20
Aoi
I lay awake in wait.
With Visha slumbering profoundly in my arms, I detangle myself from his grasp and get up.
It’s time I deal with the bargain I made with Jason. In return for his help, he wants me to move back in with him once this whole Visha situation is solved.
The deal is off.
Jason wants to find a family to adopt Visha and be done with it, but I can’t agree with his way of proceeding. I can’t let Visha go through more potential abuse and the only way to keep him safe is to keep him with me. Jason will never allow Visha to move in with him along with me.
He hates children for their weaknesses and he sure as hell doesn’t like Visha because of his background.
There are countless people like him out in the world who believe that your family background has more importance than your identity as an individual.
He believes in money, power and connections and that they can bring you at the top of the ladder if you use them correctly.
His reason for wanting me to move back with him is clearer than crystal. I’m moving on from him and he doesn’t like it. This mess needs to be solved one way or another. Jason has a bad temper when things don’t go according to his plans, but I know how to soothe that anger and make sure it doesn’t flare up.
I have to speak to him aboutmyplan.
I glance back at Visha still curled up under the navy sheets, sleeping soundly. It’s going to be quick. I promise myself that I’ll make it back before the little one realizes I’m gone. He might freak out if he finds himself alone in the middle of the night.
Closing the door behind me as soundlessly as humanly possible, I grab my coat and shoes from the closet. It’s already well past midnight and driving during the pitch-black night is a pain in the ass but there’s nothing I can do about it anyway.
I grab my keys and slip out of the apartment, rushing to the elevator. If I could, I’d simply run down the flight of stairs, but I’m not about to run down eleven floors. Waiting for the screen in the elevator to indicate the minus two floor is nerve wrecking.
The second the doors slide open, I rush towards the BMW. Jason has the habit of working overtime, no matter the time and day he’s laboring.
Unless I call or text him.
I should consider myself fortunate to be so high on his list of esteemed people but my affection for him can only go so far. They say the line between love and hate is extremely thin and that couldn’t be truer.
I long for his attention and the way he forces me to stay alive but unfortunately it isn’t enough to let him destroy the little self-respect I still own.
Though I can’t say how long I will last.
He always makes time for me. We have a bond that no one can break but us and we both know how to tug on it to get what we want.
I know he’s at the office, so I drive straight to it. It’s hardly a twenty-minute drive from my place. Simply thinking about what I’m going to do makes me want to crash this goddamn car, but I have to go through with it. Not for my sake but for Visha’s.
There are countless reasons why I hate the idea of manipulating Jason into getting what I want. He’s the only person that I cherish more than myself but in my case it might not mean much. Still, it doesn’t mean I enjoy treating him like this. He might be a jerk but he’s still my family. Yet this is beyond our bond. This is about doing what’s right, about helping a defenseless child that needs help.
I could try to convince myself that I don’t have to do this, that there is a different way but there isn’t. Visha matters more than our bond that has been withering away over the past years. This boy deserves a chance, and I will make it happen.
I grab my phone at the red light and send a text.
Me
Are you at the office?
Jason
As usual.
ME
