Miguel's POVMy world, my entire life, everything vanished in that simple sentence, 'I don't know'. My head did a thousand spins around the corridor. Confusion took form on my face. I had lost it, my mind, and everything I was capable of losing at the moment.“What do you mean you don't know? You went in there with her!” I snapped, stepping closer to Sophia and clenching my jaw tightly.“Yes, I did… but she went into the dressing room and never came out. I searched, but I didn't find her,” her voice shook as she spoke hastily, trembling before me.“What are you talking about? She couldn't have just vanished. She's in there! She has to be,” I brushed past them and barged into the bridal store, ignoring the attendants.“Ava!” I called. Perez and Sophia followed after me, watching me destroy everything in my path as I ransacked the place for her—my Bella. Perez intercepted any attendant who tried to stop me from thrashing the place.Lucky for them because if they tried to lay a hand on
Miguel's POVI returned to the mansion first and ordered every man in the house to search for her before retrieving Killer from the safe and returning to the road. I drove around the city for hours like a crazy person, searching everywhere I could, but there was only so much one man could do. I put the police on the job, as well as every other ally in the city, before heading over to Mason’s.I knocked twice, and he popped up at the door, “Come in,” he opened the door, and I walked into the room, “Perez told me what happened today. I've been on it since. Do you want some liquor?” “I'll pass. Did you find anything yet? Any leads?”Mason shook his head, “No, I'm sorry. There's no lead yet.”I smirked and muttered under my breath, “Inutile.”“I'm doing all I can, Don Miguel—”“Then try harder! Your best is clearly not enough,” I stepped close to him, “Find whoever took her, Mason, and look into Indira's stupid brother and Nando, maybe they did it. Check all the cameras around the area!
Miguel's POV"It's over, Miguel. I am calling off the wedding.”My eyes widened with shock, and I sucked in a sharp breath. The word sent a thousand thunderbolts through my head. My heart was thrashing aggressively against my ribcage, threatening to tear its way out of my body.It echoed in my head, wrecking my mind and heart. My hands dropped from her face to my side, suddenly becoming heavy. My legs wobbled beneath the invisible weight of her words, which was devouring me from the inside. “What?” I blurted, swallowing hard and trying to find my bearing again. I was lost. My lungs suddenly ran dry. My lips quivered. I couldn't make sense of anything. I was completely disoriented, and I couldn't believe my ears.She wanted to call off the wedding? Her words echoed again, in my head and heart. No. She wouldn't. We both wanted this marriage. She loved me and… It didn't make sense that she'd want the wedding off. She wouldn't want that.I was dazed. I was pretty sure I must have he
Ava's POVMiguel recoiled, and his eyes broadened as he took in my words. Pain flashed across his face, then confusion. He furrowed his brows as he stared blankly at me for a minute before lowering his gaze to the floor.When he finally looked at me again, a few minutes passed, and his eyes were red like hot coals. He shook his head like he could read my mind or knew what I was thinking. There was pain etched in his gaze, “Ava—” he began, taking one step towards me, but that was as much as I could allow.“Don’t!” I exclaimed, pressing my back against the wall like I could slip through it to the other side.“Don’t take another step. Whatever you want to say to me. I don't want to hear it,” I clenched my jaw, and my body trembled as the rage coursed through my veins. “Please, Ava,” another step was met by my glare.I yelled at the top of my lungs, “I know what you did, Miguel. Don't you get it? You're the last person I want to see or even be around right now!”My words were laced wit
Ava's POVWe got on the road about thirty minutes later so I wouldn't miss my flight back. The entire ride, I felt a little sick and tired —very tired, but I guessed that was what happened when you skipped your night's sleep.I couldn't get any sleep last night. Things were far too complicated and stressful. I yawned and rested my head on the window, dozing off for a minute.I felt a light tap on my shoulder a few minutes later.“Are you okay?” Perez asked. I nodded slowly, lifting my head from the window and turning to him.“We are here,” he announced.We stepped out of the car, and Perez grabbed my bag from the trunk, walking me inside the airport. Perez walked me to the gate, and then we stopped there, facing each other. Perez dropped my bag on the floor and dug into his back pocket.“Here,” he handed me my flight ticket, “Do you have your passport?” he asked, and I nodded, digging into my handbag to retrieve it.I slipped my ticket inside my passport and watched Perez retrieve s
Ava's POVMy heart stopped. A momentary pause, and then I gasped. My eyes broadened as I stared at the doctor, unsure if I heard him right. Well, I heard him, but —I wasn't sure, or it was simply not that simple. My head became jumbled and nothing made sense anymore.Minutes passed with nothing but silence, and the news echoed in my head. The doctor looked at me like I was supposed to say something, and I looked at him, utterly perplexed by the words I thought I heard. I swallowed hard, trying to digest it—whatever it was that I just heard him say to me. It couldn't be. My heart was thudding faster now, betraying my doubts.“Did you just say… Pregnant?” I mouthed the words like the meaning was alienated from me. I was displaced. It felt like I had suddenly lost understanding of what the word meant or what it should mean.Pregnant. I was pregnant. “Yes,” the doctor grinned broadly. Being pregnant was happy news, at least to him but not for me. For me this changed everything.“Yo
