The darkness weighed on Adrian. Alone, he stared at the smartphone screen, and slowly the worries came and began overshadowing him. He tried calling Jenny for the final time. But this time it was even worse. "BEEP" the dial tone resonated inside his mind as a sad song, tying a heavy string to the future of uncertainty residing in front of him.He was losing within that desperation clutching his heart. His once sharp and focused mind began to wander off aimlessly and could not concentrate on anything apart from those haunting images of Jenny.The incessant maelstrom of questions swirling in his head formed different shapes, and all were more tortuous than the first. "Man, how am I getting through with this thing right now?" He held the phone in a grip that suggested it was the only rope that could hold him alive.His fingers raced across the screen with both urgency and desperation, and though the seconds trickled by in almost a freeze, every second seemed like an eternity as he stared
Standing there, dumbfounded, my eyes flew back and forth between those two people before me. What are you doing here, Dad?" I softly asked Samuel, turning my head towards him. Then to the other figure, a man whom I never have seen before, yet for all intensive purposes, he seemed familiar. "And you too, what are you doing here?" I added, narrowing my eyes while trying to place him.And then, like someone thrusting a sudden sunbeam into a cloudy day, it came to me and I recognized him, Julian. The name whispered through my mind, and I shivered. The pair exchanged a glance, Samuel and Julian, then both burst into laughter. A cold wind seemed to sweep the room.They laughed heartily and then, with a peal of laughter, fell silent, looking at each other with watery eyes. They turned towards me, then laughed again as they dug their faces in. That sound pierced through the fog of my confusion and terror and left me feeling naked and vulnerable.My throat mounted a steeplechase over my heart-
Samuel looked at Julian with a mix of concern and confusion as he observed Fidelia's odd behavior. "Maybe she has taken some hard drugs; that's why she's behaving like that," he said in a low, thoughtful voice. Julian narrowed his eyes somewhat, his expression skeptical but then nodded in agreement.Her eyes glowed and her face twisted with a new terror. "Yes, I am mad," she said rather bitterly. Her voice dripped with sarcasm. "Due to the agony my mother went through. I shouted because she was in a state." Her words were poured forth in a flood, raw and unrefined. "No one was able to comprehend, not knowing her monster husband did it all, just so he could extort money.For a moment, Fidelia's eyes were fixed on Julian, boring into him with fierce intensity. "And you, Julian," she shouted at the top of her voice reverberating through the entire room. "You wanted me to have sex with you, right?" Her words hung in challenge and accusation in the air. In that instant, a longer ripple of
Nested deep in the shrubbery of the guagua bushes along the winding road, shadows loomed long and dark upon the earth as Adrian continued driving. Putting the car to a halt with the engine sputtering to a stop, Adrian sat in silence, staring at the telephone tracker. Somewhere out there, according to the stats by the GPS, Jenny was to be found, yet her exact whereabouts remained clouded in uncertainty. His frustration red-hot beneath the surface, Adrian felt he might explode with anger at any moment. He ripped off his shirt, the fabric tearing against his back, a white singlet visible underneath. He kicked off his shoes, bare feet trembling with rage and ready for the kill. He was a man on a mission, backed by an awesome determination to get Jenny and save her.Adrian sat there, chest heaving, and gathered every ounce of courage for the battle ahead. The path ahead was fraught with dangers: conditions under the guagua bushes kept many secrets and few ever braved them. Yet he was read
The message on the phone caused Adrian to stare in horror with bulging eyes. The pang of hurt and disappointment had begun as the mind raced with questions. He answered immediately, smashing his fingers on the keyboard. "Zan, why?? What's this for?" was his message, his eyes glued to the phone, waiting.But there was none from Zan. The silence felt heavy, and the seconds ticked like hours. With his anxiety building, Adrian's mind wandered all over the place. There was a feeling of dread; his insides were churning.Just as he was about to lose all hope, the message popped. "We are going back to already, sir," was an obscure, foreboding message from Zan. Adrian's eyes sharpened, and his mind was racing with questions. "Why?" was again written furiously, with trembling fingers, full of anticipation.The words of Zan were so incisive and quick, like a punch to the gut. "Did you violate any rules?" asked Adrian, but though he had surprised questions, he was mostly involved in important mat
Adrian remained riveted to his phone, his eyes wandering over the screen in confusion and apprehension. Those words that he had just read burned into his brain with each syllable filled with the accusation of hostility. "You have destroyed my family; you have made me an orphan,' read the text of Zan. Adrian was still grappling with the meaning of those words from Zan; it was becoming a headache for him.'What is all this about, Zan?'” Adrian said, sounding horrible with confusion, almost desperate. "I'm getting confused, please help me understand," he added as his brain went into overdrive with questions. What kind of an imbecile was this man? How could he even utter such words? Adrian could hardly focus on any one thought because new questions kept flooding his mind in a swirling storm leading to greater confusion and frustration.Adrian winced at the coldness of Zan's reply. "Ohh, okay, I will do just that," came Zan in that trademark voice dripping with menace. "I told the Dubai go
