Chapter 283: Shards of Yesterday

Words : 1608 Updated : Oct 1st, 2025

Chapter 283: Shards of Yesterday Easter~ I woke up to the sound of Rose crying. At first, I didn’t know where I was. The living room lights were still on, flickering against the dusk-darkened windows. My cheek was pressed against the carpet, and my body ached like I’d been trampled. A soft wail pierced the fog in my brain, tugging at my chest until it burned. "Mommy... mommy, wake up..." Rose sobbed, her little hands patting my face with desperate urgency. "Please wake up... don’t go away... please... mommy..." I groaned softly, forcing my heavy eyelids open. Her tear-streaked face hovered over mine, blotchy and red with worry. Her curls were tangled and frizzy from tugging them in fear. "Oh... bunny..." My voice came out cracked and dry as I pushed myself up with trembling arms. Pain sliced through my temples, but I ignored it, gathering her into my arms. She clung to me like a drowning kitten, her sobs shaking her tiny chest. "Shhh... it’s okay... mommy’s okay..." "No you’re not!" she wailed, beating her fists lightly against my shoulders. "You fell down! You didn’t wake up for a long time! I thought... I thought you were dead like in the movies! Don’t die, mommy! Please don’t die!" My heart broke at the raw terror in her voice. Tears blurred my own vision as I pulled her tighter into my chest, burying my face in her hair. She smelled like sweat, baby shampoo, and fear. My beautiful, precious little girl. "I’m so sorry," I whispered, kissing her forehead again and again. "I’m so sorry I scared you... I promise I’m okay... I promise..." We stayed like that for a while, huddled together on the carpet as the world spun around me. Her sobs quietened to hiccups, her little fingers curled into my cardigan like she was afraid I’d vanish if she let go. When I finally managed to sit up, my head felt like it was stuffed with cotton and nails. I rested my palm against my temples, squeezing my eyes shut. The flashes... the memories... they came back to me in sharp, broken shards. Jacob’s eyes blazing with something primal as he grabbed me by the waist, teleporting us out of the old house where I lived with Ruben. A massive tiger with golden eyes kneeling so Rose could climb on its back, her giggles echoing against stone walls. Donut curled up in Rose’s lap while a woman with red hair braided my curls, humming softly. Then there was blood. So much blood. A mansion littered with torn bodies, blood dripping from shattered chandeliers, Rose wrapped tightly in my arms while I stumbled through the gore-stained marble floors— I gagged, pressing my hand over my mouth. Tears burned down my cheeks. Was that a dream? A memory? A nightmare from watching too many late-night horror movies? But it felt so real. The smells. The sounds. The terror. And then there was Jacob... appearing and disappearing in the blink of an eye. A man becoming a tiger. Me living in a mansion that I’d never seen before. None of it made sense, but one thing was clear as crystal in my fogged mind: I knew Jacob. From somewhere far beyond this quiet little town, this peaceful street, and our polite neighborly smiles. My heart squeezed painfully as his words from yesterday echoed in my skull. "Because I can’t stand the thought of anyone else touching you." Why would he say that? Why would a man like Jacob... so kind, so strong, so impossibly perfect... say that to me? Unless... unless he was hiding something. Unless these memories weren’t dreams but glimpses into something he didn’t want me to remember. Maybe the tiger, and the whole disappearing and appearing act weren’t real but Jacob felt so real. Fear clawed up my throat, bitter and cold. What if he was dangerous? What if he was like Ruben... only worse? What if he was a stalker slash serial killer? "Mommy... why are you crying?" Rose’s tiny voice cut through my panic. She was staring up at me with those big green eyes so like mine, filled with innocent worry. I wiped my cheeks quickly and forced a smile, though it felt like it might crack my face open. "I’m okay, bunny. Mommy’s just... just thinking, okay?" "About what?" she asked softly, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. Her lashes were wet with tears. "Is it about Uncle Tiger? Or Daddy Jacob?" I froze. My stomach twisted. Daddy Jacob... right Rose loved calling him that. "Rose... baby, you have to stop calling him Daddy Jacob." My voice trembled as I stroked her cheek, needing to hear