HaEun

I called our lawyer and he would be meeting with us as soon as YoungGuk came home. I left a voice mail on his phone when I tried to reach him all day. I figure he was really busy so I just told him we have a situation at home and that I love him. Iris left a voice mail telling him she miss and love him as well.

I bathe the kids after dinner and tuck them into Iris's bed. She even shared her teddy bear with Tristan because she said he was sad and scared. She never leaves without her bear or let any one play with it so it was a surprise to me seeing her give it to Tristan to hold.

The next morning and for the rest of the week I woke the kids up fed them and then we would all get into my car to drop Iris off at school. I would take Tristan along with me to run errands and we stop to get a treat before we go pick Iris back up. Tristan usually eats only half of his treat and gives the rest to Iris when she gets into the car.

By the end of the week Tristan was looking better and his body had gained a little fat. He was filling into his clothes more but he was still so quiet and shy towards me. He loves being with Iris though. She would boss him around and he would comply following her around.

I took him to our family doctor as well to get him check up. The doctor had said he was very underweight but today the doctor was happy to inform me Tristan was looking better. He also suggested voice therapy for Tristan since he should be talking right now but the doctor suspected abuse was the reason he was not talking yet. We had one session done so far and he seem to be confused about it but he held onto me so tightly when we were with the specialist shrink. She had told me it would take time but seeing how Tristan held me as someone safe and a protector she was sure he would be fine.

I carry Tristan out of the car and quietly shut the door so he wouldn't get up. He had fallen asleep as we were waiting for Iris to get out of school. Iris followed my movements and helps me carry my tote bag that I use as a diaper bag for Tristan. I'm still working on potty training him so I needed to carry diapers, wipes and a change of pants in case of emergency. She ran up the stairs to unlock the door with my keys and hold the door for us. She was a great big sister.

"What's the situation Haeun?" YoungGuk ask from the top of the stairs. His eyes locked down on the sleeping Tristan in my arms and froze. "What's he doing here?" He asks walking down the stairs.

"Someone dropped him off." I spoke quietly.

"Hush daddy Tristan is sleeping." Iris shush her daddy.

"Let me put him down then we can talk." I walk pass him in the middle of the stair case but he held onto my arm preventing me from going further.

"Let me take him back." He reaches for Tristan but I pull back.

"What?" I back away from him.

"I need to take him back to his mother." YoungGuk yells.

Tristan flinches in my arms. "Will you lower your voice? You're going to wake him."

Tristan starts rubbing his eyes getting ready to wake up.

"He doesn't belong here!"

Tristan opens his eyes wide and scared. He held onto me when he saw YoungGuk.

"Lower your voice, you're scaring him." I held onto Tristan ready to argue with YoungGuk.

"Hand him over Haeun."

"What are you going to do with him?"

"Take him back to where he belongs."

"He belongs here with us."

"NO"

"NO?" I scream back.

He sighs looking frustrated and scared at the same time. “Haeun I don’t want…what we have is…what we have now didn’t come to us so easily. I don’t want it all to crumble because of my past mistake. Please let me take him back where he belongs.”

I shake my head. “He belongs here with us.”

Yanking my arm away from his grip I descended up the stairs and into Iris’s room to put Tristan back to sleep. Iris followed us to her room quietly and slept next to Tristian. She was comforting him to sleep.

I left them alone to go back and talk some sense into Youngguk’s head before he did something stupid.