Chapter 4

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I'm back again and that too... so soon... with a new chapter of about more than 3650 words. That's a lot friends. So read it and I hope you'll enjoy. Thanks for your votes and comments, I really appreciate when you guys talk to me and each time you press the button - vote, I feel like jumping in joy... really. :D



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"That's your son??" She questioned foolishly and still utterly shocked. At the same time she wondered why hadn't this possibility came into her mind earlier. Oh yes, she was drunk as a bat to think that far... or think this close and normal instead of the dramatic solution of the new insanely neighbor of theirs being a child kidnapper and so on.

Evan took a very deep breath. He gritted out, "Yes, that baby inside my home is my son - my own flesh and blood. And I'm his father."

Ramona's tongue felt really limp inside her mouth as Evan tilted his head a little, his nose went a little red. It would have looked solely cute and not dangerous if Ramona didn't know it to be as a sign of his growing - in an abnormal rate - anger.

"But, can you prove that?" Immediately Ramona felt like she was on the edge of a violent asthma attack. It would have been better if she had shoved a foot inside her mouth.

Where the hell had her brain went for vacationing? She thought bewildered. Definitely Harry and Billy had taken it with themselves. Those bastards!

As she noticed how a vein popped and ticked upon Evan the devil... the dad with a hunk factor's unshaved... stubbly jaw, which would have looked lick worthy if not for the grim ripper expression he wore.

"Do you want me to bring my son's birth-certificate or the DNA test reports that would match to mine?" Evan was on the brink of bursting out of his skin and burst he did, the next moment. "Answer me DAMN IT!" He yelled at her face.

Ramona slid past him and dragged her shaking form to make a run for her home. She hated it, she freaking hated it when someone shouted like that at her face. It made her feel so little, so unworthy, so undeserving to be alive and happy.

Those emotions, she didn't want to bring them back but at moments like this all controls in her system to leash such vile thoughts would crumble pathetically. And she knew the nightmares would return too, more vicious than other nights. Seemed like her only savior for tonight would be the bartender who would push towards her shots... after shots... after shots of tequilas.

She had nearly manged to move a few feet away when Evan decided to grab her wrist and tug her back with force. Ramona kept her face turned sideways, away from the view of Evan. She knew he would revel on her teary eyes, feel victorious and more powerful. She didn't want to experience that sight of sick dominance yet again in her life.

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Evan furrowed his brows as he realized her fragile wrist was trembling in his grip. She was visibly shaking. Good thing!

If she was scared, she wouldn't dare to spy on him again with the crazy, nonsensical ideas and would leave him and his son alone. Evan wanted peace and quite... and he would make sure these siblings got crafted that fact into their tiny shell sized brains.

To add more affect to the fear that he surely had ingrained in this stupid girl, Evan leaned in towards the side of her face which was covered in her tangled mess of colorful hair.

"If I ever see you... or your shit-faced brother anywhere in my property I would..." His words were cut off as a strong breeze of warm summer air hit them, soothing the heat of anger and fear, hate and misery of troubled hearts.

The hair that hid her face from his view, blew back and uncovered her moist eyes to him. He forgot what he was speaking before and automated was the process of ingraining the beautiful sculpture of her face, her neck... to one of his organs. People said that organ to be a stupid piece of non-stop drummer that created nothing but more and more confusion only to spite the another organ sitting upstairs called - the brain.

How could he ever forget the pain that was latched in her expression? Those deep lakes of moist eyes held so much turmoil that would put the strongest of hurricanes in shame. A tear rolled down from her one eye as she tried moving her face further out of his view but his hold around her wrist stopped her.

He watched flabbergasted as the drop of of tear made it's way on the tip of her cute little nose leaving a damp trail behind, it hung there for the shortest friction of moment and then... it dropped.

Evan's heart skipped a beat.

His eyes followed the dropping tear and as the warm liquid with so much meaning than just being a bodily fluid, settled on a very little light green leaf right next to a vibrant colored wild flower. He stared at the tear drop as it shone under the sunlight. He stared at it as if it would come alive, stir and suddenly talk to him... as if the tear drop would somehow, miraculously begin crying itself.

His trance like state broke as the wrist in his grip was yanked away roughly. The next moment, Ramona was running, running away from him as fast as she could and Evan frowned for the strange emotion he felt.

He knew, he was confident that he wasn't at fault here. But then again, why his conscience was poking at his soul like he had to apologize to her, to Ramona. And look at, if she was alright. Had he hurt her? Or was that pain in her eyes was from some different wound, that was already there.

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The scene was almost like that other day, the day after the siblings left Evan's house bruised and shaken to the core. But today there was Billy with them, he sat next to Harry holding the same sullen look which decorated Harry's guilty face.

"Ramona, sis, come on. I just told you, we ran to bring help."

A leg propped up at the window sill while the other dangled on the hard wood floor, Ramona sipped on her whiskey from the coffee mug. Strange thing was she was blowing on the whiskey every now and then, as if it was coffee she was seeking comfort from, not booze.

