Jenifer's POV
I shot a quick look at Romano, who was furiously turning away, refusing to meet my eyes. "Fine, I'll have the divorce papers sent over in a few days. Romano stays with you from now on, and I won't get involved anymore."
Romano went rigid. He might not have grasped the full meaning of my words, but something in his little mind picked up that his mommy was about to abandon him.
Terror flickered across his features.
Without thinking, he clutched at Reed's shirt hem, staring up at him with worried eyes.
Reed went still too. I'd mentioned divorce multiple times before.
His brow creased, clearly annoyed that I was using divorce as a weapon against him.
"Jenifer, I suggest you drop this act. If you're serious about divorce, don't come crying when you want back into the Gould family."
"Exactly, Mommy. Lorelei's wonderful. Dad and I both adore her. If you can't stand her, maybe you should look in the mirror instead of constantly attacking Dad. Mommy, why are you being so difficult?"
Romano, picking up on Reed's tone, assumed I was just making empty threats and started laying into me as well.
"If you and Dad are so crazy about her, then why do you still call Jenifer 'Mommy'? Go ahead and call Lorelei your mother," Natalia snapped, unable to watch the father-son duo tear into me any longer.
She whirled on Reed with a cold smile. "Bottom line is, Mr. Gould can't keep it in his pants. No surprise Jenifer was blind to it all these years, and she's just now seeing clearly."
The rage building inside me was volcanic. These people had put me through hell, and I'd never experienced anything like it before in my life.
The fury kept mounting. My glare burned into Reed, and I felt murderous. This bastard was the root of everything. He'd not only destroyed me but raised a son who treated me like garbage too, breaking my heart. If I ever got the chance, I'd make him pay.
Reed looked lost at first, like Natalia's words went right over his head. Then understanding dawned, and his face went white.
Romano couldn't follow what Natalia was saying, but when he saw Reed's expression darken, he knew she was ripping into his father.
Romano had never warmed up to Natalia, and seeing her attack his dad pushed him over the edge.
Rage took over as he stomped up to Natalia and shoved her with everything he had.
"Old hag, mind your own business!"
"Ah!"
Nobody saw it coming. Everyone froze, then scrambled to catch Natalia as she teetered on the edge of the bleachers.
I was closest to her. My eyes went wide, and pure instinct kicked in. I lunged forward and grabbed her, yanking her back from what could have been a disaster.
I looked at her with guilt written all over my face. Relief flooded through me when I saw she was just shaken up, not hurt.
"Crack!"
Just when everyone thought we'd avoided catastrophe, a sharp slap cut through the air.
"Romano, who the hell taught you to talk like that? Where did your manners go? Apologize this instant!" Fury blazed in my eyes. My hand shook at my side, and my voice came out louder than usual. I was still rattled from the close call.
Romano was still so young, but he'd put his full weight behind that shove. If I hadn't moved fast enough, I didn't want to think about how badly Natalia could have been hurt falling from those bleachers.
Reed looked stunned that I'd actually hit Romano. He seized my wrist, eyes flashing with anger. "Jenifer, you've crossed the line. Romano's just a kid - of course he doesn't know his own strength. Did you really need to slap him?"
Romano stood there dazed for a beat, and it wasn't until the stinging pain cut through the numbness in his face that reality hit him.
His mommy had actually slapped him, all because he'd pushed that old witch.
Tears gathered in Romano's eyes, but he fought them back, determined not to let them fall.
He set his jaw stubbornly. "I won't apologize to that old hag. Never."
My heart twisted watching his pitiful little face. But thinking about what had just happened, I pushed down my own pain and turned to Reed. "Reed, this is the child you've raised - disrespecting elders, getting physical with people, zero manners. You're not fit to be a father. I'm disgusted with you."
I could see the shame on his face, but I knew he was already making excuses. He was probably telling himself he'd been swamped - working non-stop and hunting for me every single day. That taking care of Romano had always been my job, that he'd never gotten involved. I could practically hear him thinking that if I hadn't disappeared for so long, Romano wouldn't be like this, convincing himself he wasn't the one at fault.
"You can't say mean things about my dad. You're not my mommy, and I don't want you to be my mommy. You're evil."
Finally, Romano couldn't hold it together anymore and started sobbing in Reed's arms. Reed immediately scooped him up, trying to soothe him.
——
Romano's thoughts raced as tears streamed down his face. He didn't want to think of her as his mommy anymore. She'd not only hit him but said he had no manners. She'd never yelled at him before, let alone struck him. She was a terrible mom. He'd never accept her again.
——
Seeing me and the child in such a state, Natalia, who had kids of her own, understood that I must be dying inside after hitting Romano.
She tried to comfort me. "Jenifer, I think he didn't mean any harm. He's still little. You can guide him properly later. There's no need for things to get this ugly over me."
I looked at Natalia apologetically. "I'm sorry you got caught in the middle. It's my fault for not raising him right."
Natalia shook her head. "It's not on you."
She shot a look at Reed. "If anyone's to blame, it's that deadbeat father. He's got no class and he's rubbing off on the kid."
I noticed Reed watching the back-and-forth between me and Natalia, a puzzled look on his face. I could guess what he was thinking—about Natalia being a Zach by marriage and me sharing the same last name. I saw the flash of suspicion in his eyes before he quickly dismissed the thought.
If I really belonged to the Zach family, why hadn't they come looking for me all these years?
Plus, he'd dug into my background before - I was just an orphan with no parents or family connections. There was no way I could be a Zach.
As for my tight relationship with Natalia, there had to be some other explanation.
"You old hag, I won't let you trash-talk my dad," Romano said, his face swollen from crying, but still determined to stick up for his father.
Looking at the little brat who was still defending his dad even through his tears, Natalia's anger flared even hotter. "I said a few things about your dad, and you jumped to his defense repeatedly. When have I ever seen you defend your mom like that? Did you crawl out of your dad's belly?"