Ava's POV“So, what do you plan to do now?” Celine interrupted my thoughts, and I glanced at her, “You’re pregnant, Ava,” she said, taking her eyes off the road for a second. She grinned, “That’s a lot of responsibility.”She wasn't wrong there, “I know, which is why I need to be ready. I want to give my kid a wonderful life,” I said and turned back to the window, “The best life possible,” I added."You are right," Celine replied.“I need to find a job and save enough to raise my child properly,” I told her, and she nodded.“You do, and I'll help you.”“Thanks, Celine.”“It's fine. I'll do anything for my goddaughter or son.”I chuckled, and just like that, it was official. I was carrying Miguel’s baby and I was going to be a mother. I rubbed my stomach and imagined for a second how Miguel would have reacted to this news.The light in his eyes, the happiness in his voice, and it made my heart hurt, for I was never going to see that happen.***I spent the next few days job-hunting wit
Miguel's POVMy room was in an utter state of disarray —clothes littered the ground, broken furniture, broken wine glasses. The floor was a mess, and It had been that way since one of the worst things I could have ever imagined happened —Ava left me.I was still trying to cope with that loss. But I was sucking at it. It was like she had ripped a massive hole in my chest, and it was just… there. Empty and large. I felt drained completely of life and everything else, and I just wanted it all to end.Every morning I woke up and wondered why. Why did I wake up or why was I even alive? I felt destroyed inside, and my whole existence just seemed pretty meaningless to me.I sighed loudly, and leaned forward, grabbing my phone and looking through her picture. It was becoming a habit.My chest hurt, and my heart felt heavy, watching her beautiful face. I rubbed a thumb over her picture wishing that I could touch her even for a minute.I flipped through her pictures, seeing her smile and kn
Ava's POVIt had been a week since the Jet incident, and Mason's death.The cops had done their part with the investigation and had managed to connect the hospital explosion, and the van explosion together linking it to Lino.They had also traced some of his illegal businesses to Naples among other crimes and shut it down but since there was no one to punish that was all they could do.Angela, on the other hand, was arrested, and sentenced to ten years in prison for impersonation, fraud, and for being Fernando's accomplice which was a lot less than she deserved.Miguel and I had stuck around for the investigation, and I was pretty glad when it was finally over and done with. There was nothing more that I wanted in my life than to put the hellish past behind us and focus on the promise of the future.Whatever was in store for Miguel and me was something I was dying to see.The days after the incident at the Jet
Ava's POV Miguel was there, sleeping peacefully with Mary Grace cuddled into his side.My heart felt hurt and I wished for just one second I could turn back the hands of time —just to make myself worthy again.But all of those were just wishes.I couldn't risk another moment around them for fear of causing them more problems. It was clear that I was the secret ingredient for trouble. And for the people I loved to be safe, I had to be far from them.I scooped Mary Grace from her bed quietly not wanting to wake Miguel. I kissed her forehead, tears gathering in my eyes as I whispered. “I love you, sweetie, and I'll always be here. I'll always be watching you like a hawk but for now, mama has to go,” I pressed my lips to her head again, and again.“I'm going to miss you, darling, but don't worry you're in safe hands. Your dad will take good care of you,” I squeezed her in my arms and then finally laid her in the crib, not wanting to risk waking Miguel up by dropping her by his side as s
Ava's POV A gun rolled to the entrance of the cockpit and I only hesitated for a second before handing Mary Grace to Gracie. I knew what I had to do.I walked over to the door and picked it up as Lino stretched out his gun to Miguel. I stood behind them but none of them noticed my appearance in the room.The weapon was heavy but that didn't matter much. It was now or never, and I had to make a quick choice —a scary one but I didn't have much of a choice. I had never fired a gun in my life until this moment. But I had to do it, our lives depended on it.I focused my vision on him and the gun went off in my trembling hands.Lino's body dropped to the ground with a loud thud.If I had been just a second late he would have killed Miguel. I saved him. I saved the man I loved. Something about that numbed the guilt that came with taking a life.The gun slipped out of my hands to the ground as tears rolled down my face. Miguel's eyes met mine.I saw the worry etched on his features as I rush
