The Arranged Bride

"Our son may say otherwise." She turned to look somewhere behind us.

"Ethan, come here baby, you're mumma is here." She cooed. I froze at my point. Looking at Nick, I found him mirroring my expression.

Ethan was there, all along, listening to us!

Shit!

I turned back to see Ethan standing at the foot of the staircase. He was intently looking at Clara with furrowed eyebrows. He averted his gaze from her to look at Nick, then me and went back to look at her. There was pin drop silence as if everyone was contemplating Ethan's answer. Honestly I was scared that he may choose his biological mother over me.

I knew I sounded insecured but I couldn't help it. I had come to love him so much that I couldn't think of him calling someone else Mom. I sure am possessive but that doesn't hurt right?

"Ethan, see I have come, your mumma has come. Come and give me a hug." Clara spoke in a sickeningly sweet voice. I felt like smacking away that smile from her face and dispose her off in the trash. It was like hearing those words broke the trance Ethan was in. His lips curved downward and his face contorted in what seemed like anger.

"No!" He yelled and furiously shook his head. Tears slipped out of his eyes. I so badly wanted to hold him close to me and calm him down. I was happy that he didn't want to be with this gold digger. But before everything I wanted this woman out of my house.

"Baby, please. You don't want to come to your Mumma? Are you angry on your Mumma? I am so-" Ethan cut her off.

"No, no you're not my Mumma, no." He yelled and ran off back to his room.

"Ethan, sweethea-" Her sugarcoated words were cut short.

"Out of my house. Right now." Nick folded his arms across his chest and glared at Clara. He was gritting his teeth so hard that it felt like it would break from the force. His knuckles were white from how hard he was clenching them. I could see that he was trying so hard to control his anger. He looked dangerous and I would never want to know what would happen if he looses control.

"Nick, you can't separate your son from his mother." Clara shouted at Nick. The nerve of that woman!

"Don't you dare talk to him like that and as far as I know, you left your rights as a 'mother' in exchange for a million dollars right? So what now? You want more? Well, you ain't getting any. Moreover you heard Ethan. He wants nothing to do with you and the only mother he will ever have is me. So you and your new found motherly concern can go and suck a lemon. "I seriously wanted nothing more than to literally kick her ass out of the house. She still didn't make any move to leave. She was opening her mouth to speak again before Nick cut her off.

"Why don't you understand dammit? Just leave and never show your filthy face to me. " Nick yelled causing her as well as me to flinch.

She angrily breathed out and glared at me before marching out of the house. We instantly took off to see Ethan.

When we reached his room, the door was wide open. Entering, I saw Ethan lying on his bed, his head stuffed in the pillow. I came closer and saw his body lightly shaking. Knowing that he was crying, broke my heart.

"Ethan, sweetheart-" I was cut off by Ethan.

"No, I won't go with her." Ethan said his voice hoarse from crying. His words shocked both of us. His thought we were here to send him to Clara!?

"You aren't going anywhere Ethan. She is gone. Look at us. It's me and your Mom." Nick spoke in a soft voice but it didn't convince Ethan. He still wasn't looking at us.

I sat down and gently caressed his head. After a few minutes, he sat up and turned around. His tear stricken face was enough to clench my heart.

"Dad, please don't replace Mom with that lady. I only want her as my Mom." He spoke amidst sobbing. His words instantly warmed my heart. He saw only me as his mother and it was great to think that I could make this place in his heart but to see his mental condition tight now was distressing me.

"No sweetheart, never will I replace Sophia with anyone. She is and will always be your mother." Nick spoke with a lot of assurance in his voice.

"Promise?" Ethan stared at him with pouty lips.

" Promise." Nick reassured but that didn't stop Ethan from sobbing. His face was red because of all this crying.

I pulled him to my lap and cradled him close to my body. After a good amount of time, his sobbing reduced to hiccups.

"Sshh honey, enough of crying. Everything is fine." I rubbed his back.

We were quite for sometime before Ethan decided to speak.

"Dad, she told that she left us. Why?"

Ethan's question left Nick dumb. How could he tell a child how much of a money thirsty woman Clara is, how he didn't ever matter to her! I really wished he hadn't been there to listen to everything. "Uhh.." Nick trailed off not knowing what to say. He really looked helpless.

" She didn't love me, isn't it? She didn't want to be with me? I was a bad child." He said the last part in a low voice as if asking himself. It was paining to even look at his sad dejected face. I hugged him tightly to my body. I hated that woman for making Ethan feel so unloved.

"No baby, you aren't bad, at all. You're one of the sweetest child one could ask for. " I said.

"Then why did she leave?" His lips were quivering.

Because she couldn't realise how precious you are." Before I could say anything, Nick answered. I looked at his face. He had a pained expression that I could understand was from seeing Ethan so sad. He looked desperate to wipe away all sad thoughts from his mind.

Sophia is here, she loves you. You shouldn't care for someone who doesn't deserve being with you." He completed with a smile.

Ethan was silent for some time. I looked at Nick and we were both confused of what he was thinking.

"Will you leave me as well someday?" I turned to see Ethan staring at me with his brown eyes filled with water.

It was upsetting to see my poor baby so insecured.

I opened my mouth to speak but be cut me off.

"I promise to be good. Please, stay with me." His desperate plea was piercing my heart. Because of that stupid woman, my baby was being so insecured and upset.

Taking a deep breath, I opened my eyes. I cupped his face with my hands and using my thumbs, wiped away his tears before speaking.

"Honey, I will never leave you. I love you way too much to stay away from you. You're one of the most important people in my life. How can I stay without my little baby?" I calmly spoke trying to be as convincing as possible.

"I am not a little baby!" He lightly whined while rubbing his face. I smiled at him.

"Okay so is my big baby up for some icecream?" I asked. He nodded before looking up as if realising something.

"I am not a baby!" He furrowed his eyebrows and pouted.

"Aww, you are. My baby." I pulled his cheek. He huffed at that and looked away. We chuckled at his antics. He was slowly getting back to being the normal Ethan.

I hugged him close to me and closed my eyes.

I didn't realise when a tear rolled down my cheeks until Nick softly wiped it away from my cheek. I smiled at him. He came, kissed Ethan's head, my forehead and took us in an embrace. I felt happy and contented.

We stayed like that until Ethan spoke.

"I can't breathe."

We laughed and pulled away.