Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 292

Tarquin huddled Elysia and Elijah under the umbrella, soaking himself in the rain.

Reaching the car, he ushered Elysia and Elijah inside, shut the door for them, then folded the umbrella and climbed into the driver's seat.

The car soon left the neighborhood.

In a gloomy corner, beneath the shelter of a black umbrella, a shadowy figure emerged, watching the direction Tarquin and Elysia had gone, his gaze dark and brooding…

In the car, Elysia texted Blossom,

[Elijah’s acting off tonight, I’m taking him home. Can you please look after the boys for me?]

Blossom quickly replied.

[Got it, take care of Elijah. Don’t worry about the boys, I’ve got them.]

Feeling reassured, Elysia sent Blossom a grateful emoji and put away her phone.

Elijah lay in her arms with his eyes closed, sobbing all the way home, crying even harder whenever he was awake.

Once home, Tarquin tried to take Elijah from Elysia’s arms.

The building had no elevator, and they needed to climb to the sixth floor. He worried Elysia couldn’t manage the climb.

Elijah was barely out of Elysia’s embrace when he suddenly opened his eyes.

Panicked, he clung tightly to Elysia’s neck and burst into tears, “Mommy hug! Don’t go, Mommy!”

Elysia and Tarquin were stunned. He called her Mommy?

Elijah clutched Elysia’s clothes tightly, as if fearing she’d throw him away, his eyes filled with vulnerability and desperation,

“I will be good. Don’t go, Mommy!”

Elysia’s heart broke for him, thinking Elijah was just missing his mom and mistook her for his own.

Not wanting to contradict him, she went along with it, “Mommy’s here! I won’t leave. You’re the best, Elijah. Go to sleep, Mommy’s holding you.”

“You’re his father, how can you not know what’s wrong?” Elysia was angry. She knew he was a good father, but she couldn’t help but accuse him.

Elijah’s mood was so out of the ordinary tonight; something must have happened. How could he, as a father, be clueless?

Tarquin, faced with the accusation, looked visibly upset but didn’t lash out at Elysia. He, too, was deeply self-reproaching. Yes, how could he be so unaware as a father? His son was this troubled, and he had no clue!

Elysia pressed on, “Elijah doesn’t hate me, but tonight, he’s been too dependent on me, even more so than on you, his own father! You ran through the rain to my place; there has to be a reason. You can’t say you know nothing; I won’t believe it!”

Tarquin furrowed his brows, staring at her.

Elysia clenched her fists, furrowing her brows, “If you want my help with Elijah, you can’t keep me in the dark! I can only help him if I know what happened!”

Tarquin stared at her for a few more seconds, then lowered his head to light a cigarette.

After a few puffs, he seemed to make a significant decision and finally opened up, “After you left, I went to talk to him, discussed some... past issues.”

Elysia immediately asked, “What issues?”