Shards Of The Past

PROLOGUE

In a trice, his lips sealed mine and the sweet mint taste intoxicated me, melting away my sorrow and emptiness. He was all that I needed tonight, yet, I found myself unable to accept him. My mind was not in harmony with my heart and senses.

My heart and body wanted to belong to him, but my mind categorically refused. Over the years, I had learnt to shut my mind, but now it was beyond my control.

***

Chapter 1

It hurt so much that it won’t hurt anymore...

The tears wouldn’t stop running down my cheeks, the saltiness adding fuel to my wounds — the blows that I had received minutes back. If only I could stop the tears from flowing. Alas! The heart bleed was too harsh this time. Things had gone too far this time. Why?

I had been burnt by the iron in his hand, right under my jawline. At first, I could not feel it coming, nor could I feel the pain. But seconds after, I felt the heat under my right cheek and for a moment, I thought I was in an oven. The reason for lashing out? I had not given him what he wanted. I had not ironed his shirt.

After he burnt me with the iron, just because I shouted, he punched my left eye, caught me by the neck and hit me against the wall. My small face could not take the blow and his punch ended up injuring my eye, eyebrow and upper cheek. Not only that, he traumatised my two-and-a-half-year-old boy who was sitting near him at the time he was ironing.

“Don’t hurt my Mama! Why did you beat my Mama!” My boy, Flynn, snapped and tears fell from his beautiful eyes.

“Stay quiet!” he warned him and I got so scared that I asked my boy to rush to me immediately.

I was afraid that he might punish my boy for trying to protect me. My elder daughter who was outside putting the clothes for drying heard the commotion and her eyes bulged out seeing me in a mess.

“What happened, Mama?” she asked me, “Why is your eye sore and red?”

Tears flowed continuously and it confirmed her doubts in one shot. She looked at her dad furiously and he melted.

“She shouldn’t have started nagging,” Nate shrugged.

“I know that for a long time, you have been unfair to our mother and treating her harshly!” Ruby, my daughter snapped.

“I’m out of here!” Nate left right away.

It was a relief to see him exit, for I would not want him to hurt the kids. This man was a Devil of a man and he had crossed the limits.

I needed to be stronger than I was and find a solution to our problem. As of now, I was without a job in Perth, the beautiful city of Australia, and all I wanted was to be independent. I had been far too long in this abusive relationship and our life was controlled by this monster.

It had been weeks ever since I started working at Mr. Aiden Graham’s place and all I had to do was to take care of his one-month-old baby, Jayden Graham and nurse him. I could have never imagined that my breast milk would land me a job.

Yes! Who would have thought? Everything happened so fast that I did not have time to think of the consequences and the trap I might have set for myself.

I could not complain about the great life my kids started having. Flynn had already weaned and was not cranky or clingy as he used to be, thus enabling me to give my full attention to baby Jayden. It was not pity that I felt for this little sweetheart, but just pure maternal love.

He was so adorable and I was happy that I could help him overcome his health issues. The paediatrician had mentioned that since Jayden was a premature baby, born at thirty-five weeks, breastfeeding was vital for his growth. Moreover, after the loss of his mother, all he craved was a mother’s warmth to help