"Safe. And where is not important to you if all you're worried about is your money." She felt a little braver knowing they had several hundred miles between them, even though her inner voice screamed at her not to push it.
"If you want your family intact, then I would suggest that you come home."
She knew what he meant, but she was surprised he hadn’t said anything about the divorce. Maybe he hadn’t been served yet. "How is he?" She kept her voice firm and steady. There was no way she was going to let him know how much fear was coursing through her veins.
"For the moment, he's fine."
Valerie really wasn't scared that Randall would hurt their son. There was something about the boy that had captured Randall's attention almost immediately. While he had been excited about Londyn's birth at first, the more time went on, the more disappointed he had seemed that she was a girl.
When she didn't say anything, Randall cleared his voice. "You've made a horrible lack of judgement, Valerie, but I'm willing to forgive you so long as you return immediately. We can discuss the monetary situation when you get home."
"I'm sorry, Randall, that I ran. I just need a couple more days to decompress and get my head back on straight. All the stress caught up to me, and I had a momentary lapse of common sense." Bile rose in her throat as she grovelled. She needed to keep everyone safe until she could figure out what to do.
A voice in the background caught her attention. His brothers were with him, and fear sizzled up her spine even more. Together, they were like a pack of dogs with the pack mentality. Randall's viciousness always increased when they were around. And now, she was more than a little afraid that they're all together on her behalf. She holds her breath as she waits for him to say something.
"I accept your apology, and I forgive you. Two days, Valerie. Two. There will be no further consequences if you are home within those two days."
She didn't dare ask what the consequences already were that she wouldn't be adding to. She didn't have to. She knew she'd need extra makeup and probably a trip or two to the chiropractor once he was done with her punishment.
"Can I talk to Mitchell?" It had been almost two weeks since she had heard his little voice.
"He's not here. He's safely tucked away with my parents until you return. At that point, we'll discuss if you will be able to see him."
"He's my son!" The words rushed out before she meant to say them.
"And you betrayed me. There are consequences for bad behavior."
He was treating her like she was a naughty child, and there was nothing she could do about it. Being separated from her child literally cut her soul in half, but she had to focus on Londyn's safety at the moment.
"I'm sorry for the outburst." Hot tears burned her eyes as she once again grovelled.
"Two days, Valerie, and I suggest that you leave your phone on." He paused. "And don't make me come find you. Don’t think that a simple thing like divorce papers are going to change anything."
He ended the call before she could say anything. So he had been served. The wave of tears exploded as she threw the phone on the bed before she gave in to her desire to shatter it. His plan of action was just going to be to ignore the divorce papers as a mere inconvenience.
"How did I get like this?" Her cries echoed off the walls. She let the sobs come, sobs that she had been harboring for a long time, especially in the last couple of weeks.
She didn't hear the knock on the door, nor did she react when she felt a warm set of arms wrap around her and pull her into an embrace. She recognized Sarah but couldn't get control of herself. The simple act of kindness broke down all the dams, and Sarah held her while the deluge rushed over the barriers.
Sarah rocked her gently until there were no more tears. Valerie felt the headache that always accompanied an over-emotional episode, and she straightened and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry."
"There is no need to be sorry. I just came up to say hi, but I'm glad that I did. You just needed someone for a minute."
"I'm such a mess, Sarah. And I'm so tired of holding it all in."
"We all need a good cleanse every once in a while." Sarah adjusted her position on the sofa. "Want to talk about it?"
"I owe Tyson an explanation."
Sarah nodded. "True. But I'm here right now, not him. Talk if you want, but it goes no further than these four walls."
Exhaustion swamped over Valerie, and she dropped into one of the chairs. "I don't know how I let myself get so screwed up." She went to the bathroom and blew her nose. She glanced at herself in the mirror, and all she saw was misery and fear. It was time to let someone else into her own personal hell, and the Hale family were the perfect confidants.
Sarah didn't say anything when Valerie returned. "My husband just called me," she started simply. "The most abusive, nastiest man on the planet."
"Are you here because you ran away?"
Valerie nodded. "There's a lot to it, but I had to protect my daughter. Her own father hates her because she's a girl and he wanted a son, who he now has and refuses to let me see my own baby."
