I knew something was quite wrong. Just a few minutes ago, I had been absolutely fine. There had been too quick of a change. It seemed unnatural that I could just get ill again.The last I had seen Dax was when he went up the stairs. He headed towards his room as I figured that was the best place to look.Dax would still help me, even if we had just argued. I knew he still cared about me. Despite pushing him away, he didn't seem to want to give up on me.It didn't make sense and made me confused. He should've been ignoring me back, but instead he was trying more than ever to be a kind man.My strength was continuing to leave me, as I got closer to Dax's room. He was the only person I could go to. His door was closed. I continued heading towards his room slowly, as my stomach felt as if it was unsettled. But it wasn't just my stomach.My whole body didn't feel right. Everything was off with my system. I just wanted to almost lie down and take medicine for whatever was occurring.
Dax POVMy heart sunk at seeing Danica unconscious. I immediately got her off the floor and carefully put her back into her bed. I had no idea that she had gotten sick again. It was surprising that she had even come to me for help. But I'd never let her be ignored even if I was mad.I immediately summoned my private physician to look her over. He began tending to her mysterious illness as best as he could, but I knew that he may not be enough.She wouldn't have just come for help if this wasn't serious. I knew it wasn't just her morning sickness like before. Danica was incredibly pale and was barely able to get to me.I continued to check on her throughout the day, and it seemed she was getting even weaker. Her breathing wasn't very regular either; it seemed as if her body wanted to give up and couldn't fight the illness. What was she going through? This was so nerve wracking to watch. I didn't want her to get any sicker. The baby was being affected greatly by this illness too.
Dax POVWhen I woke up, Danica was still sleeping. I didn't want to disturb her and left without trying to make too much noise. She needed all the rest that she could get, and I didn't want her to feel sick anymore.While she was sleeping, I thought she looked so innocent and angelic. I took a risk and leaned in to give her forehead a kiss.Danica smiled in her sleep after my chaste kiss. I allowed myself to smile at seeing her look so peaceful in her sleep. I didn't want to stick around until she woke up and started to head back to my room.There was no point in lingering around in her room. I wouldn't get anything solved by looking at her.When I got back to my room, I picked out a quick set of casual clothes. Then I styled my hair, even though I wasn't going to work for the day. I always wanted to look presentable in case anyone important dropped by the house.After I left my room, I knew what I had to do. The culprit was out on the loose. I wouldn't let them get away with doi
I was eating breakfast when Dax came over and sat beside me. He looked at me and asked, "Would you like to get away from here for a few days?"This was so sudden, I wasn't sure what to say right away. Where was he planning on taking me? Would we be alone? Maybe that wasn't the best idea. I had just started to be around him again recently.My heart couldn't handle any more of his hot and cold behavior. I wasn't going to give him endless chances. I knew Dax had some good characteristics, but were they enough to convince me to go on a trip with him?After a few seconds passed, I answered, "It depends on where we're going."Dax had an amused expression and told me, "You'll like it. Please say yes. I'll have one of the maids pack your suitcase."Maybe it would be nice to get away. Plus, I had leftover anxiety from staying in the mansion. A break could be good for me."Okay. Let's go. When are we leaving?""Today.""That soon?""Yes, it's no problem for me."I finished eating and s
I kept replaying our dance from the other day. It was one of the nicest times I had with Dax. I especially enjoyed how he made me feel safe and sound in his arms. That kiss kept coming back to me as well. It was so gentle and sweet and made me want to share more kisses with Dax.He made sure that I had a say in certain activities that we did together too. I couldn't believe how considerate he was being towards me. Was this even the same man I met months ago? Dax was beginning to be someone more likeable. The romantic setting didn't help my new feelings I was getting either. I didn't want to admit that something was happening between us, as we had been by each other's sides constantly. It was starting to be a risk for my heart, and it was hard to open myself up to Dax.He had hurt me before with his actions. I still had some of my guard up, so I wouldn't get too caught up in the moment. Being careful was better in our situation. Someday I would be out of his life. Everyday brought u
The rest of our vacation wasn't quite the same. After we had shared our kiss, Dax had avoided trying to kiss me or do anything remotely romantic. It was like a switch had completely changed inside of him, and he was back to professional Dax. We were back to square one. I wondered why he had stopped our kiss from getting farther. Dax had seemed really interested in me the day before. I thought he was possibly feeling something stronger than a friendship for me. I guess I was wrong.That kiss replayed in my mind. I could still feel his lips pressing against me in phantom memory. I touched my lips as if the kiss had just happened again. I tried to push those thoughts away, as I packed up my belongings for our trip back to the mansion. Dax had wanted the trip to be one day longer, but I couldn't stand being around him. It was too awkward after we had kissed like that. I could barely stop looking at his lips.I'd be happy when we got back to the mansion, and I could leave any of my ne