her say his name properly. Needing for her to understand where I was coming from. She frowned a little, confused by my reaction. "Daddy Jacob is Daddy Jacob. He’s your friend. He lives in the big house with Uncle Tiger and Aunty Natalie, Alexander and all the other people. Remember? You always tell me not to run down the halls ’cause it’s dangerous." Her words felt like knives in my chest. I wanted to scream What are you talking about?! but her little face was so trusting, so sure that I knew what she meant. I swallowed hard, my hands shaking as I hugged her again. "Okay... okay baby. Thank you for telling me." But inside, my thoughts were a hurricane. I have to leave. I couldn’t risk Rose. If Jacob was hiding something massive from me... if he turns out to be dangerous... if these memories of dead bodies were real... I needed to protect her. Even if it meant breaking my own heart. Even if it meant walking away from the first man who ever made me feel like maybe... just maybe... I was worth noticing. "I need you to be a big girl for me, okay?" I said, forcing my voice to be bright and brave. "We’re going on a little trip." Rose’s eyes widened with excitement. "Really? Where, mommy?" I stood on shaking legs and picked her up, kissing her cheek. "Somewhere safe, bunny. Somewhere just for us." I moved quickly, adrenaline fueling me despite the pounding pain in my skull. I grabbed a small suitcase from my closet and packed it with our clothes, Rose’s pajamas, her favorite bunny plushie, and her hairbrush. My hands trembled as I folded my maternity jeans and tucked them into the bag. My baby. I placed my palm against my belly, feeling the faintest flutter that could have been movement or just my frayed nerves. I had to protect this baby too. No matter what. "Mommy, what about Donut?" Rose asked, clutching her plushie to her chest as she watched me zip the suitcase shut. My gaze flicked to the orange tabby who was sitting by the door, tail curled around his paws, blinking up at me with sleepy blue eyes. My chest tightened. I didn’t want to leave him behind... but I didn’t know if he was safe to bring. He was Jacob’s cat after all. But what if Jacob doesn’t come home on time and Donut ends up staving? I grabbed a pen and a sticky note, scribbling quickly despite the shaking of my hands. Jacob, I’ve taken your cat with me so he won’t starve. The spare key is under your foot mat. Please don’t look for us. I just need some time to think. I will bring him back, I promise. – Easter. My fingers shook as I folded the note and slipped out into the humid evening air. The sun had just dipped below the horizon, leaving streaks of pink and orange across the sky. Crickets chirped in the tall grass by the driveway. Everything looked so peaceful... like nothing had changed. I crossed the street quietly, my heart hammering in my throat as I slipped the note by Jacob’s door, tucking it behind a decorative pot so no one else would find it. The windows were dark. He wasn’t home still. Good. I glanced back at my house, feeling my chest clench painfully. My cozy little living room. Rose’s sunflower drawings taped to the fridge. My beautiful potted plants in the corner. I was leaving everything behind. But not for long. Just long enough for me to clear my head and heart. "Mommy... are you sad?" Rose asked softly from her car seat as I buckled her in. Her big eyes shimmered with worry. I forced a watery smile, brushing her curls back from her forehead. "No, bunny. I’m just... I’m just making sure you’re safe. That’s all that matters." She nodded solemnly and reached out to pat my cheek with her tiny hand. "It’s okay, mommy. Daddy Jacob will find us. He always finds us." Her words sent a chill down my spine. I didn’t reply. I just kissed her palm and closed the door before she could see the tears streaming down my face. Sliding into the driver’s seat, I gripped the wheel with shaking hands and started the engine. Donut meowed softly in the backseat, as if sensing my fear. "I’m sorry," I whispered to him, to Rose, to the baby inside me, to the memory of Jacob’s soft smile. "I’m so, so sorry..." As I pulled away from the house and drove into the deepening night, the pain in my chest felt unbearable. But I couldn’t let it stop me. Not when my children’s lives were even in the slightest way at stake. Not when I didn’t know if the man I loved... was even who he claimed to be.

Chapter 283: Shards of Yesterday

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