Chapter Text
It was around noon when Marcus heard a knock at his door. No one he knew was off at noon. He got up from the couch and opened the door. It was Abby. There was a stroller resting next to her and he could see Clarke’s feet wiggling. Clarke had grown so much. She was already 18 months old. It’s almost two years since his little peanut was born, he realized. He looked up at Abby. She had tears that stained her face. Her arms were folded on her chest. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun. She was dressed in running clothes. She bit her lip.
“What’s going on?” Marcus said as he put an arm on her shoulder. Abby sat down on Marcus couch. She hugged her knees tight to her chest. “I’ll be right back, okay?” Abby nodded at Marcus. She stared off into space as Marcus grabbed Clarke from the stroller. He walked around the couch and towards Clarke’s room. He then placed her in the crib he had gotten a little over a month ago.
Jake was on business often so Abby needed someone to watch Clarke. Marcus would try to work from home to help Abby out whenever he could. One of the luxuries of being the Chief of Police is that no one can tell you where you can or cannot work. Clarke was the closest thing Marcus would ever get to a daughter. He kissed her forehead. Marcus smiled as his scruffy beard made her squirm slightly. Clarke’s mouth got big as she yawned and her eyes fell slowly shut. He knew she would always fall asleep after a goodnight kiss. He shut the door quietly.
He walked over to the couch where Abby was visibly shaking. He sat down next to her and folded his legs. When she turned to face him, Marcus saw that new tears stained her face and shirt. Her eyes were red and puffy. His hands traveled behind her ears as his thumbs wiped away her tears. Abby sniffled as she grabbed onto his hands.
“Abby, what’s going on? Talk to me. I’m here.” He placed a gentle kiss on her hands. His deep voice soothed her as it resonated through her body.
“Jake….he….he cheated on me,” she said after a while, as if she just realized something. “Jake told another woman he loved her more than anything in the world.” she whispered as she broke down into tears. Marcus’s breathing faltered. If Abby said anything after that he didn’t hear. The sound of his own heart pumping blood drowned out every other sound. The only thought that ran through his mind is how could a husband to that to his wife? How could a father do that to his daughter? How could Jake do that to the two women he was supposed to love more than anything in the world?
Abby had dated both Jake and Marcus but, Abby had chosen Jake. Marcus knew that Abby loved Jake. Abby thought she had made the right decision up until their 6 month anniversary. When she found out she was pregnant with Clarke, she was going to leave but Jake found out before she could. She knew at that point there was no way of getting out of it. But nevertheless, Abby loved Jake all the same. No matter how many times she went over to Marcus’s house, she never cheated on Jake. Not once. She always stayed on the bed in the guest room, which was now Clarke’s new room. No matter how many times she stood in front of Marcus door in pajamas with her hand on the doorknob, she never turned it.
Abby’s assistant, Jackson, looked at her.
“Go home ABBY! We don’t want you here!” He smirked. They both laughed. “Seriously Abby. You’ve been here for more than a full day. It’s 9 am. Clarke and Jake are probably eating breakfast. You should join them.” She took a long breath, realizing he was right. She nodded.
“Thank you Jackson.” She smiled and hugged him. Abby walked towards the lounge to retrieve her things.
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Abby opened the front door. She put her purse down and with her phone in hand, she ran up the stairs. The door to Clarke’s room was open so she walked in. There was her baby, sleeping. Clarke was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Her blonde hair fell over her eyes. Abby brushed it away. She wished Clarke would open her eyes so Abby could see the deep blue they held. She kissed Clarke and walked into her bedroom. She took off her watch and set her phone down. Jake was in bed asleep. His bare chest rose and fell at a steady rate. Abby sat down on the bed and propped herself up against the headboard. She leaned over to plant a kiss on his lips. He inhaled sharply. Without opening his eyes, he wrapped his arms around her waist.
“Hi.” Jake yawned.
“Hi” Abby whispered. She began fiddling with his hair.
“No matter how badly I want to stay in this bed with you and do God know’s what,” Abby chuckled, “You and Clarke need time together. Go to the park or go for a run or something. Just get out of the house. You’ve been at work a lot lately and you two just need some bonding.” Abby nodded. Something within her told her to stay in that bed. But she shut the feeling out.
“I think that’s a good idea.” She planted a smile on her face. She stood up to grab her clothes.
“I forgot to tell you, the pipe burst yesterday and there’s water all over the bathroom floor.” Abby sighed. Their closet was only accessible through the bathroom. “But I did a load of laundry earlier. I think there were some running things in there.” She smiled. She was so lucky to have him.
“I love you Jake. Clarke and I should be home around 11.”
“I love you too, baby.” Something in his voice was holding back.
