Family Secrets (Editing)

24| Visitor

*Unedited*

A woman dressed in all black wove through the crowd heading in the direction of the flat she knew so well. Much had happened and it was finally safe.

She bumped into a man on her way and apologized without stopping to look at him. She readjusted the hat she was wearing so her hair continued to hide her face.

A cool breeze brushed against her and she managed a faint smile. She couldn't wait to see her little man again. Nervous couldn't begin to describe what she felt.

Her hands trembled a little as she walked up to the apartment. What was going to happen? She had come this far she may as well go inside. Feeble knocks came from the door and the female occupant of the apartment went to check it.

"Hello can I help you?" Marley asked smiling at the stranger on her doorstep. "Who is it Mars!" Jacob called from her kitchen keeping an eye on the crawling baby.

Max was all of ten months old now and was a really active child. "Dada!" He called enthusiastically stopping to stretch his hands towards Jacob who took him up.

"Dada is really tired my boy." He told his son kissing the side of his head. "Babe!" He called again this time heading for the door himself. "Who?" The word died on his lips as he took in the sight before him.

Their visitor was someone they thought they would never see again. He held Maxwell to him watching the boy's reactions. What would happen now? Just when everything was back on track he felt a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"Come in." He instructed the lady who reluctantly stepped pass a frozen Marley. "Babe?" He whispered into Marley's ear. "You see her too right?" He asked and her laugh held little humor.

"I saw her." She confirmed closing the door heading to the living room where she had last seen her visitor ten months ago. The hat was gone now and she brushed dark strands of hair from her face making a ponytail.

"Scarlett?" Marley tested the name on her tongue. She didn't know what to feel but she knew she was hurt before anything else. She wished Scarlett had a twin like her deranged brother because it would make this encounter easier to swallow.

"Yeah." Scarlett croaked and Marley shook her head in disbelief. "Scar we thought you were dead. We went to your funeral, I cried for days. We took care of Max with all we had hoping you would be proud. I beat myself up because I thought you should have been able to witness all his firsts. I beat myself up because I thought I was too willing to go along with your plan out of longing to have a child of my own but you are here." Marley ranted rage clouding her vision. "Alive."

Jacob looked on at the exchange not sure what to make of it. Scarlett was alive the whole time when they were dealing with her stalker/rapist/psychopathic twin brothers. Fair enough she had given clues but what if it had turned out differently.

Marley could have died, Max could have died. "I'm sorry." Scarlett started by saying. "Sorry doesn't begin to cut it Scar I swear I am so fucking confused right now. How are you alive? We buried you Scar!" Scarlett saw the hurt in her friend's expression but she has to let her know there was nothing she could do.

She was living in fear all her life. Fear of her father and soon enough fear of Derrick and even Scott. Derrick was the worst of all. The things he had done to her she wouldn't dare utter to a soul.

Silent tears ran down her face as she looked down to her lap ashamed. How else could she have saved her child. "I had to save him M." She started again. "I had to get him away as soon as Derrick came back. I couldn't let my baby die Marley please hear me out." She pleaded evoking tears from her friend.

"Marley I was so traumatized by what he did, what he could do when he found out I was pregnant. I was in love with Steven M but as soon as Derrick found out through Scott everything went wrong." She thought back to the day Scott showed up at their apartment.

Marley was sleeping because she had an exam the next day. Scott had barged in slapping her across the face. "Leave him." He spat venom and seeing Derrick in him she was all too ready to comply.

Steven was such a good person. He had held her hand and convinced her she wasn't damaged goods the first time they made love. It was then that she became determined that she wanted to have his child. She looked over to Max who was happily babbling.

"I remember running barefoot from him. It was a day before I said I was going home. Before I left you. Scott isn't really a bad guy he was just easily influenced. That day I had fell and he stopped short of me." Marley sighed running a hand over her face. She took a seat in the sofa across from her once friend.

"You don't have to go into details of what he did." Marley conceded. She had enough of all this she just wanted some rest. "Listen this whole plan was his Marley. He said if I faked my death and gave the child to you he would take care of the rest. He would make sure that Derrick was locked away for good."

Shock was evident on Marley's face. There had to be a catch. "But there was something I had to do for him." She continued and Marley looked up to Jacob who was quiet since Scarlett had come in.

"What is it Scarlett?" He asked actually interested in the answer. "I'm pregnant." The woman stated and two pairs of eyes flew to her stomach. True to her word there was a baby bump there. "For him?" Marley inquired and her friend nodded.

An deep intake of breath was all that could be heard in the room. "He said he would make Max live but I couldn't be a part of his life so he would give me another child you know." Scarlett didn't seem the slightest bit ashamed. It was as if she had entirely accepted this.

She was having a child for her brother. "Scarlett why are you here?" Marley asked in all seriousness. "I just wanted to see him." She stated and Marley nodded. "Here he is." Marley took Max from Jacob. "Mama." Chorused the toddler.

"Ten fingers, ten toes." Marley stated additionally and Scarlett nodded. "I hate to say this Scarlett but I don't think we can ever be friends again." Marley was being honest. There was no way in hell.

Scarlett nodded in understanding and Marley relaxed. "You can see him once in a while but you will not tell him you are his mother or what had happened with his uncles." Marley laid the ground rules and hoped the lady could respect them.

This was what was best for Max.