My heart twisted in my chest and I sucked in a sharp breath. My daughter was dying. My Christie was dying. I was about to lose Christine all over again."Miss Marli please try to calm down." He pleaded. "As long as we can find a bone marrow transplant everything will fall into place, preferably her father.""The last time I see him was before she was born." I almost begged. "Please help me, there has to be another way, there has to be another option, anything! But please help!" I begged and ran my hands through my hair. "I would have suggested we put her ok the waiting list but Christine does not have that luxury of time," My lungs tightened and my bottom lip wobbled, pain bubbles in my chest and tears leaked from my eyes. "You have to find her father as soon as possible, or—"“Amber!” The familiar voice of my mother forced me to my feet and I locked eyes with her moist orbs, she pulled me a hug and I held on to her. After a few seconds, she pulled away. “Mark called me, he told me
After what seemed like a few hours, the door to the Intensive care unit opened. I raced in and almost stumbled into one of the doctors, he seemed like a man in his late twenties. "I assume you are—""Miss Marli, How is my daughter doing?" I almost begged. "For now, she is stable. The blood she received earlier helped a lot, I'm sure Doctor Henry has already filled you in with the situation?" He asked in a casual tone and continued walking. I nodded and we stopped. The brown-haired doctor turned to me and offered a small smile. "As long as you find the donor soon, things could go well, but the longer we wait, the harder it will be to keep her alive, we might not be able to stop another..." He trailed off into the Intensive care unit. "Cardiac Arrest." He admitted."Can I see her?" I whispered through misty eyes. The doctor nodded and led me to get dressed into the hospital scrubs before I finally entered the room. She was connected to the machine, I turned to the doctor for an expla
“Where were you?” Mercedes asked when I walked into the waiting room. I frowned and ran my hand through my hair for the millionth time that day. “I was speaking to Doctor Henry, he offered for us to have dinner” I explained softly and sat down on the chair beside her, I could feel her eyes on me and a bit of shuffling. “What is it?” I asked when I almost got uncomfortable with the stare. “I don’t know sweetie,” she commented softly. “But I have a strong feeling that the doctor wanted a lot mood than just the dinner,” she added. “Have you noticed how he looks at you—” Mercedes was not able to finish her sentence because Harvey raced toward us. I raised an eyebrow at his arrival and it took him several minutes to catch his breath before he fist-pumped into the air. “I was able to arrange the meeting at a Cafe downtown,” He explained softly, “please though, I’d like to not deal with the man in the future,” I stood up and raised an eyebrow at his words. I looked at Harvey carefully b
“Are you alright?” Moore repeated and I could barely focus on him with my clouded eyes. I parted my lips to speak but nothing came out so I nodded my head. I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to feel. Happy that he was in front of me and now we could save Christie, or completely devastated at the fact that he could not recognize me. “Are you sure?” He pressed on and I made an effort to stand straight, I lost balance and almost crumbled to the ground but he caught me, and we locked eyes. My heart raced in my chest at our proximity and I guess it was in that moment — that wretched silence that I realized; Nothing had changed. The years had not changed anything. My heart still raced the same way, my hands still trembled like they used to, and the feeling in my stomach banged on the walls of my skin. I still loved Moore like it was day one, but now it was all stricken by tragedy. If I told him I was Amber, if I could prove it, he would hate me forever. And if I hide the truth fromhim, C
"Wow," I breathed even though anxiety bubbled through my throat. I sighed the papers and looked up, "you said something about looking for someone" I asked and Moore perked up. "Yes," He spoke sharply and shuffled around in his pockets, he pulled out a small photo and handed it over to me, I collected it and glanced at it. "That is the person, Miss Marli, I am looking for Amber Scotland." My stomach did twists and turns at the same time. "Why?" I almost spluttered and I tried to control my limbs so they would stop trembling so much. Moore stared at me for a while as If he had issues telling me, after a few seconds though, he parted his lips and spoke. "She was my wife, she left me, she left me to die in the middle of nowhere" He explained with so much emotion in his voice, my eyes involuntarily stung with tears and I discreetly wiped them away."What do you mean by she left you all alone?" I pressed on and my heart ached.,"We were together, I planned a surprise and from one moment
