could, she’d spend every waking moment with her daughter.
She laid Simona on her pink comforter, slipped off her daughter’s shoes and play clothes, and put on her favorite pair of pajamas before tucking her into bed.
The first few years of parenting, she never would have let Simona go to bed without brushing her teeth or washing her face.
Now, there was no way she was going to wake her sleeping daughter up for those trivial things.
Hopefully, she’d still sleep in in the morning.
Six o’clock came early enough in the mornings.
Sometimes, if she was lucky, she’d get a few minutes alone to herself to sit out on her back deck and watch the sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean.
She didn’t have waterfront property, but since the Millers had trimmed their trees a few months ago, she could just make out the gleam of water beyond their property.
She changed into her own sleeping clothes, glanced at herself in the mirror, and held in a chuckle.
“Okay, next time I go shopping for clothes, I need to purchase some sexy nightgowns.” She smiled back at the image of the cat on her shirt.
She wasn’t even a cat person. Not really. Simona had purchased the pajamas for her last Christmas.
Grabbing one of the new books she’d gotten from the library last weekend, she made herself some tea and climbed into her favorite chair to settle down and read until she grew tired.
When her phone chimed, she almost didn’t read the text message. After all, no one ever sent her texts except Kayla or one of the other parents when they tried to coordinate their schedules.
-Hey Baby, I’m finally out.
Her entire body froze at seeing Brock’s nickname for her. Could this be Brock? Was he out of prison? What the hell?
Her hands shook, and she started hyperventilating. He couldn’t be out of prison this soon. He’d been given five years and it had only been two.
Why would he text her? Why would he act like nothing had happened? Was this some way of threatening her?
She tossed her book down and started pacing. Then she rushed around the house and made sure all of the doors and windows were locked.
Her phone chimed again with another message. The two words had the breath locked in her lungs and her heart racing.
-Found you
She knew she was being ridiculous because there was no way he knew where she lived. Not that the town was so big that she could hide in it, but… Had he found her house? Was that even possible? Oh god. Simona.
She rushed to her daughter’s bedroom and glanced inside. She relaxed when she noticed her daughter happily sleeping, warm and safe in her bed.
She walked over to the window and double-checked the lock and closed the blinds. She desperately wished she could afford an alarm system. Or a dog.
She thought about texting the person back, claiming they had the wrong number. Or asking them who it was, saying she had a new phone. She could claim to be a man or someone different. So many ideas ran through her head.
When her phone chimed again, she turned it off and climbed into bed with Simona to try and get a few hours of sleep.
When Simona woke her, she was so happy and cheerful to have the day off that Olivia almost forgot about the text message.
To celebrate, Olivia made chocolate-chip pancakes with extra bacon and two cups of coffee for herself. She’d only gotten a couple hours of sleep and needed the extra boost.
She turned her phone back on while Simona was watching cartoons and jumped as her phone chimed in her hands.
-Ignoring me Babe?
She shivered at Brock’s nickname for her.
-Hello? I know you’re there.
-Answer me.
-You fucking bitch, you’ll pay for ignoring me.
-You think you can just do this to me? Lock me up? Take our daughter? Hide away? I’ll find you.
Tears stung her eyes as her phone slipped from her fingers. How was she ever going to get through this? Was she ever going to escape this madman?