ZAYNIt’s been three days since Sophia arrival, and it seemed like an eternity, staying at home has now become so unbearable and suffocating. I knew I had to find a way out and here I was, seated at my father’s lawyer office awaiting my uncle.Talk about the devil, he strolled into the office majestically with a stern look on his face, “This had better be important”. He spoke up as he settled down on the chair. Left for me, I wouldn’t even include him, but he is the only person who has an insight on this ridiculous arrangement between Sophia’s family and I.I signaled for the lawyer to begin, he heaved a deep breath before speaking up,“Mr. Beckham here, informed me that he wants to break off the engagement with the Davis family”.“What?!” My uncle thundered, interrupting him as he turned to me staring daggers at me, “That’s impossible! You have got to be joking”.I cleared my throat, “Unfortunately I’m serious about this, not that you have a say” I replied, my voice firm and sharp,
AVAThis was more like my favorite place currently, the tension in the house was unbearable, and I always had to hide myself here. Just the heavenly scent of the flowers was able to calm down my nerves, I sat down on the bench for a mini rest as I stared at the flowers. Whoever decorated this place did an impressive job, the transparent glass, variety of flowers, just then the blaring sound of a car horn broke me away from my thoughts as I turned to see who it was. Zayn. The last time I saw or talked to him was three days ago, I’d made sure to avoid him ever since the bedroom situation and although it was so difficult, it had to stay that way.My breath hitched as he came down from his car, his face was burning with fury and eyes blazing with anger and I couldn’t help but wonder what must have gone wrong. I watched him walk briskly into the house and for a moment, my heart felt heavy knowing I won’t be able to ask him what went wrong. I heaved a deep breath as I stood up, continu
ZAYNMy heart sank, replaying her last words, ‘I can’t wait to deliver your baby and leave here’. I don’t know why, but it hurt so much hearing that from her. I couldn’t even describe what I was feeling for her, how was she able to make me yearn for her so much? Or perhaps I just craved her personality?“Snap out of it, already. It’s so bizarre and unattractive seeing you like this” Sophia said, jerking me away from my thoughts. “What the fuck do you want from me?!” I snarled, my voice dripping with venom. I was finally starting to see her true colors these recent days, I had been so blinded by trying to build our relationship to not notice what a horrible person she was, “I’m visiting my aunty and won’t be coming back this night” She began, “But be rest assured that I’ll be watching, so don’t try anything funny with your little miss…” My fists clenched in my pocket, the nerve… Who did she think she was to order or try to control me?!“Your aunty?” I scoffed, she really thought I’m
AVAMy legs sprawled out before me as my eyes fluttered open slowly, “Zayn?” I called out, my voice low and soft but didn’t get any response.I yawned as I sat up. The bed was empty which meant he already left for the trip. My phone buzzed and I stretched taking it from the bed stand. It was a message from Zayn. *I do not wish to disturb your sleep, so unfortunately, I have to go on my trip without informing you. I will be back before you know it, so take care of yourself, and always take Carter with you whenever you're going out. A gentle smile spread across my face as I read the note over again. Yesterday was quite eventful with so many emotions and for unknown reasons, laying down in his arms felt more comfortable than ever. Then I pulled myself onto my feet, “Ow,” I winced in pain as my feet touched the cold floor. These days my feet are becoming swollen and my baby bump is growing rapidly—just another reason I needed to start gymming today. Cassandra offered to tag along wi
AVA That voice… I couldn’t be mistakenThe nerve of this psychopath, with all my energy, I pushed him backwards, making him stumble and fall on the sink.He removed the mask immediately, his nose bleeding from the fall and I wished it inflicted more injuries, He looked up at me, an amusing smirk evident on his face, “Ava darling, you have grown tougher than before”.I clenched my fists, fury radiating all over my body, “Really? You disgusting psycho! You have really got the guts to stand in my front and say this shit after all you did”.He moved closer, and I stepped backwards, not wanting him close to me, “And that’s why I’m back to make amends”.“Make amends?” I chuckled painfully, my voice dripping with venom, “You cheated, divorced me and to put icing on the cake, you sold my baby!!” I yelled on top of my voice, he didn’t understand the gravity of what he did to me months back, “And what did you do afterward? You ran away!”He made to come closer, and I spoke up, my eyes blazing
AVA’S POVI walked into my room, Zayn following behind with my bag. The encounter with Ethan still lingered but Zayn’s presence made me feel more protected and safe.“Do you want anything? Perhaps water?” He asked, his voice low and calm.I nodded my head before sitting up, “I’m fine… Can I ask a question, I’m a bit curious?”“Go ahead”.“How did you find out about Ethan and how come you arrived here in less than an hour?” Zayn walked to the bed removing his jacket before taking a seat, “My private jet was about to take off when I got a call from the Estate security that a certain stranger had been hovering around the estate for days now and when they sent the picture it happened to be Ethan.” He explained, “And by the time Carter called, I was already on my way home”.A smile found its way to my face,“Thank you” I muttered, my voice barely a whisper, “Seeing you here makes me feel better”. He squeezed my hands gently, “What exactly happened? What did he do?”“Umm…. Nothing” I lied,