I tried to reach for my keys to start the car but instead, another sob racked through my body and I slammed the steering and banged my head on it. It hit a couple more times before I slacked against the seat and let my tears smear all over my cheeks. I could barely breathe through my tears at this point. Things were just going wrong and the thought that I could have lost Moore forever dug into my soul and left a void. My biggest fear was that I would not have the strength to face him and then I would love my daughter. Black dots appeared in my vision as I cried and soon, I was enveloped in darkness. As I gradually came to, I realized that I was not in my car. I was on a soft surface and I was laying flat. I tried to move my hand and thankfully they were moving and working. I registered the weakness in my bones though, it felt like my entire body had bricks on them. The scent in the place made it obvious that I was not in a hospital and the walls were not boring white, as much as I
The taxi that had taken me home was thankfully a quiet man. I sighed as I stood in front of my home. I initially wanted to go and see Christie but I did not have the guts to face my daughter and tell her that I could not bring her father home. How could I face her and tell her that he had moved on? He had another family now and we were not included. How could I lie to her face? The maids opened the door to my home and I strolled in. I paused and tightened my fists. Moore hated me. He disgusted me. He believed that I betrayed him, that I left him to die, that I did not fight for us. He was right though. I did not fight for us, I fought for him. I have always fought for him. Today, my sacrifice had come back to haunt me in the worst way possible. I ran to the stairs and locked my room door. The place was neatly kept, the same way I had left it. My heart ached all over again when I realized how excited I had been to leave in the morning. I had so many things, so many plans — Now, t
"Amber!" Mercedes called after me as I sprinted out of the room and down the stairs. I raced out the front door in record time and hopped in my car. I may not be thinking straight, but I had already lost too much — I had already lost too freaking much to lose my daughter too. No matter what it took. No matter what I had to go through, I would convince Moore to be her donor. After what seemed like a while, I arrived at Moore's apartment. I knocked and waited for a response but instead of Moore, Belene opened the door. "Miss Marli, you are back?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. She held her baby in her arms and bounced him softly."Is he here? Is Mr. Moore here?" I rushed out and she stared at me as if I had gone mad. "I'm sorry, but he's not here, he's at the office." Her voice was sweet, just the way I remembered it. She hadn't changed one bit and it almost felt crazy to think that someone as innocent as her could be a murderer. I wondered how she would feel when she knew the t
EIGHTEEN YEARS LATER "Mom, do you think I'll do well today?" George asked, a touch of nervousness in his voice. I paused in adjusting the collar of his soccer jersey and turned around to look at him and myself in the mirror. I understood where his fears came from. George had a crucial tournament to play in, and he was the star player of his team. That came with a lot of expectations from people, which put a lot of responsibilities on his eighteen-year-old shoulders. I smiled warmly at him, making sure he saw years of love and support in my eyes that weren't going away for any reason. "You've trained hard, George. You'll go out there and give it your all. No matter the outcome, your father and I will always be proud of you." He grinned. "Thanks, Mom," he gave me a hasty kiss on the cheek and sat on the bed to put on his boots. The pride in my heart swelled as I watched him tie his shoelaces. "Hey Mom, how long does it take Dad to retrieve my soccer jacket? I'm almost finished
"Hey...you okay?" Moore asked softly, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. "I'm fine. I guess the spin on the beach has me a little dizzy. But I loved it." Soft sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a warm bluish glow in the room. I sat on our bed, resting my back on a pile of pillows Moore had earlier stacked against the headboard. Moore lay beside me. His arms surrounded my swollen belly protectively, and his fingers made circular ticklish patterns. They made me giggle. We marveled at the miracle growing within me. Our baby, our little bundle of joy. "George is going to be such a lucky child," Moore's s voice held awe and tenderness. We had talked about naming him and agreed to name him George after my father. "And you, my love, will be an amazing mother. And you're an amazing psychologist. What do you think about practicing again after George is born?" I let out a soft sigh in agreement, but a hint of uncertainty lingered in my eyes. "I don't know, Moore. Pract
