CHAPTER 223: REAL FACE

Inside Abigail’s bedroom, Josh sat on the bed. After making sure the door was locked, Abigail joined Josh on the bed, still dressed in her work clothes.

She didn’t care about changing out of the clothes immediately. She needed this moment with her son more than she needed to change since she knew the nanny would be there soon to get Josh.

She had left the car key in the living room again since she didn’t want Ryan’s ears in her bedroom.

"How was your day at school, baby? Did you have lots of fun?" She asked, smiling at him.

Josh nodded his head, staring at her with his big, round adoring eyes. His curly hair flopped a little to the sides.

"What’s that?" Abigail asked with a smile when she took note of a folded paper in his hands.

He handed it to her, and she unfolded it with a curious smile.

It was a painting of what she assumed were three people. A father, a mother, and a little kid in between all holding hands.

"I suppose this is me?" Abigail asked, pointing to the figure with what she assumed was a long hair.

Josh smiled. "This is me and my daddy," he said, pointing to the other two figures.

"Wow! Your daddy is so handsome. And you too. Your nose looks so cute," Abigail said, laughing as she tugged his nose, and Josh laughed too.

"Is my daddy handsome?" Josh asked curiously.

Abigail grinned, "He’s very handsome."

"Like Jamal?" Josh asked.

Abigail’s heart skipped a beat. She had totally forgotten that Josh knew that Jamal’s real name wasn’t Pete.

She looked at Josh, wondering whether or not to seize the opportunity to tell him that Jamal was his daddy now.

Would it be okay to tell him that when Jamal wasn’t present? Wouldn’t it be better if they told him together? Perhaps they could tell him that together on Saturday when they go to the amusement park.

"He is. He’s just as handsome as Jamal," Abigail responded, and then she smiled at him, "Are you scared, baby? This morning you said you wanted us to run away. Why?"

Josh looked at her for a moment. "I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. I want to be happy with you. And with my daddy."

Abigail smiled and kissed his forehead, "Don’t worry. Nothing will happen to me. I want to show you something. Promise me you won’t be scared."

Josh looked at her with curious eyes and nodded. "I promise."

"This is going to be our little secret. Remember how Daddy and Genny talked about making me look different?"

Josh bobbed his head.

"Do you want to see what mommy really look like?" She asked, and once again he bobbed his head.

Abigail gazed at him for a moment then reached behind her ear and peeled back the thin edge of the mask, carefully tugging it from the back of her ear.

The adhesive made a soft pulling sound, and soon, the smooth artificial skin that had covered her real face was off, revealing her true features beneath.

Josh’s eyes widened as he stared at her new face. His small mouth parted slightly in surprise, but he didn’t speak.

Abigail sat still, not wanting to frighten him. She placed the mask gently beside her on the bed, and gave her full attention to him, her heart beating fast.

"This is me, baby," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "This is what mommy really looks like."

Josh tilted his head slowly to the side, his big round eyes still studying her face. Then, with careful movements, he moved closer, placing one small hand on her cheek.

"You’re still Mommy," he said.

Abigail’s eyes filled with tears.

Josh touched her lips next, then traced her nose with a little finger. "Your nose is different," he whispered. "But your voice is the same. And your eyes still smile when you look at me. You look more pretty like an angel."

That broke her.

Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she pulled him into a tight hug, cradling the back of his head against her shoulder.

"You’re so smart," she whispered through her tears. "And brave. And kind. I love you so much, baby. And I’m so happy you like my real face."

Josh wrapped his arms around her neck. "I love you too. And I love your face."

The knock on the door came just as Abigail pulled back to look into Josh’s face.

"I need to put this back on. Can you get the door while I go to the bathroom?" She whispered, and when he nodded she kissed his forehead and slipped into the bathroom with the mask.

Josh went to answer the door, "Genny! Abi is in the bathroom," Josh said with a wide smile when he saw Genevieve.

"How are you?" Genevieve asked with a wide smile as she stepped into the room, while Josh looked over his shoulder, hoping that his mommy closed the door behind her.

"Abi? If you’re not too busy I was hoping we could all spend the evening together seeing a movie," Genevieve called out to Abigail.

She had decided that if this was going to be her last night in the house, she’d rather spend it with them doing something pretty ordinary that they’d never done together.

Abigail heard Genevieve’s voice through the door as she stood at the sink, carefully adjusting the mask back onto her face.

She smoothed the edge of the mask behind her ears and pressed her palms lightly over her cheeks, ensuring the adhesive settled into place. Then she took a deep breath, glanced at herself in the mirror one last time, and stepped out.

"A movie sounds like a good idea," Abigail said, guessing that Genevieve probably wanted to do this before leaving with Stefan.

Abigail glanced at Josh, and when he smiled at her, she smiled back and held her hand to him.

He took it and together they all left the room to go see a movie together.