Chapter 1.1 - Promise

"Promise me no more losing your temper…" Adam filled his lungs to protest. "Shh! It doesn't matter what they say to you or about me. You won't get arrested again. You're being played by them, and you are not the animal they say you are."

Adam tried to look away as Helena held him steady. The boy had the habit of forgetting things too easily, especially the good things about himself.

"And promise me you will find something to dedicate yourself to. Anything. Once you find your purpose, you will understand your place in the world, son."

With a nod, Adam agreed. That was a final warning—either he changed, or his mother wouldn't look at him the same way.

A couple of minutes later, the SUV parked in front of the shop. It was early in the morning; the sun had barely risen when Helena and Adam got out of the car.

"We should tell Jerry to move the store out of this gutter!" Adam said as they walked to the front door. The pastry shop didn't match the neighborhood it was founded in.

"He likes it here. I do too."

"You're a sentimental woman." Adam knocked on the door and turned back. "Guys, you can wait in the car. We'll be right back with cake for all you bastards." The playboy shouted at the two bodyguards who had stepped out into the cold.

"Don't make a fuss." Helena slapped the boy on the head; he was always so loud.

Walking toward the door, an old man with three strands of hair on his bald head opened the ancient glass door.

"Is it Saturday already?"

"You're senile, Jerry. It's still Thursday." Adam hugged the man as he entered the door.

"Boy, don't be disrespectful…" Helena intervened, after landing a kiss on Jerry's face. "You know old people are sensitive."

Both mother and son had similar senses of humor. They were always roasting each other and those closest to them. It was one of the things Adam liked most about his mother—how she knew life wasn't so serious.

"I'll go get the cake." Old Jerry dismissed the silliness with a wave and proceeded to business.

"Are you sure you remember the way, old man?"

"That was good!" Helena lifted her hand for a high-five with her son.

Behind them, the doorbell rang.

"It's still closed, mate," Adam said to the guy in a hoodie who entered the store without looking at him properly.

"Don't move."

Alone in the empty store, mother and son didn't quite hear what the guy said.

"If you want cake, we can get you some." Once again, Adam still did not look at the guy; he was anxious about the cake Jerry went to get. The old man was getting slower each day.

On the other hand, Helena had picked up on the stranger's intentions and immediately grabbed Adam's arm, pulling him close to her.

"Easy, fella…" The woman said in a low, steady tone. "You take the money, and it's all good."

Noticing his mother's reaction first, Adam turned to look properly at the man. A pointy thing inside the stranger's pocket indicated he was armed.

A freezing chill went down the son's stomach.

"Throw the purse."

Without thinking twice, Helena launched her bag at the man's feet and squeezed Adam's wrist, slowly pulling him behind her.

"Wallet, Playboy."

Quiet, Adam pulled out his belongings and threw them on the floor. His mother's grip around his wrist was intense.

"Turn around." The guy had his face completely covered and a husky voice that did not waver.

Doing what they were told, mother and son turned to the counter while the man picked up their stuff from the ground. A second later, Jerry came out of the kitchen carrying a tray with plates and silverware.

"Thank God I had just made your favorites this morning…"

"Don't move!" The man was startled by the sudden presence.

As the old man saw the robber, he dropped the cakes and raised his shaky hands. The loud noise of shattered glasses scared everyone, making Adam and his mother flinch.

Startled, the robber pressed the trigger on the gun that was pointed mostly at Helena. She had pulled Adam behind her, trying to protect him.

The sound ripped his eardrum, and the world stopped spinning.

Not thinking twice, Adam reacted by pushing his mother to the side, taking her out of the bullet's trajectory as he received it.

The impact jolted the boy back, and he fell to the ground.

As soon as the shot was fired, the man bolted out of the store. Helena ran to Adam, who was silent, trying to understand what had happened.

"Adam, stay calm!" The mother said as she examined his body.

On his chest, his white shirt was turning bright red. In a matter of seconds, Adam felt the world grow muffled.

"Call an ambulance!"

Adam could only hear his mother shouting, but he wasn't hearing properly; his ears were buzzing.

"Son, it's gonna be okay!" The woman said as she pressed her hands over the hot, thick liquid, making the boy twitch in pain.

There was so much blood; her hands got soaked too fast and threatened to shake as tears choked her. Pulling her scarf, she used it to stop the bleeding on the boy's chest and swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Are you okay?" Adam managed to say as he felt his lungs grow weaker.

"I am, don't worry about me. Just stay awake."

The pressure over his heart wasn't enough to make him breathe normally. Adam's mind began to grow hazy as the blood spilled through the small hole in his chest.

"It's okay, Mom…" The boy mumbled, his words cracked with the lack of air.

"You stupid boy, why did you have to do that?" She was angry at him for saving her. It was irrational, she knew, but that was her job, not his.

All his life, he had been standing up for her—to paparazzi, ex-boyfriends, anyone who tried to bring her down. She scolded him for it, but deep down, she enjoyed having someone defending her.

"The world needs your big brain." Adam chuckled, but it turned into a cough that sent an agonizing pain throughout his chest.

"Shut up. Save your energy…" She pressed her hands firmly over the wound, and Adam flinched.

"Can I go back to sleep now?" His eyebrows were getting heavy, weighing over his eyes every time he blinked.

"No! Stay awake, Adam! Keep fighting!"

Helena couldn't hold her temper anymore. Her hands were shaking, and her tears were running uncontrollably as the pain in her heart grew stronger.

Each blink took longer than the last. The boy was so sleepy. He wanted to have cake with his mother, but he couldn't fight anymore. He was too tired…

"Adam, don't give up! Keep fighting… You can't leave me alone!"