The Husband I Never Knew (Part 2)

We went downstairs and found Leo already there, busily eating at the dining table. I sat down and served myself. Sebastian was about to do the same when his phone rang. He stared at it for a moment, then answered.

“Sorry,” he said to us, then stood up to leave. Before he left the room, I heard him say a name: “Graves.” It meant nothing to me; perhaps one of his business partners. Usually, I didn’t interfere with his work, but for some reason, I made a mental note to ask him about this Graves.

“So, do you like Phoenix’s room?” Leo asked after swallowing his food.

“I love it, baby,” I said. “It’s gorgeous. You and your dad did a wonderful job.”

A woman I’d never seen before walked out of the kitchen. She placed some fruit on the table and introduced herself.

“I’m Mary, Luna. If you need anything, please let me know.” I nodded, and she quickly left.

“Who is that woman, Leo?” I asked. She appeared to be in her forties.

“Oh, that’s Mary. She handles the cooking and cleaning,” Leo said, frowning.

I figured he hadn’t heard Mary’s introduction. And why did Sebastian need a servant? He knew I took care of everything in the house, including cooking. Maybe he hired her when I was in the hospital.

I turned to Leo to ask when Mary had been hired, but noticed he was still frowning.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” I asked. “Why do you look unhappy?”

He remained silent for a moment, hesitant to tell me what was bothering him. Finally, he spoke.

“I found a note in my bag from a girl in my class. She joined the school when you were in the hospital.”

“What did the note say?”

“Just that she was glad you were okay.”

I frowned, not understanding the problem.

“Isn’t that a good thing? She’s being friendly,” I asked, because I didn’t understand why this upset him.

“Yeah, but Madison is a total pain,” he said, his voice hardening.

This made me curious. Leo was usually calm, friendly, and open. I’d never seen him like this.

“That’s not a nice way to talk about someone.”

He groaned in frustration. “You don’t understand, Mom; Madison just won’t leave me alone. She follows me everywhere and wants to do everything I do. It’s really annoying.”

I realized what was happening and smiled. It seemed this girl had a crush on Leo. The only problem was that she was being too forceful. She reminded me a bit of myself when I was younger and infatuated with Sebastian.

“You don’t like her? It sounds like she wants to be your friend.” I thought it was too early to tell him what was really going on.

“Absolutely not. She’s too loud and pushy. She’s always covered in scratches and mud or dust, and she acts younger than her age. She dresses funny, too.” He said this with disgust.

“I didn’t raise you to talk about people that way,” I said, my humor vanishing. “She might be different, but that’s not a bad thing, and I better not find out you’ve said anything mean to her. There are ways to keep your distance without hurting her feelings, okay?”

Leo was stubborn, like his father. Once he disliked something or someone, it was hard to change his feelings.

“I just wish she would leave me alone,” he said, slumping in his chair.

“Then tell her that, but in a kind way, okay?”

“Fine.”

He went back to eating and finished quickly. He left the table, telling me he was going to shower and then go to bed. A few minutes later, I finished my dinner. I felt exhausted and just wanted to sleep. I stood up, just as Sebastian returned.