A DAY TO BE REMEMBERED

~FIA~

It's been almost two months since Kayla was shot.

Things haven't been easy. I was her only family member.

The doctors said she was hanging on, that there was still only a fifty percent chance that she would wake up.

The sun doesn’t set without me visiting Kayla. The police have been investigating, but they still have no leads on who shot her or why.

But I knew it was linked to the messages I’d been receiving. I hadn’t told anyone, convinced the police couldn’t catch whoever was behind it.

Kayla didn’t have any enemies; she was the kindest person I knew. It was all my fault. Maybe I was cursed.

It also felt like I was being watched, but Barrett didn’t seem to notice. His company and a woman he’d been trying to find for months were more important to him, and he would come back and pour his frustrations on me. I could only wonder what that woman meant to him.

He changed; became withdrawn. I didn’t really know anything about him. He wasn’t on any social media platforms.

His name wasn’t on G****e, no pictures, no LinkedIn or social media profiles, no news articles, no mentions.

I even tried "Barrett Company" and "Barrett Immediate" – nothing. No images of him or his family.

I searched for his daughter.

"Red-haired weirdo" – still nothing. Nothing about his family.

He had enemies; he was wealthy. He didn’t have an identity. What was he hiding?

Louis was the one who recognized him, but there was no point in trying. It would be fruitless.

Barrett's behaviour gave a vibe that I had hurt him in the past, his aggressiveness proved it, like he had an issue with me. 

I cleaned fourteen rooms daily, except his room and office, which were off-limits. I was being paid well, but it was still unfair.

He rejected my cooking. Jarvis was even worse.

She was nonverbal and would type on her iPad to request what she wanted to eat. She was very specific, but after all the effort, she would still reject it.

Last night, just to please Jarvis, I jumped into the pool fully clothed.

Barrett doesn’t even see me as a woman. He has never touched me. I don’t know if that should be a good thing, because I wasn’t ready for that, but it felt odd. 

I was still in thoughts when I received a call from the hospital that brightened my day. Kayla had woken up.

Without wasting time, I took a cold bath and got ready to see her, but Jarvis was running a temperature.

She wouldn’t even let me touch her, so I requested for Barrett. Despite not having time for Jarvis or seeing her for a month, he arrived in less than ten minutes. 

As soon as he stepped through the door, I couldn’t contain myself. “Hey, guess what? Kayla’s awake!” My grin faded when his face remained unreadable.

“Jarvis is sick,” I added, my excitement dimming. “Let’s take her to the hospital, so I can see Kayla too?”

His face hardened. “You’re not going anywhere,” he said coldly.

I blinked, taken aback. “But… Kayla’s awake. And Jarvis needs—”

“I’ll handle Jarvis,” he snapped, crossing the room. “Make me tacos. You can leave after.” His words were as cold as ice.

“Tacos? Again? Are you married to me, or did you just hire a maid?” The words escaped before I could stop them.

Barrett turned, eyes flashing. “You never wanted to be a wife. You needed a roof and a job. I gave you both.”

Something cracked in me. Was this the same man who’d practically begged me to move in with him?

“Make them yourself,” I spat, turning to the door.

"You’re going nowhere until the tacos are ready," he said, his tone harsh, not the Barrett I knew.

"Calm down; there’s a kid in the house." I corrected. 

"I don't care, Fia. You of all people have no right to question my authority." He spat, and I scoffed.

"Why?"

"Because you and your family are murderers," he yelled. This was the first time I’d seen him angry, but I’d had enough. They also murdered my biological parents. 

"My family might have been murderers, but not me. Don’t take it out on me," I defended, confused by his accusations. There always seemed to be a hidden secret in my life. 

"Was that why you married me? Revenge?" It felt like the scales fell from my eyes.

He was there, waiting for an opportunity, and he took it on my wedding day.

"All this for revenge?" I asked, but he simply adjusted his tie and flashed me a cold smile.

"You’ll know soon enough, Fia." His voice sent chills down my spine.

"What do you take yourself for? A saint?"

"Just know that if anything happens to Kayla, you killed her." His eyes glinted with malice as he watched my face.

"What are you talking about?"

"Kayla is in that condition because of someone named Walter," I said, watching his reaction as he stared at me like he’d just seen a ghost.

"Walter is out?" he whispered, not moving an inch.

"I knew I was right," I said with a scoff, and stormed out of the house. I wouldn’t let him ruin this happy day.

The drive to the hospital was slow, but I eventually arrived. I immediately dashed to Kayla's room, only to find an empty bed.

I quickly found one of the nurses and asked where Kayla had been taken.

"Excuse me, can you please tell me where my friend Kayla is?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. "I was just in her room, and she wasn’t there."

A nurse behind the desk looked up at me, her expression sombre. "I'm sorry, do you mean Kayla Egypt?" I gave a quick nod.  

"Oh, she just passed some minutes after waking up," she said quietly.

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. Kayla was dead?

It couldn’t be true. This had to be a mistake. Maybe it was another Kayla Egypt.

"No, that can't be right," I stammered, my hands shaking. "She was doing better. The doctors told me that."

The nurse reached out to touch my arm. "I’m afraid it is true. She’s gone."

The world tilted around me as reality set in. My Kayla was gone. The most cherished person, the one I shared everything with, was never coming back.

A strangled cry escaped my throat, and I stumbled backwards, my vision blurring with tears.

I was confused. I didn't know how to feel. Should I cry? Laugh? Shout or run? My emotions weren't stable, and soon my legs gave out and darkness swallowed me.

My eyes fluttered open as I immediately closed them again from the bright ceiling lights.

I must have been unconscious for a long time. I heard voices around me, like I was underwater, and forced my eyes open.

My gaze fell on a lady in a white coat who was leaning over me.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, her voice gentle.

I tried to respond, but my throat felt raw and parched.

"What happened?" I managed to croak out.

The lady’s smile widened.

"You passed out from shock and stress," she said as I began to panic. Tears streamed down my face as I remembered Kayla. I didn’t think I could survive this pain.

"Don’t worry; she’s in a better place," the doctor consoled me. This was Barrett’s fault. Maybe if I hadn’t married him, this wouldn’t have happened.

"Can you also send me to that better place she’s in, please?" I begged. The two people who mattered most to me were gone. It would be nice to join them.

"If I did that, what would be the fate of your baby?" she asked, and I stared at her, confused by her words.

"Baby?" What was she talking about?

"Well, congratulations, you're seven weeks pregnant," she said, almost too cheerfully.