"And what help did you bring, may I ask?" Ramona didn't even look at their way. She was looking at the curtains on the window that were pulled closed, that separated her from the sight of the monstrous house that held that cute kid inside. That cute kid, who was in fact the son of the mad bull.

This time it was Billy who answered while scratching his head. "We actually, went a bit far to call over our friends who were hanging out at the next block."

Taking a big gulp of whiskey Ramona again blew onto the mug and licked her lips. "Uh-huh, so why didn't they arrive?"

Harry and Billy both gulped. " 'Cause they refused to." Harry sighed.

"Seems like your favorite neighbor has done some serious damage to them as well. At this rate, one day he's going to terrorize the whole damn town!" Billy shook his head in resignation.

A long silence followed after that. Harry and Billy lost in their own thoughts. Ramona lost in her whiskey.

After what felt like a decade, Harry stood up from the sofa. "You alright Ramona? I think you should stay as far away from him as possible, in fact avoid his shadow even, at all costs."

Ramona just shrugged, still not looking at her younger brother. "I'm good Harry. That Evan didn't hurt me huh, so chill."

Harry scowled as he approached Ramona but halted on his steps midway to frustratedly run a hand through his hair. "But he's freaking bringing back all those memories, Ramona. I can see that." He yelled.

Her fingers tightened around the mug as she stiffened.

Harry sighed resignedly looking at the ground. "He's pushing you back there Ramona, back there, where I don't want to see my favorite sister again."

Was Harry right? Was she really being pushed back to the darkness again? The darkness, that still resided in the deepest part of her heart like a sleeping blackhole waiting to get awakened and suck her into it's dense depth of no return. The same darkness which pushed into her hand bottles after bottles of alcohol, to probably show her some fake pity and a mean to be forgetful for a while.

She faintly heard Harry escorting Billy out of their home as they did some parting, worrying talk regarding "Evan the insane neighbor" situation. Her mind half registered as they talked, she was way too much drowned in some particular pieces of her memories to pay attention to anything else.

Her eyes kept trained on the curtains, her mind drifted off to somewhere else.


**Flashback**

The tick, tick... of her favorite wall-clock, that she bought last summer from a trade fair in Paris - the city she loved, the city she lived into, burned a hole through her head by now at the rate it was getting slower as each impatient second passed. And she found a great discomfort... some kind of anxiety growing inside her belly for the said favorite wall-clock of hers.

As each days passed in her favorite city, Paris, suffocation grew, unexpectedly for this place as well. But was it that unexpected? Maybe no, or maybe yes. Or maybe, she was just as confused, as she was with her relationship with Lucas.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. Lucas and her was supposed to be as happy as the day they met for the first time in that bar, when he asked her to buy a drink.

Lucas looked charming and Ramona's best friend, Tina, who had dragged her ass at the bar to live the night away. Ramona had said no, a big, fat no to the charming guy and earned a glare from Tina. And she noticed the flicker of insult that passed through his face. After that everything was like a dream, as he stalked her wherever she went and tried every strategy to win her over... and he did at last.

Ramona sighed, still looking at the clock. She went to put all the food in the fridge, they were already too cold anyway. When Lucas returned she would have to just heat them up. She wondered if she could go to sleep but then decided against it. Lucas won't be too happy if he found her asleep when he returned home.

Ramona began wondering what went wrong in their relationship... or  were her attempts at fault of keeping the love and freshness alive in Lucas and her's sweet, little household.

She could swear on everything precious in heaven and earth that Lucas didn't look at her anymore, like he used to before, with love and adoration. Oh... he surely did look at her, only when he felt angry or short of cash or needed a favor. And Ramona couldn't resist, she couldn't resist Lucas when he asked her for anything.

Slumped on the couch her mind couldn't help but whirl in misery, the misery she thought was just an illusion. But was it? Was she holding onto a long-lost cause?

The sound of the front door of their apartment opening had her sit straight from her slumped position and look at that direction.

There her Lucas entered, a faint smile adoring his handsome face. And of course that smile she craved for day and night, was lost somewhere unknown as his eyes met her. His face went blank as of an unconscious man as he ignored her, like she didn't exist, he was about to pass by the couch and to their bedroom but Ramona's soft voice made him halt on his steps.

"Lucas, you must be hungry, let me heat you up the dinner." She said standing up.

"I've had my dinner." He muttered, suppressed irritation in his tone.

Ramona stood still for a second and then turned to face him. "I'd been waiting for you. I thought we would eat together."

She saw his jaw clench. He wasn't still looking at her as he scoffed at the floor. "Who told you to wait Ramona?"

Her heart tightened at that. Didn't he care anymore? She opened her mouth to say something, maybe finally asking the questions that were clouding her mind... but something else caught her attention and her throat felt clogged.

There was bracelet hanging off from the collar of his shirt, at his back. A female bracelet. Ramona felt her head spin.

"What's that?" She asked quietly.

Ramona didn't know what it was - her stony tone that held the graveness so severe or his own pricking conscience that made him at last tilt his head and look at her.

He didn't answer but raised a hand to touch the place at the back of his shirt following her steely gaze. When his fingers finally grazed over the uneven surface of the bracelet, Ramona watched how quick his expression turned furious... to the point she was struck by the wave of it and took a step back.