Miguel's POVI raked a hand through my hair, listening to Perez fill me in about what happened at the hospital, and the men he had lost in the van explosion on their way here.Bastardo! My blood stirred.“Those were good men,” I mumbled, reeling in the loss as I ground my teeth and clenched my fist, “Lino. That scumbag,” I cursed, fuming inside.“I have everyone looking for him, and Mason. Perhaps he could lead us to him—”The sudden sound of the engine roaring to life echoed from behind us, and my head swirled to the Jet which was getting ready to take off.What the hell? I thought. Stunned.I creased a brow at the unbelievable sight before me. I could hardly believe it. I had no clue what was going on but that Jet was definitely not supposed to take off without an order from me.I couldn't understand it but Ava and my kids were in there, and that was all that mattered.Instantly, I sprinted towards the Jet, and Perez joined me as we raced to the aircraft. I grabbed the entry door be
Ava's POV“It's you. You're the traitor,” I mumbled as the realization hit me. This was why Perez couldn't tell me. It was Mason.How could this be? Even I couldn't believe it.It suddenly felt like my brain was processing in slow motion.My eyes darted to the injection in his hand, then to my daughter, and my eyes widened in shock.Panic washed over me and my hands began to tremble.“What were you trying to do to her?” I flared, clenching my fist tightly, “Were you going to hurt her—”“No, Ava—” he tried to cut me off but I didn't want to hear anything right now.“Get away from her!” I raised my voice. “Mi—” I opened my mouth to scream for Miguel but before I could make a sound Mason grabbed me quickly, pressing his palm to my lips tightly as he pushed me against the wall behind me.He sandwiched me to the wall, “Quiet,” he said, “Don’t scream, please,” he whispered against my ear, “Please,” he repeated, staring me in the eyes for over a minute.I tried to shove him off me but I fail
Ava's POVI bolted upright, my heart pounding against my chest as though it was trying to rip itself out of my body. I was anxious. No. More than that I felt unsettled and for no reason too. I just had this bad feeling in my gut that I couldn't quite shake. Something felt very wrong but I didn't know what it was.I sat up in bed, staring into the darkness with the only source of light being the moonlight spilling in through the window. The air in the room felt heavy, suffocating, as if laden with an ominous foreboding that I couldn't quite place, and the uneasiness tightened in the pit of my stomach. I suddenly felt stuffy and needed some air.I slipped out of bed and glanced over my baby’s crib to see if I had woken her. I hadn't. Mary Grace was still sound asleep.I sighed with relief and made my way to the door. I stumbled towards the door, but my heart jumped again as I heard the sudden sounds of hurried footsteps.My stomach tightened and I pushed the door open gently, peeking
Miguel's POVLino was alive? That couldn't be.I had set the place on fire. I had watched it burn. It had to be a lie. Nando was definitely lying. I glanced at him, “You're lying,” I said.“I'm not!” He yelled with desperation in his voice and words, “I swear it. Mason is involved. I can prove it. Where is he?” I hesitated and turned to one of my men, “Where is Mason?” I asked, right in front of Nando.The man shook his head, “I haven't seen him all day. None of us have,” he responded.The words echoed in my head, and Nando's voice echoed beside me, “He knows... he knows you're onto him, and he's made a run for it.”Nando’s words made sense, and my mind was starting to churn with all sorts of thoughts. There had been something off about Mason since we caught Nando— maybe even since Lino.He hadn't come down to the cell for once, and I had barely seen him. It was almost like he had been hiding away all this time, and I just never really noticed.Everything was starting to align in my
Ava’s POVIt was midday, and Gracie helped me with a napkin to wipe the breast milk that spilled down Mary Grace’s clothes while I was breastfeeding her. I wiped it, cleaned her face too, before lowering my shirt.I pulled her to my chest and cradled my precious baby in my arms as I began to hum a gentle lullaby. Miguel’s favourite one and I hoped it would one day be her favourite one too.The melody flowed from my lips like a soothing river, wrapping us in its tender embrace like a blanket and its effect was tremendous on my baby. Mary Grace fell straight to sleep with her palm clutched tightly around my finger. I noticed she loved to do that, and I loved the feel of her palm around my finger. It was warm, and it made me feel a tremendous amount of peace. I rocked her back and forth, with the rhythm of the lullaby, and Gracie grinned beside me, wrapping one hand around my arm while caressing Mary Grace with the other, although she let her be the minute she was asleep so she wouldn't
Miguel’s POVI walked out of the underground cell, making my way up to the ground floor. Perez spun around the second I entered the room, “I was just coming to see you,” he said as he slid his phone in his pocket.“I spoke with the doctor, he will be here shortly,” He reported, and I regarded him with a nod. “How’s he holding up?”“He’s still a long way from hell but I'll make sure he gets there,” I replied. Perez smiled, “He's more than earned it,” he remarked, “Care for a drink?” he gestured, raising the bottle for a second before going on to pour himself a glass.“Sure. I haven't had one in a while,” I motioned towards him, taking notice of the room. “Where's Mason?” I asked after a minute of not spotting him anywhere around the room. “I’m not sure but he should be outside,” he said, and offered me a glass of scotch. I gulped it all at once and lowered the glass to the table.“Any lead for the antidote yet?” He asked.I shook my head, “Not yet,” I paused, “But I was thinking, per