Meeting Jason was really happening. Only fifteen minutes had passed, since I agreed to meet up with him.I continued walking and was getting closer to our meeting spot. My palms started sweating. I had to calm down. This was just a casual meeting with him. We were just two exes catching up and nothing more.Why did I agree to this? I was beginning to get stressed out. I should've turned him down, but that would've been rude. He had asked me so politely. It wasn't as if I would do this again.I hesitated as I got about a block away from the café that Jason wanted to meet up at. My heart was pounding as I thought about being around him. We hadn't been alone in so long. Was it too late to back out? I couldn't run away. He was waiting for me. Jason had texted me to say he was already there sitting at a table. Standing him up would be very rude.I took a deep breath and stepped inside the café. It was one that was more of my taste, since they were more comfortable and relaxed than fan
Dax POVI was glad that I came when I did. There was the man that I had seen weeks ago at the store that Danica had been to. I distinctly remembered him, as he was with the women who had flirted with me.I didn't like seeing the two of them having lunch together. I had to put a stop to this before he made any advances on Danica. No way was I letting anyone lay a finger on her.Danica seemed absolutely shocked to see me. Her eyes were wide and she seemed struck speechless. The man beside her turned towards me and had an unreadable expression.Everyone in the café turned to watch me, but I was beyond caring. My rage was burning inside of me and wouldn't be contained.I only found out where she was by accident. As I happened to be walking by, I noticed Danica had come into this café. I was curious as to who she was meeting, so I decided to come in.In her eyes, there was a pleading of "don't do anything." I wouldn't be able to comply, since I had to take care of her unwanted compani
Danica POVDax rushed me into the hospital and talked to a nurse immediately. I was put onto a gurney and taken down a long hallway. I got more nervous as this was finally happening.We got to the delivery room quickly, and doctor was already prepared with his team. The contractions were bringing me a lot of discomfort in my lower abdomen. I wanted this to be over as soon as it could be.I knew my mom had taken hours to deliver me. She said it had been the most pain inducing experience of her life. More nerves started to build inside me at the thought of having to go through that.The fear and nervousness must've shown on my face. The doctor came to my side and looked at me with kindness in his eyes. He spoke in a calm tone and said, "I've delivered a lot of babies in my lifetime, so there's nothing you should be worried about. Everything will be okay."His words gave me some reassurance, but I couldn't calm down. I was worried that something could go wrong. I had gone through too
Dax POVIt was so hard to believe that my own sister-in-law would stoop so low for Jared. In the past, I had never cared for Wendy that much. There was something about her that felt off at times.At least she would never be able to return to my home. I would have to ban Jared from coming back. There was no way that I could trust him ever again either. He may have been behind Wendy's actions. It was if I couldn't trust anyone these days. I definitely couldn't let my guard down quite yet. Things had been quite dangerous. I'd make sure to keep Danica safe for the remainder of her time with me. Almost losing her made me value her even more than I used to.A little after Wendy left, I wanted to offer Danica some comfort after that close call. I had seen that she had gone up to her room and headed there myself.I knocked on her door and she let me in. Danica was lying on her bed, and I looked at her."Would you like some company? I understand if you want to be alone for awhile.""Sur
Danica POVAs the next few days went by, things started to get back to normal. Each day I got less and less anxious. Dax made sure to be around as much as possible and was trying to do some work at home. I was shocked that he had given up being at the office for me.He was really showing off how much he cared for me. I knew he was still feeling terrible that I had been kidnapped. It was easy to see on his face when he thought that I wasn't looking. Part of me wanted to tell him that it wasn't his fault.No one could've prevented that from happening. I didn't want anyone to feel guilt for that. I would try to reassure him as the days went by.The first day back, I had been more nervous than usual. Dax helped a lot that day to calm me down. He made sure to stay around me for most of the day. At one point, he made me popcorn and cuddled me on the couch. I knew he disliked seeing me suffer like that.I was glad to have been back to routine at the mansion after my experience. As much a