I was there, the blood rushing through my veins; it was in a nightmare where Adrian's voice echoed with desperation and denial: "How...please, I didn't kill your mom and your dad." His words spilled in a stream of incoherence; they were desperate attempts to convince me of his innocence. "Perhaps some other person could use my name for that."But I hardly forgave him; I was angry and grief-laden, like a ten-ton cauldron left to boil without supervision. "Shut your mouth up, Adrian!" My voice spat through clenched molars. "You know what I'm talking about. Shut up your mouth, my friend. You know what I'm talking about." The weight of my malediction stared him in the face.Adrian spoke into the receiver; his voice shook and descended to lower planes, quickly shot into the protective skies. Even as he braced himself to defend his innocence, he uttered: "You wouldn't want any company to overrule you, would you?" My words dripped with venom. "Just shut me up, Zan." The time when silence rei
ANDRIAN FLASHBACKThread by thread, it began to untwist. "'I came back from work that day and received a message that my office would be on fire,'" Adrian spoke with a quaver in his voice that bore the weight of memories.Tightly gripped around the mobile phone, Zan's knuckles turned white with tension. "Your father, Hilbert, threatened me," Adrian went on, fearful with the sound of it: "He held my mom captive for months," he broke into tears.Zan's mind reeled, the implications racing through his thoughts. "I called him that night, and he said he would release my mom," Adrian shouted back, desperate. "I gave your wicked father one hundred thousand dollars for my mother to come back," he spat out, filled with anger and hurt.The silence that ensued was tedious and burdensome on his chest. Pain and desperation streamed from the other end of the line, and Zan could sense them, but he himself was paralyzed in an emotional freeze of shock and horror."But guess what your dad did," Adrian'
JENNY POVWe strolled to the living room and there, illuminated by the soft glow of the lights illuminating the path from the entrance, we found Grace (or so she claimed) standing with head downcast, turning eyes to the floor in a gesture of abandonment and with shoulders slumped in an act of discomfiture. "Good day, sir and ma'am," she addressed, her whisper almost inaudible, trembling slightly as she spoke, the words formed by hardly fluttering lips."Yea, Grace," he replied in a neutral tone, without a discernible expression, right when we sat together, as I was sitting on him, arms wrapped around me while holding me to himself, a hand softly placed on my stomach. Adrian then turned to Scarlett, his eyes narrowing as he studied her with a furrowed, working overtime with his brain to decode whatever she was ruminating upon."Grace, who are you?" he asked in a commanding tone that seemed to challenge such pronouncement, laced with some measure of skepticism, his tone even dripping wi
JENNY POVThe onset of this incident will forever remain my awakening hour, with the night still darkened. I became more aware of my surroundings, with the first thing in sight being Adrian, my husband, seated next to me with a most concerned look on his face. That dim bedside lamp light warmed him, throwing the depths of his worry into bold relief."What happened?" I pictured me demanding, but my voice was edged with confusion and alarm. Just as I attempted to rise, dizziness would encompass me, my husband's hands there to gently yet quite firmly assist me."You fell; you fainted," Adrian said. I kept on repeating it to myself in an attempt to fathom what it meant to faint. "I fainted?" I was finally able to whisper, the word now hanging in the air as if challenging my perception.He looked at me for a long moment, concerned but slightly annoyed. "Yes, love," he said gently but firmly. "I've told you to take it easy on yourself." Even as his tone reproached, his eyes showed the quick
JENNY POVMonica left my mother behind, with Grace, the maid, for services in the house. The next day, I woke as if with no energy; my body felt heavy and completely pregnant. "Honey," I called, sweet and gentle, hoping that Adrian would respond. But there was only silence. I waited for a moment expecting him to walk into the bedroom, but nothing.Sighing, I arise and manage to put all my strength into moving toward the kitchen. The instant Grace saw me walk through, she seemed to stop whatever the action was that she was engaged in and smiled, saying "Good morning, ma'am." In that voice, there was this plural, respectful and welcoming tone. I returned the gesture but instinctively put my hands on my huge tummy to rub it while feeling kicks from the baby inside. "Good morning, dear," I added just to sound a little more cheerful than I really felt.It was an exceptionally warm and inviting room that within one breath, would include coffee brewing. I found my usual place on the table an
