Chapter Twenty-Seven: Cracks in the Cage:

Maybe that old lady was right. I didn’t see how my kingdom was poisoning my wife and son. Hell is no place for an angel that hasn’t fallen. But I knew that. Still, I didn’t want to let them go. I had already lost one family. I wasn’t going to lose another one.

449 years was how long I kept them. That’s right. My wife and son stayed with me that long. I refused to let them go. They were my family after all. Maybe that’s why I couldn’t see the problems at first. It could’ve saved me so much trouble.

That ring around her neck was the first sign. Bayu started to notice it herself.

“Sweetie, what’s they on my neck?” she asked one morning. I looked up from our bed.

“Hm?” he asked. Bayu turned to me from water wall. She pointed to her “collar”. My stomach dropped. When did it get darker?

“Let me see,” she said. I climbed out of bed and looked at her neck. I had to lift her chin for a better look. The line looked a dark purple now.

“Does it hurt when I do this?” I asked. I poked the line with my finger.

“No,” Bayu said. “What is it? Should I be worried?” I dropped her chin.

“I have no idea,” I said. Bayu frowned at me. I shrugged and shook my head.

“Isn’t there a way to get rid of it?” she asked. I frowned as I took a moment to think. I took her by the hands.

“I will see what I can do,” I promised her. “You don’t have to worry.” She started to smile a little bit.

I did the best I could for them. I really did. I did take a little bit of blood from Bayu’s neck. I promised her that I would have it tested. And I did send it off. Testing was going to take a few days but I wasn’t too worried. I stroked Bayu’s hair.

“It’s okay,” I whispered. “I will look after you.” She gave me that little smile of hers. That along convinced me that I was doing the right thing. It was all for my family I told myself. I was all for my family.

Irani seemed to be doing well in his new home. We started to get closer together. I got him to talk for a little bit. I still do most of the talking between the two of us. Seeing his little smile put me at ease. He adapted to living in my kingdom without any help. Maybe it was because he was so young. Maybe he hadn’t pledged himself to my former boss. It didn’t matter to me. I was just happy to be making some progress with my little boy.

“Daddy, what’s wrong with mama?” Irani asked me one day. I turned to my son.

“What do you mean?” I asked. The little darling looked down at his feet.

“Mama just seems sad all the time,” he said. “I saw her crying this morning.” I stopped in my tracks and knelt down in front of him.

“What do you mean crying?” I asked. Irani looked down at his feet. He started to chew on his little nails. Hearing about my wife crying made my stomach drop. I pulled my son into my arms.

“Aw, come here,” I whispered. I looked up at the light red sky. “Mama’s just going through some things. I think she might miss home.”

“But isn’t this home?” Irani asked against my chest.

“Well, yes,” I said. “But she has another home too.” The words came out so bitter from my mouth. Part of me wanted to vomit but it was true. Irani’s question told me that I needed to try and fix everything before it got worse. I looked my son in the eye.

“I am going to talk to Mama today, alright?” I asked. Irani started to smile.

“Okay!” he said. I smiled and patted him on the head.

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I would be talking to Bayu many times. It seemed to go around in circles when I did. She would insist that she was fine. That “collar” around her neck slowly got darker. It never hurt her. Despite her words of being fine, she sometimes looked like she was ready to cry.

“Baby, what’s the matter?” I asked. She forced herself to smile as she shook her head.

“Nothing,” she said. “Nothing, I’m fine.” I pulled her into my arms.

“Look, I want to help you,” I said. “But I can’t do that if you won’t let me in.” Her eyes shifted away from me. My stomach dropped. Come on, don’t do this to me. I love you and I want to help you. Bayu slipped out of my grasp.

Some days, the happiness felt forced. It’s like she’s afraid of me. I don’t want her to be. But I was running out of ways to district myself from the truth. The paradise I had built for us both was starting to crumble.

But then, there came another kink in my plans. Two little words from Bayu caused everything to fall into chaos. It hit me harder than any blow to the head could.

“I’m pregnant.”