In His Eyes

1

If you ask me, the so-called villains of fairytales are simply misunderstood. The Evil Queen was a victim of society’s impossible beauty standards. Poor Maleficent was merely tired of being overlooked and mistreated. And Ursula was nothing more than a businesswoman. It’s not her fault Ariel was willing to give up everything for some cute boy.

I know what it’s like to be cast as the villain in your own story. My ex-husband and his perfect new wife certainly see me that way.

Am I angry? Yes.

Jaded? You bet your sweet ass.

You would be too if you were me. Eric married me knowing he was in love with Julianna. Knowing he would never love me. I was quite literally a stand-in for the person he really wanted to be with. He only started talking to me because I reminded him of her. Same pale skin, dark hair, and blue eyes.

But somehow, I’m the bad guy for wanting revenge. For wanting him to feel the kind of pain he caused me. And I didn’t even go through with it. My dumbass came clean, and he got to keep his precious Jules.

They’re living their happily-ever-after, and I’m a bitter lonely fool.

That wasn’t the only time love bit me in the ass either. Even after Eric used and discarded me, I wasn’t ready to give up on the idea of finding my Prince Charming. For a brief moment, I thought Jackson was going to ride in on his white horse and save me from my misery.

Until he found out I was pregnant and bailed, leaving me to raise our son all alone.

Men are garbage. They can’t be trusted.

The only man I want or need in my life now is my son. He’s the best thing to ever happen to me, why I’m trying so hard to be a better person. I refuse to let him grow up to be an entitled asshole like the rest of the male population.

Everything I do is for Kellan. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for him. I’d crawl through the pits of hell with a smile on my face to keep him happy, healthy, and safe.

He’s the only reason I’m here now, getting ready to swallow my pride and ask for help.

Life has never been easy for me. I learned to survive with little to nothing in my pocket. It was normal for me to jump from one job to another, crashing with friends or in my car when I had to.

But things are different now. That isn’t the kind of life I want for Kellan.

We were doing okay for a while. I found a call center job making decent money and managed to get us a nice apartment. It wasn’t exactly living high on the hog, but we weren’t hurting for anything either.

Until I lost my job.

That’s when Christopher, Julianna’s ex, contacted me. Like he knew I was down on my luck and would be more apt to accept his offer. He wanted me to break Jules and Eric up so she’d go running back to him. And he was going to pay me a lot of money to do it. Enough to pay my lease through the end of the year and keep food in our bellies until I could find a new job. But he wanted me to bring my son into the scam, to lie to Eric and tell him he’s Kellan’s father. And I couldn’t do it. Not if it meant lying to Kellan and eventually breaking his heart.

There’s no amount of money in this world worth hurting my son.

Telling Eric the truth might have been the right thing to do, but it left me totally screwed. The only job I could find was at a shit diner making three dollars an hour, plus tips. Most of the time those tips consist of whatever pocket change the assholes have on them.

Needless to say, money is tight. I’m two months behind on rent and one second away from getting evicted.

I’ve got no family to speak of. None that would give a damn about my living conditions or helping me and my kid. And no one’s going to give someone like me a loan.

This is my only option.

My stomach is in knots as I get out of the car, my old Honda looking completely out of place in front of the huge mansion. Tennessee is a humid hellhole this time of year, the summer heat turning me into a sweaty mess by the time I make it to the front door.

I take a deep breath, adjusting my dress and smoothing my hair before ringing the doorbell. A few moments later the door swings open, revealing a man with a mean scowl on his face.

“Did you miss the no soliciting sign, or can you just not read?”

I grind my teeth, tamping down my annoyance. “I’m not selling anything. I’m looking for Jackson Chambers.”

This is the last known address for Kellan’s father. I had no idea the bastard was so wealthy. He told me once that his family had money but claimed they’d disowned him a long time ago. Guess I should add that to all the other lies he told me.

The man scoffs, his lip snarling with disgust as he eyes me from head to toe. “Jackson isn’t here. You’ll have to find another dumbass with deep pockets to mooch from.”

My mouth drops open, my anger boiling to the surface. “Excuse me? Who the fuck do you think you are?”

He chuckles like my fury amuses him, crossing his arms as he leans against the door, his tall and muscular frame filling the space. “I’m Dallas Chambers, Jackson’s brother. This is my house.”

I take a moment to really study him, seeing the resemblance right away. Jackson is much thinner than his brother, but they have the same dark blond hair and those gray eyes…they’re exactly like my son’s.

“Jackson never mentioned he had a brother,” I admit.

He sighs, a bored expression now on his face. “Yes, well, I imagine there’s a lot of things the women he fucked don’t know about him.”

What. An. Asshole.

My face heats. “Look, can you just tell me when he’ll be back? Or let him know I stopped by? My name is Cara, Cara Larson. I really need to talk to him.”

His features darken, almost as if a sadness has washed over him. “No, I can’t. My guess is if Jackson wanted to hear anything you had to say, you’d know how to find him.”

The prick has me there. Jackson made it perfectly clear seven years ago that he didn’t care about me or his baby, but he doesn’t get to run from this anymore. We need his help. His son needs him. I don’t have time to go through the courts.

“It’s about his son.”

Dallas narrows his eyes at me, the wrath behind them causing my stomach to flip as he stands straight. “I think I’ve entertained this long enough. It’s time for you to go.”

“Please,” I plead, pulling a photo of Kellan from my dress pocket. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t important. I’m only doing this for my son.” I extend the photo to him, my eyes begging for him to take it. “Jackson’s son needs him.”

He rips the photo from me, his other hand on the door. “Leave now or I’m calling the cops.”

Tears fill my eyes as he slams the door in my face. This was my last hope, and it just went up in flames.