Danica POVDuring the car ride, Dax held my hand and glanced over at me often. He seemed very concerned about my well-being which made feel appreciated. We didn't converse while we drove along. I wasn't quite ready to talk again, or my voice would betray me. I still wasn't over the stress of being imprisoned by criminals. It had felt so unreal, almost as if it hadn't happened to me.Dax must've understood that I didn't want to talk and didn't try to press me to say anything. We had comfortable silence in the car. I wanted to thank him for getting me out of that situation, but no words could describe how grateful I was.He had gone beyond what I expected of him. I glanced at him and noticed that he looked at ease now that I was back with him. I had no idea how Dax was so affected by hearing about what happened to me. I didn't like how I had caused him more stress by getting involved in that mess. It made me feel guilty that I hadn't tried to tell him about it before. But back the
Dax POVSweat started to drip down my forehead as he kept his gun locked on me. He gave a sinister grin at me.I stood my ground and wasn't going to go down like a coward. I narrowed my eyes at him and showed him that I wasn't afraid.Was this really the end? My mission was going to be in vain. I had been so close to saving Danica. It would be all for nothing if I died. But I was out of luck, since no one else was around to help me out.Suddenly, there was a shot fired from the doorway. When I looked over, one of my security team members was there. He must've have been quietly following me the whole time. The gangster gripped his leg and went to the ground. He deserved getting shot. My heart wouldn't stop beating. That man had almost killed me. It had been one of the most terrifying moments of my life. I was glad that it hadn't been my final moment.I turned to the staff and said, "Thanks for saving my life. I won't ever forget this."He gave a nod of acknowledgment and kept an
Dax POVI tried to figure out the location of the gangster's hideout for a few hours before I made a breakthrough. There had been rumors about suspicious activity happening at this abandoned facility. A few people had said they had seen some shady looking people around that area within the past few months. All of the accounts from eyewitnesses seemed believable. I had to go with my gut feeling that this was their location.Besides, it was in a location that not many people knew about. Where else would they hiding out in? They couldn't be found by the police. I met up with the security team shortly after discovering this information and shared it with them. I also told them information they should know, "Everyone must keep on high alert when we arrive at the location. These are dangerous individuals we'll be facing."We got into separate vehicles and headed out towards the facility. As I drove along, I was getting more anxious about Danica's wellbeing. What if they had been negl
Dax POVAfter I set the ransom note down, I felt an immense rage come over me. This whole situation was terrible and shouldn't have come to this. Danica was in danger because of this gigantic mistake on their end. I wished this had all been a nightmare. The woman that I deeply cared about was gone. She must've been absolutely terrified. It was too hard to imagine her in such a situation. The thought of her captors made me feel sick.They could do unspeakable things to her. I needed to stop myself from thinking of anyone harming her. It would make me even more enraged. There was nothing I could do yet. I wasn't sure of the location of where she was being kept.Those people would pay once I figured out where they were hiding. They wouldn't know what was coming their way. I had to take them by surprise or else this would all fail.I knew I had to get to her and rescue her before it was too late. I almost lost Danica once and wouldn't lose her for good. She was the only woman I ever
I hoped that what had happened earlier had been a nightmare. I slowly opened my eyes; when I saw that I wasn't in my bed at the mansion, I knew that it had to be real. I felt rope tied around my wrists and ankles and could feel the coolness of the metal from the chair. There was even a piece of cloth covering my mouth. I felt the urge to scream but knew it was pointless. Nobody would be able to hear my cries for help.This was the worst possible situation I could've been in. I never imagined that this scenario would happen to me. How had I gotten caught up in this? Maybe I shouldn't have been so careless earlier. I wished I wouldn't have been walking in that shady area. I knew better than that, but it was too late to blame myself for what had already gone down.I tried to get a sense of where I was by looking around the room. I didn't want to lose all of my hope for getting out of here. It was too dark to see anything to give away where those men had taken me. The one lightbul
Danica POVI continued to walk towards the car and looked behind me. The security detail was still following me and kept glancing around often. He was checking for any signs of trouble, which made me feel relieved. I felt very safe having someone look after me.Not that it looked too dangerous. We were the only two people around the area. I didn't see anyone suspicious around as I made a brief scan of the area.Nothing bad could happen as long as I had this person around. I completely trusted that he wouldn't let anything happen to me. Dax wouldn't let any of his people fail me, especially after Jason had broken into the mansion.I knew Dax still felt guilty about that happening. Neither one of us had brought it up since Jason had been taken away. I hoped nothing else like that would happen again. It was unfortunate that the car was so far away this time. The chauffeur couldn't find an easier parking spot. As I came to an alley, there was a very scruffy looking young man. His ha