Chapter 7
Chapter 7
The next morning, Luca woke up and looked over at me.
“Mommy, why are you still sleeping? I want you to play with me.”
He pushed me a couple of times, but my eyes stayed closed.
Disappointed, he climbed out of bed and turned on the TV in the living room. Cartoons always made things better–at least for a while.
By then, my body had started to stiffen, and a faint, sour smell was creeping through the
apartment.
Bill came home around noon. He spotted Luca sitting on the floor, glued to the TV, and immediately marched over to yank the plug from the wall.
“Luca, you’re too young to sit around watching TV all day! Staring at that screen will make you go blind,” he snapped.
Bill sniffed the air, his face twisting in irritation. “Where’s your mom? Why isn’t she playing with you? It’s a nice sunny day–why didn’t she take you outside?”
The smell finally hit him full force. Grimacing, he stomped to the windows and threw them open. “Your mom is getting more useless by the day. Doesn’t clean, doesn’t take care of the kid–what’s the point of me even marrying her?”
Still muttering, he made his way to the bedroom and flung the door open. The stench rushed out like it had been waiting for him. He gagged, slammed the door shut, and covered his nose.
“Rhea Ray! What the hell did you do to make this room smell like a trash dump?” he barked, waving a hand in front of his face.
I was right there, standing behind him, my ghostly hands resting on his neck. If he’d cared about me at all, even a little, he would’ve noticed. He would’ve checked on me sooner. But no–he was too busy blaming me for everything, like always.
I stared at him with every ounce of bitterness I’d carried. ‘I must’ve been blind to marry someone like you.‘
Bill kept ranting at the closed bedroom door. “If you don’t want to stay married, fine! Let’s just get a divorce.
“Luca can stay with Ima and me. You can rest easy knowing he’s taken care of.
“You’re still young–go find someone else. But just so we’re clear, the kid is staying with me.”
I let out a cold laugh. Bloody tears streaked down my face.
1/2
+25 BONUS
Chapter 7
‘Divorce? I’m already dead, and you’re still yammering about divorce? Bill Clayton, even as a ghost, I won’t let you off!‘
Bill turned and walked back to the living room.
“Luca, come live with me and Ima. We’ve got a room full of toy cars just for you,” Bill said, pitching it like a carnival ad.
Luca shook his head furiously. “No! I want to stay with Mommy!”
Bill’s glare cut through Luca’s resolve, and the little boy burst into tears.
When Bill leaned down to console him, Luca bit his hand. Hard.
“AHH! You little brat!” Bill yelped, yanking his hand back before slapping Luca across the back. “How dare you bite me?”
Luca cried even harder, running to the bedroom and burying himself under my blanket. Bill, fuming, stomped out, slamming the door so hard the walls shook.
