***********************************************************************

OLIVER's POV

My ears were ringing, and hot unforgiving rage spread throughout my whole body. I couldn't remember how long it had been since I was this angry. The anger filling every fiber of my body was almost too much to handle, but I managed. Getting mad first thing in the morning was never a good start of a day.

"What did you just say?" I asked, seething. There was a point where something was too much, and that was exactly the situation I was in at the moment. Those few words that sounded through the other line made my whole world shake. I could see our possible future right in front of my eyes, and it was the path I didn't want to follow.

"I said-"

"That was a rhetorical question, Victor. I'm not deaf." My voice was cold, full of undisguised anger and disbelief.

He couldn't be serious. It took me several seconds to acknowledge what he had said, and even then, it all seemed like a bad joke. Was he seriously always this stupid? There were occasions when I thought there was something wrong with his head while we were still together, but it was never this bad. It was usually just the way he dealt with some situations that seemed to be problematic. Comparing it to the situation now, it got either worse, or I didn't know him as well as I had thought.

"Don't exaggerate. You knew this was coming. What does it matter whether it's today or in a month? The sooner the better, right?" He sounded almost amused, which pissed me off even more. I squeezed the phone to the point of it hurting, biting down on my tongue to calm down a little. Thank god I was at home. I couldn't imagine having this conversation in a public space. If someone saw me in this state, they would most likely call the cops because I had to look like I was about to kill someone.

"Victor," I started, going into the kitchen to pour myself something to drink. My mouth was suddenly too dry to speak. "I'm going to say it only once, so listen carefully." Taking a sip, frowning at the burning in my throat, I took a deep breath.

"Get your shit together. If you really want to be part of Matt's life, grow the fuck up. You've been wagging your tail whenever your father whistled, and you're doing it even now. But this is different."

I jumped a little when Joshua curled his arms around my waist but was immediately overcome by his warmth, part of the anger controlling me melting away. It wasn't enough to stop my outburst, though.

"You are a fucking adult so act like it. This is not about your father. This is about your potential relationship with your son. If you plan on following your father's plan and you will leek the information about having a son to the press today, we're done. You'll never see Matthias again. I will move to a different country on a different continent if that is what it takes to get away from a pathetic man like you. A man who is unable to make his own decisions!" I hung up, closing my eyes and fully leaning into Josh's hug. Feeling his hot breath in my hair, I breathed in, his scent calming me down immediately. Just being this close to him, enjoying his gentle touches, gave me reassurance that everything would be fine, even though it didn't look like that at all.

"This was a mistake. I cannot believe he wants to let the whole world know he has a five-year-old son even though they saw each other only twice. What's wrong with him?" I mumbled, trying not to think about how it would influence our lives if he really did as his father wanted.

"Everything's going to be okay. You were badass. He would be an idiot if he let the word out after what you told him." He turned me around, so I ended up facing him. I wasn't able to suppress the smile that tugged on my lips when I saw his disheveled appearance. It reminded me of the previous night, and despite my sour mood moments ago, I felt a pleasant tickling in my lower abdomen.

"Do you really have to go to work today?" I asked, knowing well enough there was no way he could skip. But asking never killed anyone.

Joshua's eyes widened, a soft groan leaving his lips.

"Oliver, don't do this to me. Do you want me to suffer the whole day?" he leaned down, resting his head on my shoulder.

It took everything in me not to touch him more than a short hug and a peck on his lips. Thanks to Victor's phone call, we didn't have much time left before he had to head to work, and it made me irritated even more. But I didn't have time to think about it as I heard small steps running towards the kitchen. Matthias was up and based on the way he was nearing us, full of energy.

"Our savior is coming. Thank god we have him or I would probably lose my job right about now," Josh said, chuckling while pulling away from me just when Matt came barreling into the room.

"Good morning!" he hollered, going right for the fridge.

There wasn't a day he wouldn't have a chocolate muffin with lemon icing and a glass of milk for breakfast. He wasn't the tallest five-year-old out there, so getting the milk from the fridge had always been something I couldn't help but laugh at. The box was too big for him, but he still insisted on getting it himself. I wasn't complaining as he looked cute and too precious for his own good, but there were days when I really worried he would stumble and fall down. It hadn't happened to this day, but being his dad, I couldn't stop the worries.

"Matty, sit down, please." I chuckled, going after him when he set the box on the counter, looking at me with big pleading eyes. As much as he liked to show how big of a boy he already was, the glasses were still too high for him to reach.

"I'll go get ready," Josh piped in, giving me one last peck on a cheek, playfully ruffling Matt's hair on his way out the kitchen.

Getting my son's breakfast ready and carefully putting it on the table in front of him, I poured myself a coffee and sat down next to him.

"What would you say about skipping kindergarten today and going out with daddy instead?" I asked, already knowing the answer. He loved going to preschool, but whenever there was an opportunity to spend some time with me, he would. I spoiled him too much.

"Yes! Where are we going?" He threw a piece of the muffin in his mouth, chewing on it and staring at me with curious eyes.

Gosh, I loved him. He was mine and mine only, and I wouldn't change anything in my life up until that point. I would go through twice the pain I did if I had to. Having this little guy here with me was priceless.