“Okay. I’ll see you after the run.” They locked eyes and kissed one more time before she left. Abby grabbed Clarke from her room. She smiled as she looked at her daughter. She was so beautiful. Abby buckled Clarke into the stroller. Abby started running. They were about 1 block from home when Clarke pointed at Abby’s speaker, “Mama” She signed music. Abby always plays music from a portable speaker on their runs. They weren’t even 100 yards from home and Abby planned on running 3-5 miles so she and Clarke needed music. She ran back home to grab her phone.
Abby stopped the stroller next to the door. She headed upstairs quietly. She knew Jake would be sleeping and she didn’t want to disturb him. But he wasn’t sleeping. Her feet came to a halt right in front of the door. She heard a woman laughing and Jake moaning. Abby froze and she felt her heart stop. Her hand covered her mouth. She heard the woman scream. Abby had only been gone for 5 minutes so she knew that woman had been in the house when she had come home. She realized there was no pipe that burst. The woman was hiding in their bathroom. Tears fell silently from her face. And the next words that came out of Jake’s mouth shattered Abby’s heart.
“I love you more than anything in this world.” That was when Abby stormed in. She just stared at him. Once Jake realized she was standing there, he pushed the woman away. They both fumbled to get under the covers.
“How long?” She managed to say. Her head and heart flooded with feelings of anger, resentment, hatred, hurt, sadness, loss and so many others.
“Abby, wait! I love you baby. It’s not what it seems like. This, she,” He motioned to the lady next to him. “It’s nothing. She means nothing to me. You and Clarke are my everything.” It was then the woman spoke up.
“EXCUSE ME!? I mean nothing to you? So the past year has meant nothing? You promised me you would end it with her. Where does she think you go every weekend? Work?” She paused to look at Abby. “From the looks of it, you haven’t told her. Your husband was the fired 4 months ago. I’m done here.” She got up and threw her clothes on, not caring if Abby saw her naked. She stormed out of the room.
Abby’s heart skipped a beat. She fell slightly backward and caught herself on the doorframe.
“A year?” She managed to whisper. Her eyes were full of hate staring at him. “I can’t believe you! I trusted you. I LOVED YOU! I swear to God, I will do everything in my power to keep Clarke away from you. She doesn’t deserve a dad who lies and cheats. Sure you fathered her. But you are no dad… you never were.” Abby grabbed her phone from the dresser. “And you never will be.” She slammed the door behind her.
“Please Abby! Come back! Please! I’m sorry. Don’t do this!” She heard him yelling from the closed door.
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Abby couldn’t get the image of her husband on top of another woman out of her mind. She stared off into space until she felt two muscular arms wrap around her. She refocused to find Marcus running his fingers through her hair. They both stayed there for a very long time until a pound at the door made both of them jump. Abby and Marcus parted to look at each other. They both knew who was at the door. Abby shifted to get up but Marcus put his hand up. “Let me talk to him.” He grabbed Abby’s hand as he stood up and squeezed.
The space between Marcus and the door seemed to be getting bigger and bigger. It seemed like an eternity before his hand landed on the flat handle of his door. He drew a long breath and opened the door. There was Jake Griffin standing in his door way. His eyes were red and puffy. His shirt was thrown on and messy. He reeked of alcohol. Marcus stood his ground as Jake stared at him. “Where’s my wife and daughter, Marcus?”
“Jake, Clarke may be your flesh and blood but she will never be anything more than that. Clarke stopped being your daughter and Abby stopped being your wife the minute you set your hands on another woman.”
“How dare you? You have no right to speak for them! This does not concern you Marcus.” Jakes voice began rising along with his temper.
“You’re right it doesn’t concern me. But the moment my best friend came to my door in tears asking for refuge from a cheating, lying, two-faced husband, it became my problem. Clarke’s asleep and she is a very light sleeper. Not that you would know. You’re barely home. If you continue to raise your voice, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” Marcus kept a steady tone and started to close the door.
Jake’s eyes went cold. He stuck his foot in-between the doorway. His fingers reached up and wrapped around Marcus’s throat. He gasped as the air was forced out of him in an instant. Having been in the police force for over 20 years, Marcus had the proper training to handle situations like this. With one swift movement he had Jake pressed against the outer wall of the house and his hands behind his back. Marcus’s hands balled into fists that were itching to make a connection with Jakes face but he knew he couldn’t. He had to be the bigger person. He let Jake’s arm fall down his back. Jake slowly turned around to stand face to face with Marcus.
“Leave Jake. Before I call the police on charges of assault and battery.” Marcus pointed at the driveway in front of him. “And leave Abby and Clarke alone.” Jake stared at him for a few seconds. He finally turned on his heel and stormed to his car. The last thing Marcus saw before he went back inside the house was Jake slamming the car door and driving away.