I get out of the car, head up the path to the front door, and don’t bother knocking, since I own the place, rage boiling up inside of me at what she has done. To the only woman I have ever cared about more than her. When I walk inside, I find Oliver sitting on the floor opposite my sister, and they are playing a game ofMonopoly. They both turn to look at me. Maya smiles, and Oliver looks at me curiously, not knowing who I am or why I’m here.
“Your mother has been looking for you, Oliver. Please call her.” I offer him my phone, and he gets up and takes it. Hepresses the call button on her contact, which reads ‘Hurricane’, and this time she answers straight away.
“Soren.”
“Mom?” Oliver says.
“Oliver! Oh, my God. Are you okay? Where are you, and why are you with Soren?”
“This lady came to my school and said I needed to go with her to meet up with you and your boyfriend,” he explains.
My gaze narrows at Maya, who sits there and smiles, like she’s done nothing wrong. This is a new low, so fucking low of her. I try to contain my anger around Oliver, who clearly has no idea what has happened. Maya’s eyes flick to me, and concern is there, but she can tell that I’m trying to contain my anger right now.
“Are you all right? Please tell me you’re okay,” she rushes out.
“Yes, I’m good. We had dinner and were playing a game. Can I come home now?”
“Yes. Yes. Please hand the phone back to Soren for me so I can get the address.” He looks up at me and hands me the phone.
“Hurricane.”
“Don’t you fucking ‘Hurricane’ me. It was your crazy-ass sister who took my son?” She waits a breath for me to answer.
“Yes.”
“Where is he? Tell meright now.”
“It’s twenty minutes outside of the city. I’ll send you the address.”
“I’m already in Noah’s car. We’re on our way,” she says and hangs up.
I shake my head at Maya.
“Do you play games?” Oliver asks me.
I look down at him and see an innocent boy, having no idea what just happened. “Not really,” I answer him truthfully.
“So, what do you do for fun?” he asks.
I glance at Maya to see her watching us. She bites her lip as she watches, and I look back down at him.
“I practice boxing.” I think that’s better than saying I like the rush of making others bleed by my hands.
“Can you teach me how to fight? The boys are mean at my school,” he chirps up at his words.
“He’s really good,” Maya chimes in.
My eyes narrow at her before I look back to Oliver. “Oliver, could you please go see if the light works in that back room?” I point, he nods, and he goes to check it out.
Once he’s gone, I squat down so I’m eye-level with Maya. The house might be in a nice neighborhood, but inside it’s a different story. The floors are dull and sticky underfoot, the kind of grime that only comes from months of neglect. Dust clings to the furniture, and the air carries a faint musty dampness that makes me wonder if there’s mold creeping behind the wallpaper. The carpet has seen better days—matted, stained, and far from what it once was. Every corner whispers of wasted money and lost pride.
“What have you done?” I ask her.
“You can’t start a new family without me, Soren,” she answers.
I take a slow breath, steadying myself.
“You just ended ours.”
