Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 586

“Worried about Elijah's safety? Shouldn't you be pushing him to stay with me then? I can protect him.”

“And how exactly have you been protecting him? You’ve been by his side all these years, and yet, he still got hurt, didn’t he? And let’s not forget, the one who hurt Elijah did it because of you.”

Tarquin fell silent.

Elysia said, “I’m not blaming you. I know you love Elijah, and you’d never want him to get hurt. It’s not surprising you wouldn’t know about the poisoning, given your lack of medical knowledge. But think about it, if the attacker went after Elijah because of you, maybe they’d back off if you two were apart?”

Hearing this, Tarquin felt a slight ease in his heart. She wanted them apart for Elijah’s safety, not because she didn’t care about him. He felt a deep guilt over Elijah’s situation.

“Elijah getting hurt is indeed on me. If he wasn’t my son, the attacker wouldn’t have targeted him. I’ve brought danger to Elijah, I know that. But your idea isn’t right! The attacker knows Elijah is my weakness. Even if Elijah and I were apart, it wouldn’t stop them. In fact, Elijah would be an easier target away from me. He’s safest by my side!”

Elysia couldn’t counter his argument, yet she wasn't ready to give up on this rare chance to have Elijah back by her side. After a moment, she proposed, “Then, how about assigning more bodyguards to watch over Elijah at Future Community?”

Tarquin was taken aback, “You still think of keeping Elijah away from me?”

“I... I just want Elijah to be with me.”

Tarquin’s emotions flared again, “You're concerned about Elijah’s safety, sure, but you also see this as an opportunity to pull him away from me, don’t you?”

Elysia nodded, barely audible, “...Yes.”

That single word ignited a blazing fury within Tarquin! His lips pressed into a thin line, he stared at Elysia for a long moment, until he couldn’t contain himself any longer and burst out, “You still plan on leaving! And you want to take Elijah with you! Do you want to snatch him away from me, to run off and leave me behind?”

Caught off-guard by his direct hit, Elysia was visibly shaken, her wide eyes fixed on him in alarm, “...”

Her silence was confirmation enough for Tarquin! His agitation grew, along with his anger. Veins throbbed in his neck as he roared, “Elysia, you’ve said you cared about me, yet now you’re thinking of leaving! Taking my child with you! What am I to you? Have you ever considered how I feel? Do you even care about me?!”

Elysia looked bewildered, her mind racing to catch up. Before she could formulate a response, Tarquin suddenly asked, “Elysia, do you even like me?”