Slowly, his face turned to face her after plucking... almost ripping off the bracelet from his collar and throwing it away.

His lips were pressed into a thin line as he with slow steps cornered her to a wall. "Are you suspecting that I'm cheating on you, Ramona?"

Ramona didn't answer, way to shocked by the amount his eyes turned wild, she didn't know what to say. And that seemed like anger him more.

"I'm asking you something!!" He yelled at her face.

That was not the first time, she had seen this violent glint in his eyes. And that was not the first time, she saw his hands twitching as if to smash something under their weight. But he had promised, Ramona thought bewildered, he had promised that this wouldn't repeat again. And he had been looking so sincere, that she believed.

Was she wrong to do so? She was trying to save their relationship... but it seemed like, the priority in the end of the day would be to save herself instead.

Gasping, she pressed herself further back into the wall, wishing for a hole to appear miraculously into the brick made surface and swallow her away. But that miracle never happened.

Instead something else hit her, across the face, making her head swing sideways and roughly collide with bricks. The bricks, where she searched for comfort instead of the man that seemed to be so much lost into the grasp of his fury.

Where had that fury come from? Her question... or his own guilt and conscience?

**End Of Flashback**


Ramona was jerked awake from those damned memories feeling someone shaking her shoulders, as if almost trying to dislocate them from her body. She hissed and turned.

Harry, of course, was looking down at her with great worry.

Ramona smiled. Times like this, made her wonder if Harry was her elder brother instead. The otherwise fool at all times, had been transforming into this overprotective bear at times when she found herself getting consumed by the pain within.

"Don't think, don't think at all." Harry stated firmly and Ramona allowed herself to smile wider, she allowed herself to smile for Harry... for friends like Billy... for the dream of her future cafe, the dream she found in this small town she grew up. And most importantly she smiled for her own sanity, that she could keep intact with great difficulty at the end of her horrid past.

"Don't let him win." She said in a throaty voice.

Inhaling a deep breath Harry said back in determination, "We won't let him."

That sounded like a promise. That was a promise.

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Evan sat on the armchair in Julius's nursery, the same way as he was this morning. The very eventful morning.

Julius was sagged onto Evan's chest as he quietly patted Julius's back. The silent child was happy getting to wet half of his shirt with warm drool.

"So you mean to say, Brandan is in the doghouse tonight." Evan's phone was kept on Julius's changing table in between the cot and the armchair he was sitting in. The phone was on speaker as Evan spoke away with his sister, even Julius was giving his necessary comments here and there in baby language.

Evan heard Emma groan, he could almost see her scowling as she spoke. "He's spoiling the kids too much, Evan."

"Why don't I want to know about it?" Evan shook his head.

After getting to know that you've missed six years of your children's lives, a father would definitely want to make up for all of it. Evan was a father too now... and thus, he could very well understand Brandan's desire to fulfill each and every bit of his kids' wishes. And Evan knew that Emma was aware of it too.

"It's not right to give the kids everything they want, whenever they want. I don't want my children to grow up as a rich pair of snobbish twins who would feel like they've a freaking genie as a father." Emma sighed.

"You know why he's like that with Sarah and Sammy, Emma." Evan said in a comforting tone.

A few seconds passed in silence. "Yes, I know, Evan. But that doesn't mean it's right." Emma said quietly.

"I think what you guys need is a talk, Emma. Have a talk with Brandan, I'm sure he'll understand. Or..." Evan cleared his throat, suddenly changing his tone. "... you could send him over here and I'll kick some sense into his brain. Okay, now that's one better option, I would love solving the problem that way." Evan smirked while Emma giggled.

"You'll never change your ways brother, will you?"

After placing a peck on Julius's little nose as the boy poked his moving lips, Evan smiled and recalled some incidents from the past when he tried to wrestle his way into achieving solutions of his problems.

"No." He said simply.

All of a sudden Emma changed the subject, her voice sounded fidgety. "You... remember it's my wedding in a few months, Evan?"

Evan stilled suddenly. "I... I remember that."

"I want you here." Emma almost pleaded.

It wasn't like Evan didn't want to attend his sister's wedding. He loved her and he damn well wanted to walk his sister down the aisle. Their parents were not alive and as Emma's elder brother it was his responsibility now and he would be really honored, to do that for Emma, to give away her to the love of her life.

But the damned problem was that place, Evan didn't know if he could endure being their in Boston. If he could again step inside that house where he had spent so many years with Zess, where he had a different life... filled with happiness, love and hope for the future. Evan didn't know how he would not break not after seeing Zess's things, her touches... her love... that beautiful face he fell in love with and a million of memories in every nook and corner of that house, their marital home.

Emma's worried voice woke Evan up as if from a comatose state. He stammered, "Uhh... yes... Ramona, I'm still here..."

Silence. So thick was the silence as Evan sat like a statue, Emma also stilled on the other side.

Whoaa!! From where had that come from? Evan closed his eyes, why he just took that meddling pest Ramona's name, he had no idea. And that too, when he was talking to Emma and was thinking about Zess... and about facing the part of his life that could break him into pieces when he knew he

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