Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem

Chapter 14

Nola was about to say something when Tarquin added, “Elijah is in a bad state right now, so you should not come to my house without an emergency in the future. And if you must, call me ahead of time.”

Nola’s eyes widened in disbelief. So Tarquin’s house became off–limits to her just because Elijah made a scene? How was she supposed to differentiate herself from the swarm of women buzzing around Tarquin?

No, this just wouldn’t do.

“Tarquin, I-” she continued.

“Elijah comes first, end of the discussion,” Tarquin cut in; his tone was icy and final, effectively showing her the door. It was a clear punishment for her reckless banter in front of

his son.

He had made it crystal clear that marriage was off the table for them, and yet she dared to rattle Elijah with her wild claims! Besides, he’d never been too keen on having Nola over in the first place.

With a heart full of frustration, Nola knew better than to defy Tarquin when he was this riled. up. In that case, she could just leave for now.

Tarquin turned to his butler and issued a new directive, “From now on, if she shows up, don’t let her in before you call me.”

“Understood, sir.”

in

a doctor, had come

a distance from Elijah for the time being, “Considering how Elijah reacted today, his bipolar disorder seems to

he’s been on his medication consistently.”

psychological. The kid’s fixation on his mother runs too deep. If we could somehow bring her back to stay with him, it might just

lit a cigarette, his

even gone so far as to bring a stand–in to play the part of Elijah’s mother, but the boy was too sharp. He saw

a child psychologist, someone who can double as a nanny and stay with Elijah long–term. As long as Elijah warms up to her and she can communicate with him, she might reach into his world and help heal his trauma. And even if full recovery isn’t possible, she’ll be there to prevent his condition from deteriorating and stop an incident like today from recurring. At the very least, she’ll

“Do you have anyone

okay with a stranger in your house every day, I can start looking.”

just fine. Focus on Elijah.”

his son, let alone deal with a

on it

Tarquin’s phone buzzed with urgency, “Sir, it’s bad

“Bolted?!”