"Where would you want to go, honey?"

***

Thirty minutes later, Joshua was ready to leave, and Matt was running around his room, putting on clothes and gathering some toys. We decided to go shopping and to a park near the shopping center afterward. I even managed to get Melanie to come with us. She was taking care of her little cousin at the moment, and the invitation was, as she called it, a big help. The little guy was too wild for her liking.

"Do you have everything?" I asked, checking if Joshua didn't forget his bag like last time. He was sometimes so deep in thoughts he forgot the most important things at home and had to rush back, which resulted in him working longer. That was the last thing I wanted today. I really needed him home so we could cuddle and watch some stupid movie, slowly falling asleep while doing so. Nothing was more satisfying than spending an ordinary evening with your lover, doing practically nothing and still enjoying every second of it.

"I think so, yes. Even though my mind was occupied with thoughts of you and our lovemaking yesterday, I still managed," he whispered the last part, smiling seductively.

Who was torturing who, exactly?

I shook my head, taking a few steps back to put some distance between us. He was about to leave. Getting horny and suffering through it on my own later wasn't a good plan, especially when I was about to go out too.

"Don't even try." I laughed, shaking my head. I had to divert our attention to something ordinary. There was no way could I afford his teasing at the moment.

"What would you say about having some Mexican take-out for dinner? I don't feel like cooking today," I asked, knowing the answer beforehand. I knew my man. He loved Mexican food and wouldn't let the opportunity to have some pass.

"Sounds perfect. I'll be looking forward to it for the whole day." He smiled, drinking the rest of his coffee and going towards the hallway.

While Josh was putting on his light coat and shoes, Matt finally came down, fully clothed with a backpack full of toys. I couldn't help but chuckle when I saw how packed it was. If we weren't going by car, I would be forced to make him leave some of them at home because it would be too much.

"I'm ready. We can go!" He was jumping at the spot, looking at me with wide excited eyes. I was surprised it didn't take him longer, as he usually couldn't decide what to take with him whenever we went out like this, but I sure wasn't complaining. With him being ready so soon, we could leave the house all at once, as a family.

"All right! I'll grab us some snacks I prepared, and we are good to go. Wait for us, Josh. It won't take long." I run to the kitchen, grabbed the boxes with cookies and fruit, and went back to put on my shoes and a jacket.

As ready as possible, with a bouncy Matty by my side and Joshua waiting for us in front of the door, I grabbed my car keys.

"We can go." Smiling, I took Matt's hand and followed Josh out the door. The scene awaiting us there, however, made me reconsider our plans for the day.

Clicking.

All I could hear was hundreds of clicking, all around, all at once. What was going on? What was happening? I didn't understand a thing. I could see the people in front of us talking, their mouths opening and closing without stopping, but I didn't hear a thing they said. The clicking was deafening.

My vision got blurry, and if it wasn't for Josh's strong arms catching me and pulling me closer to his body, I would have fallen down. My mind was all hazy, blank even.

Then, all of a sudden, it was silent again. It took me a while to realize Josh actually took us back inside and closed the door. The damage was already done, though. I was sure this would traumatize me for the rest of my life.

"What the hell's going on?" he whispered, looking at the door with confusion and anger written all over his face, an expression mirroring my own for sure. Who wouldn't be confused? Leaving your house like any other day, discovering there are tons of people right outside of it, taking photos of you the moment you appear, had to be confusing for everyone who lived a regular life.

Thinking really hard, trying to make any sense of it, I froze at the spot. Right. There was only one explanation that explained this terrible situation. And with everything that had happened till now, it was clear as the sky.

"He wouldn't," I whispered, my whole body growing cold inside out.

There was no way Victor would be this malicious. Yes, he played hardball when it came to business. And he could be pretty spiteful when it came to things he wanted in his private life. But I couldn't bring myself to believe he would send paparazzi or tabloid reporters or whoever it was out there, to take photos of us and bother us with endless lines of questions.

But it made sense.

When I take into consideration the call this morning, it made a total sense. What more, he succeeded. They were snapping pictures like madmen, and with Matty standing right next to me, I was sure the majority of them managed to get at least one perfect photo of us.

"This can't be happening." My voice trembled, and although Josh was still holding me, the comfort that usually came with his hug was nowhere to be found.

Our lives were about to change, and the thought itself scared me to death.

***********************************************************************

Let me know what you think!

*****

Rant time.

So, it's an exam period over here, and I'm done with most of my exams except for one. It's an oral exam for two of my subjects, and we are supposed to turn up in pairs (one of the requirements is to have a conversation with one another). And I'm screwed.

I'm socially awkward (more like anxious, but I've never really visited a specialist, so I can't be one hundred percent sure it's social anxiety), and I don't talk to anyone in my class except when it's necessary for some activity directly in class. Which means, as you probably figured by now, I don't have anyone to go with. Like, how am I supposed to finish the exam when I don't have anyone to go with? It's in two days, and I have no idea what I am supposed to do. I've been stressing over it to the point of feeling sick and....having some additional physical problems.

Seriously...university, and team/pair work sucks. The teachers are completely discriminating against introverted, shy, socially awkward/anxious people. This should be banned.