AVA’S POV.“Is something wrong?” Zayn's voice broke through the awkward silence, and I couldn't stop myself from blinking severally, as I looked away from the message. “Ummm…. No” I stuttered, still reeling from the shock as I dropped my phone quickly, “It’s just a random message from my bank”. I lied, He'd been worrying over me a lot lately, and telling him about this message will only worsen it.“What did they say?” “Just usual stuff, nothing to worry about.” I shrugged, going back to the comfort of the covers. His brows furrowed, “Are you sure that's a bank message? You looked weird when you saw it.” He insisted, but I waved it off.“They interrupted my happy moment. Sure, I won't be pleased.” I buried my head in his chest, wrapping my arms around him. He adjusted himself, making it comfortably for the both of us, and I closed my eyes. Who could it be? And what did they mean by ‘watching me?’A shiver ran down my spine as possible thoughts of what that message meant, and the
Unknown POV “Why is it taking this long? The previous one wasn’t like this, so what’s happening?” I snarled, my eyes blazing with anger. “You have one fucking job, and you can’t deliver!”“I apologize for the delay, it’s more difficult because of the lady, she tends to be more careful and somehow manages to bypass all my traps”.“Then create more!” I yelled, rising from my chair, “Why then are we paying you? Or do you have a better plan on how to achieve this?” I asked the maid we had planted in Zayn's house. “I have tried, but she’s not eating the meals and when she does, nothing happens, it’s either we change the poison or wait until the child is born, and then we eliminate”.“No! Never! We can’t take the risk of waiting until she gives birth, we have to do it now that the child is still in the womb”.I paced around the room, thinking of possible ideas to achieve this when the maid chipped in, “Perhaps we could go ahead with the second plan, getting a stronger poison, I’m sure th
AVAI’ve lost count of how many days I've stayed here. Escaping proved more difficult than I thought it would. The other day I found out that Carter had changed my name, and even created a new passport.How he was able to do that in my unconscious state still amused me. Everything about the house was creepy, from the colors of the room, to the old maid, to the numerous bodyguards. Who knew Carter, Zayn's supposed bodyguard and trusted servant, could be this rich? I’ve not been allowed to leave the house and anytime I ask why, Carter's excuse was that I am not strong enough to start moving out. And when I persisted, he said I didn’t have the right clothes to go out with. And so today, he decided to get me the ‘RIGHT’ clothes. The sound of his horn broke me away from my thoughts. I didn’t need a soothsayer to tell me he’d arrived. I hurriedly went into the room and laid down on the bed. In no time, the door was open ajar and Carter walked in. This has been the normal routine of com
CASSANDRA I stepped out of the house for the first time in two months. I couldn’t leave the kids for a second with the fear that my mother would strike. Seconds, minutes, days and now two months, I have cried every night and woken up to different nightmares. Her face haunted me—I could still remember how she looked when she found out I had betrayed her. Guilt was killing me slowly, and it only worsened when I looked into Zayn’s eyes. I see him struggling every time, the other day I found him crying in the garden. The last time I’d seen him like this was when he lost his mother, and it hurts that I partook in his pain. I was stupid, wicked and misled. Sometimes I felt like coming clean, but that will make him hate me and distance me from the kids I’d vowed to protect with my life. And now, I was in my car, going to see the mastermind behind all this—Rebecca Beckham. My mother. I was done hiding, it was time to stand up to her. It was a three-hour journey and
ZAYN It’s been 74 fucking days since I last saw her. Papers, files, documents, and lots more were scattered on the table, all contained clues and places I’d already searched. But I wasn’t stopping anytime soon.If I have to, I’ll search the whole world for her. I refused to accept that she died. It seemed too convincing. The shrill of my phone rang loudly, and I didn’t bother checking it, “Any news?” I asked, immediately, my voice hoarse from days without proper rest. It was my agent, Noah. “No sir.” He responded, “But one thing is confirmed, she is not in the waters. In all my years of expertise, if someone dies in the water, the current always returns to the body after a few days, a week, or even a month. But in Ava’s case, there’s nothing to show even after continuous searching.”I heaved a sigh of relief. This was what I wanted to hear—that she didn’t die in the water, that’s why I asked them to search.This was also confirmation that Ava was RESCUED. She had been pulled out,
AVA The door creaked open, and I shut my eyes immediately, pretending to be asleep. I could hear footsteps coming closer to where I laid. And then—strong, sweaty hands roamed around my body and I felt like I was being pricked by a needle. I already knew who it was…his fragrance was choking the hell out of me. His hands reached my chest and I stiffened. What did he want to do? My heart was racing and just as I was about to hit his hands off, the shrill of his phone rang. His hands left my body as he stood up, I heaved a deep breath. “Blackwood speaking.” His irritating voice spoke out, and I peeked my eyes open to see him by the window. “I can’t believe it worked. The universe seems to work in my favor.” I froze, my ears listening attentively, I couldn’t hear what the other person was saying but from Carter's response, I already had an idea. “She doesn’t remember a thing, Noah!” He squealed in delight and I tightened my hands underneath the bed. “I’m not let
AVA What was he saying? Christopher? My husband? Why was Carter telling lies to me? Or were we in any sort of trouble?Every nerve in my body screamed at me to react, to shout, to call out the lie—but I didn’t. Something about the way he was looking at me…the way his words were so carefully chosen… told me this wasn’t just a misunderstanding.This was a setup.My heart was racing beneath the calm facade I put on my face. The last thing I could recall was the sound of the gunshot…falling from the cliff and sinking deep into the river. And then…darkness clouded by vision. But here I was, Alive and Awake with Carter spilling lies to me. My eyes scanned around the room before landing back on Carter, he had a smug expression on his face. “Where are we?” I asked, my voice low.My body ached so bad, especially my legs and I could barely sit upright. “My love, we are home.”Home? This didn’t look like home. The vicinity didn’t even look familiar, and it made me wonder where I was.
