Miguel's POVAva stood before me, and her presence ignited a whirlwind of emotions within me. Despite my anger and bitterness towards her over everything she had put me through.I still couldn't ignore that there was an undeniable warmth in my heart at the sight of her. Oh! How I had missed her.Her beauty had remained unchanged since the last time and the sight of her struck me like a bolt of lightning, leaving me momentarily breathless.It took everything in me to suppress the urge to rush toward her and embrace her. I wanted to so badly but I couldn't act on my feelings. I clenched my jaw tightly, my fists trembling with pent-up frustration and rage directed at her. I couldn't let her see how much she still affected me, and how much I longed to hold her in my arms and never let go.I blinked away all that emotion, composing myself, "What the hell is she doing here?" I repeated, my voice low and tingling with venom as I turned my gaze back to Perez. My eyes bore into him, questi
Ava's POVThe world seemed to have stopped in its turn as Miguel pushed me and I fell into Perez's arms —who held me up, keeping me from falling to my knees. Lightweight, destroyed, broken —my body felt like a broken shell unable to hold anything. I was falling apart, I was crumbling from within, and all the joys of the world were beyond reach.My heart was in my legs, in my arms, in my bones, everywhere but my chest and it was heavy. My body was heavy and impossible to lift. It was almost like I was carrying the weight of the world on my shoulder. And perhaps I was. It had been hours since Perez brought me from the ranch but I didn't feel like myself. How could I? With Mary-Grace being missing and all, It felt like every inch of my soul was damaged and set loose to the wind. I was lost, and Irreparable with no one to blame for everything that had gone wrong than myself.Perez dragged me out of the mansion, and I crumbled before him, refusing to move another inch. I couldn't le
Miguel's POVWe pulled away from the mansion, and my gaze involuntarily drifted to the rearview mirror watching Ava as she ran after the car and then fell to the ground. Her tear-streaked face was etched with pain and desperation.The image burned in my mind as the car drifted further away from her. My heart cramped as I focused on her, and clenched my fist tightly. Abandoning her wasn't anything easy, and it fucking hurt but it had to be done. “Do you want us to stop?” Perez leaned toward me as he whispered, noticing my struggle, and I caught his gaze and shook my head.“No,” I mumbled, “We have somewhere to be.”Each glance at her through the rearview mirror felt like a punch to the gut, stirring up a whirlwind of conflicting emotions within me that I couldn't help or process at the moment.I wanted to reach out, to offer some comfort, but the wounds she had inflicted on me ran too deep. The betrayal, the lies, they were like a dagger lodged in my heart, refusing to budge no matt
Ava's POV“My baby was kidnapped!” I wailed as the officer helped me to a seat, “You need to find her, please,” I pleaded, sliding off the seat and getting to my knees.His forehead squeezed in worry as he looked at me. His eyes scanned me almost like he was assessing me but I didn't care.All I wanted was to find my child. And as the seconds trickled by, I became impatient.Like a mad dog, I jumped to my feet, “What are you waiting for? Find her!” I yelled at the man when he didn't move, drawing the attention of the other officers to myself.I was a mess, a desperate mess who would do anything to find her child. I was losing time and thinking of what Fernando might be doing to my baby was driving me crazy.My boobs still hurt, and the breast milk seeping out of it wasn't helping me relax either. My baby was hungry, and here I was standing before this officer who wasn't doing anything. It was vexing.“Go find my child! Please, isn't that your job?” I tugged at the officer's clothes
Ava's POVI could feel my heart in my legs as I ran with all I had in me —every fibre of my being was out here.I ran through the chaos, and the wailing sound that followed the echoes of gunshots.Bullets flew in all directions as I neared the burning ranch, and charged in on what looked like a war front. The sight was what you could only expect to see at a war front.I could feel fear coursing through me at the chaos but I had to keep going because my baby needed me. I had to stay strong and focused for her. It didn't matter if I was running into war.The closer I got to the burning ranch the more I could feel the heat lick my skin and sweat rolled down my back. As I reached the chaotic scene, my heart hammered in my chest with dread, and fear tightened into a knot in the pit of my stomach. My body trembled aggressively, and the intense pressure in my abdomen was growing more and more pressing.Through the chaos I could barely make out allies or foes. Both sides were locked in a f
Miguel's POVThe beeping sound reverberated through my consciousness, pulling me back from the depths of unconsciousness. Slowly, I became aware of my surroundings and the sterile scent of the hospital invading my nostrils. I opened my eyes, blinking away the haze of sleep.The harsh glare of fluorescent lights assaulted my vision, casting everything in a clinical glow. I squinted my eyes, shying away from the brightness as I turned, taking in the sight of the hospital room.The walls were a dull shade of white, devoid of any warmth or personality. By my bed were rows of monitors, their screens flickering with vital signs and numbers, which meant little to nothing to me.I shifted into the hospital bed, feeling the stiffness in my muscles protesting against my movements. Pain shot through my body, and my eyes glimpsed the burns on my skin, which served as a reminder of the ordeal I had endured. As far as I was concerned, they were like trophies, a small price to pay to save my child
Miguel's POV“There you are,” Gracie's voice echoed through the corridor, cutting off my thoughts. I glanced in her direction and smiled, grateful for her presence. Her face morphed into a frown, “Weren't you going to come see me?”“Who says I didn't,” I confronted, “I have visited you twice now, and both times you were on a sedative, so I had to go back to my room.”“Oh!” She mouths, “I didn't know that,” she confessed.I looked at her closely. She looked like she had seen hell. Her eyes were bagged, and her face was pale like death. Perez said they were keeping her in the hospital because she had been traumatized by the entire event and had been unable to sleep, which was why they kept her on a sedative.“What?” She quizzed as she met my gaze. Her eyes were hollow and devoid of their usual light, and it broke my heart.“Nothing,” I mumbled, looking away and squeezing the baby to my chest. I didn't know what to say to her, but I couldn't shake the guilt I felt about the whole thing.
Miguel's POV“Lino’s been caught. We have him,” Mason informed, “What should we do?”I glanced at him. Finally, I thought.My eyes shot to Ava through the window, and I gazed at her for over a minute. Watching her partially lifeless body on that bed made me mad. I wanted to hurt someone. I wanted to do damage and make Nando suffer, as well as Lino.“What should we do?” he asked again, “Shall I go over there and find out if he knows anything about where Nando could be?”“No. I'll handle it myself. Get the chopper ready. It's time for me to go home,” I said without taking my eyes off Ava. I had to leave, and I had to do it now. It was time I personally dealt with the issue at hand and put an end to this menace once and for all. No more hide and seek. I have had enough of Lino and Nando’s games. They have handled the ball for far too long and now it was my turn.I needed my enemies beneath my feet where they should rightly be, and I was going to make sure of that. This Ended Now.Ma