ADRIAN POVIn the warmth of home, the weak lights of evening embraced us in lazy comfort. "Well, this is home; I was checking on Jenny," I muttered, sadly and tenderly gazing at her with concern. "No need to worry, babe. Jenny was fine," I comforted him with a smile, gently pulling him into hugs.As we moved on toward the room, the only sound from out two feet padding softly across the floor. "We need to hire a maid," I soothingly suggested, trying to approach the subject slowly. But Jenny interrupted, her voice very clear and very strong. "No, baby. I can do all the housework," she opposed right away, with a determined glint in her eyes that dared me to argue with her.My heart reeked of love and guilt towards her. I smiled sweetly and said, "No, my love-no." "You are expecting and I cannot allow you to submit yourself to doing that." Please, let me take care of this." I pleaded as I caressed her hair softly, as though that might somehow soften her resolute spirit.She regarded my w
ADRIAN POVFour hours later, the wait finally ended. Dr. Dazzy walked out of the emergency room, a mask of professionalism on his face, his eyes revealing but a sliver of concern. He called out my name, voice laden with reassuring authority like a lifeline thrown to a drowning man, "Mr...?" Suddenly his gaze shifted towards the waiting area, raking in one after the other until at last, it rested on yours truly.I jumped up, my heart racing. Oh yeah, that's me, I whispered back. "How is she? How's Jenny?" The floodgates burst open.The treatment softened the doctor's looks a bit as he nodded. "I'm with your wife now," he said, almost holding out a glimmer of hope. "Let's talk," he said, sending a gesture toward one of the waiting room's quiet corners. My heart drummed in my chest like a drummer preparing for some primitive ritual. What was he going to say? Was Jenny okay? The uncertainty was murder.I quickly marched into the doctor's office, purposeful stride like a man on a mission,
ADRIAN POVAs we lay there, Jenny's body tensed, muscles broiling under the skin like waves about to crest. A grotesque distortion of her face came into view as her eyes were closed shut, and a strangled, guttural cry, "Hpppp!" escaped her lips, followed closely by a heartbreaking wrenching sound. This tearing sound ripped irrevocably through the very fabric of that moment. Eyes that once sparkled with humor and fun turned into tight, scrunched-up furrows of mixed terror and discomfort." And I, exhilarated, turned toward her, speaking soft, reassuring words, almost like a summer's warm, gentle breeze."What is it, baby?" I asked, leniently. Distracted by pain, Jenny barely perceived my touch as I brushed a straining hand from her forehead. In that instant, I felt an electric jolt through my fingers. Slowly, her eyes opened, and she gazed up at me- her expression blurred and hazy, breathing labored. Each rise and fall of her chest steered with ragged breaths alongside cowering flickeri
ADRIAN POVFive months laterSoftly I entered the room calling for my wife. "Honey," I said very softly, very lovingly. "I'm over here, baby," she said, warm and inviting, as I turned in the direction of her voice.Jenny was in the room, snacking and gently rubbing her stomach. She had dancing happiness in her eyes, and her face shone with a glorious smile. I, at that moment, couldn't help but smile back at her, as time seemed to make my love grow stronger for her."You are eating too much baby," I said, staring right at her, mischief ringing in my voice."Funny. It's that time of the baby." She replied, "I'm eating for two now, you know." And I laughed and shook my head, awestruck by the miracle in her womb.Looking at her, he could not stop the gratitude that he felt for all that was in store for the couple. The joy of becoming parents was getting real for them, and the dreamy excitement of meeting their little one was almost tangible. Then Jenny held my hand, intertwining her finge
ADRIAN POVAll fit to burst with happy joy, and really not in any way able to keep joy controlled, I ran straight towards Jenny's ward; and my heart beat like a train's wheels running on the tracks. Cracked the door ajar, I peeped in. But, no sooner did my eyes lay on my beautiful wife lying down there, with her eyes locked onto the television-"Honey," I called softly so as not to startle her.She turned her gaze to me, and a slight smile fell across her lips. "Yea," she replied soft and gentle. I moved to the edge of the bed and sat on it beside her, our eyes shining into each other. I was lost staring into those beautiful eyes and getting all the more lovely toward her.Before the evils of my mind settle, I kissed her lips very lightly, "I love you very much," he whispered-voice barely audible as he choked with emotion. She smiled and wrapped her arms around me, drawing in tighter. "I love you too," she murmured, still kissing me.Kissing her made euphoria and gratification wrap aro
ARROW POVCrack of dawn with blurred golden rays peeking through the wrappers of my curtains woke up my senses. As I turned my head, there was the soothing sight of Jenny sleeping beside me; what a rare sight. Normally, J would be awake, ultra-busy preparing for her day most probably hours ahead of me. With my finger, I touched her shoulder softly, even while talking-low and concerned. "Honey?" I said quietly, but no stir. Her gently comforting breath indicated she was still fast asleep.Looking at Jenny, my face turned into a mask of concern. I knew I should take her in for an immediate checkup. "I think we should go to the hospital," I said, maintaining a naturalness in my voice. But all of her answers were a slight shake of her head along with a presence in her playing lips-a weak smile of assurance. "No, baby, I'll be fine; maybe it's just stress," she said, her words at a whisper.I nodded my head, in understanding, with my concern still at its peak. "It's stressful, I know, but