CARTER.United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, Cleveland Clinic, 9am. The sound of the beeping machines was the only thing that could be heard in the room. I walked to where she was laying down…looking so pale but her beauty remained untouched. She was still as beautiful as ever. Infact the most beautiful lady I have ever seen. I heaved a deep breath taking a seat beside her, my eyes fixed on her. I couldn’t stop wondering— what if I didn’t get there in time? When I called that fateful day, and she didn’t pick my calls, I knew something was wrong. My men confirmed it when they spotted her car speeding out of her house. We tracked her location but by the time I got there, it was already too late. The divers began their work and Ava was found deep in the water. It was a miracle that she still had a faint heartbeat. We made sure to clean all our tracks before leaving the vicinity. Treatment commenced immediately in New York but when I discovered Zayn still believed she was alive I had t
ZAYN. I staggered into the house, my head spinning. This had been my daily routine for two months now, and I didn’t care. Ava has left a deep void filled with darkness in my heart and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t bring myself to accept she was dead. I ended up getting drunk every day, so I could see her in my dreams. Immediately I stepped into the sitting room, the light was turned, and I covered my eyes with my hands. “Who the fuck is that? Turn off that light!” I yelled, my head pounding. “When are you going to stop this?” Cassandra’s brittle voice spoke up, “For goodness sake, Zayn, it’s 4am in the morning, and you have been in the bar all day.” She continued, “You think this is what Ava would want? You drinking yourself to stupor?” “I …w…wasn’t drinking.” I lied. She scoffed, “You reek of alcohol, Zayn. From your clothes to your scent, everything about you and it’s so infuriating since you’re supposed to be a father of newborn babies.”
ZAYN I heard it. A gunshot. My stomach twisted as I redialed her number, but it wasn’t going through. Without hesitation, I dashed out of my office—running. I didn’t care about the stares I was receiving as I shoved past anyone in my way. The last words of Ava kept ringing in my ears. “Save the kids…” My breath was ragged as I ran down the stairs. I couldn’t wait for the elevator. The panic…the fear… in her tone shook me to the core. They are in danger. My family is in danger! In minutes, I was at the parking lot. I got in my car, my hands trembling as I started the engine. “Nothing is going to happen to them.” I kept muttering to myself, like a prayer I was trying so much to believe. I tried her number once again, but it kept redirecting to voicemail. My heart sank. With one hand on the steering, I called the police. “Ava and the kids are in danger.” I said, my voice laced with urgency, “I need your men at my house, now.” The ch
AVA My eyes widened in shock as tears threatened to fall from my eyes….Casandra…was the…. “Fuck you!” I yelled at her, “What did I ever do to deserve this from you?!”I trusted her.I thought we had a sisterly bond, but she wanted me dead all along. She couldn’t look me in the face and from where I stood I could see a teardrop from her eyes.“Why the hell are you crying, you witch?” I continued, as tears rolled down my cheeks, “Zayn warned me….he did! But I choose to trust you.”Why did everyone I trust always end up hurting me? She raised her face to look at me, “I… I’m sorry, Ava…it wasn’t supposed to happen like this. This is not about you, and I’m so sorry you got dragged into all this, but it has to happen.”What was she saying?“What…”“Oh, dearest Ava,” Sophia cut in with a smirk on her face, “let me answer your questions.”She stepped closer, the gun still in her hand, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction.“Cassandra has never been the angel you thought she was…..remember Am