Where's My Happily Ever After?

“Monique, go wait in the car. We’ll be there soon,” I promised, watching her leave. “Hey, Todd,” I murmured softly, staring only at my feet as I kept my free hand to my cheek. Edwin tensed beside me and I cringed as he pulled me tighter to his side, but I didn’t say anything.

“Jade...” he started, shifting nervously. He had good reason to be anxious. “Monique is just a child and cannot see the evils of this world, but I can. Edwin, you’ve fallen from grace.”

Oh, he was right on the money. I heard Edwin growl, low and raspy, in the bottom of this throat.

“I’ve never known grace in my entire life, Reverend,” he sneered, glowering at the man whose heart was in the right place, only his brain wasn’t.

“Edwin, please,” I whispered, keeping my feet on the floor before me.

“Stay out of this,” he hissed at me. “I’ll handle it.”

I glanced up and immediately wished I hadn’t. Edwin was glowering at the pastor while Todd’s eyes were boring into me. You’d think the father of my children would be the one with the softer glance, but Todd was the one to have the warmth in his gaze. I felt my body go numb, no longer responding to me. I never wanted to run away more than I did at that moment.

“Eddie, let’s just go home,” I mumbled, casting a pleading glance his way. Edwin’s glance faltered for less than a second, but he kept a stern look on his face.

“Jade, I cannot let this go,” Todd told me softly, shaking his head. I felt tears forming as I tried desperately to not make a scene.

“Let what go? Nothing happened!” Edwin snarled, straightening his back to raise his height just as he always did when he was belittling someone. “Just go back to your fucking God and that nonsense.” I cringed.

I thought pastors were accused of raping little boys, not God!

“Mr. Kaiser!” Todd gaped, surely not used to being spoken to in such a way. “Jade, come over here and I’ll fetch Monique. I won’t have you in his Satanist hands any longer!”

“You’re not taking them from me!”

It all happened so fast. Edwin suddenly ripped his hand from mine and lunged at my pastor, tackling him to the floor and pinning him there. Todd screamed out as he hit the floorboards and Edwin hissed in his face, bearing his fangs at the poor man.

I called out his name, running to him to get him to stop this nonsense, but he swatted me away and I stumbled until I fell into a wall. He was merely seconds from killing the man when the other church officials came running in. I saw an idea flicker across Edwin’s hardened eyes—a bloody idea. I forced myself onto my feet and ran over to him, pulling him into my arms.

“Please! Edwin, this has gone too far! Let’s just go home!” I begged, crying into his shoulder.

He didn’t seem convinced until I screamed as our child was surely biting my insides. Edwin’s eyes widened in fear and he pulled me close, stroking my hair as the pastors and daycare women stared in disbelief. His terror overtook his rage as he kissed me feverishly and scooped me up into his arms the second my legs gave out.

I murmured an apology to anyone who could hear me as Edwin carried me outside, running as fast as he could.

We were out of the church parking lot before they’d even made it to the front entrance.