"Come on up, Amber. We have to head home." He rose and held out his hand towards me. I shook my head. "I can manage. You go and start the car. Get it running. I just need a moment to breathe," I uttered. I could barely recognize my voice. It was rusty, and I felt pains in the back of my throat when I spoke. Scrambling to my feet, I sighed. "Well. This is it. I'm only leaving this place, but you're forever in my heart." The scorching desert sun bore down on my weary shoulders as I stumbled towards the car. The weight of grief still sat heavy in my chest. All I wanted to do was escape the suffocating air of this wilderness. As I neared the car, my vision blurred, and the world around me swirled into an incoherent mess of colors. Darkness crept in, swallowing my consciousness, and I crumpled to the ground. "Amber!" I heard Moore's panicked cry a distance away, and the shuffling of his footfalls as he rushed to my side to gather my fragile form into his arms. "Amber, Amber are
"No, Moore," I replied, my voice heavy with determination. "She's cost me too much. We did the same with Louisa, and she only escaped. I won't let Alicia slip through our fingers again." "Amber, we will make sure the police do their job well if that's what you're afraid of. But we can't take the laws into our hands just like that. Let's follow due processes," Moore's voice pleaded with me from the driver's seat, his words laced with reason and the hope for justice. He tried to convince me that we should turn Alicia over to the police, and let them handle the consequences of her actions. But I couldn't bring myself to comply. Not this time. The weight of our past, the pain Alicia had inflicted upon me, resurfaced with every word. Forgiveness and love had always been one-sided, a futile attempt on my part to salvage what was lost. Now, it was time for me to take control of my destiny. And that will begin by making sure that nobody, starting with Alicia, could ever hurt me or my love
Moore was quiet. I couldn't blame him. My heart was too heavy, and what I was feeling could not be expressed in words. But his care, concern, and need to make me feel better warmed my heart. The door swung open, and the person responsible for our abduction finally stepped into the room. "It's about time you showed yourself, coward," Moore bit out at the approaching figure who didn't spare him a glance. She was focused on me. My heart skipped a beat as my eyes locked with familiar orbs. No way. This could not be. But it was: Alicia, my step-sister. The one who had torn our family and separated me from Moore all those years ago. The mix of anger and fear welled up inside me, but I held my ground, refusing to show any sign of weakness. "Well, well, well! We meet again, sister," she sneered and cackled, swinging a silver Swiss Army paring knife. I was sorely tempted to scream at her and wipe that smirk off her face, but I pulled myself together. Don't give her satisfaction. Alic
Mum and Christie… They were dead. How? Why? My heart pounded and a pool of tears found its way to the back of my eyes. They threatened to pour as I stared at Moore hastily driving towards the house. The tires screeched and he drove past other cars. With the way he drove, every other person could tell it was an emergency — an emergency because I needed to see him. I wasn't able to believe it. No, my dreaded thoughts couldn't have come to reality. Mum and Christie couldn't be dead. I'm sure the call was a prank call. I was excited yesterday — I was problem-free. It couldn't have happened. My Christie will be safe. But then it rang in my head again. If Christie was in danger, then it was my fault. I was probably the worst mother on earth. We left France in the morning. We took the next flight back here. I needed to be sure the call was fake; I needed Mum and Christie here with me. Thankfully, Moore's car came to a halt in our compound and I rushed out. I picked up my heels
I exhaled as I held onto the luggage. After Mum eavesdropped on the conversation, she offered to protect Christie. She insisted Moore and I went on a honeymoon A weird feeling tugged at my chest and worry filled my heart. Dreadful images filled my brain as I thought of it. Is it safe to leave Christie alone? I shut my eyes as I pondered on it. Of course, it was, my prolactin hormone was just at work. Christie will be safe. "Amber," Moore called and I opened my eyes. He gave me a warm smile and took the luggage from me while I turned to Christie. After this, I will make sure I get to spend time with her. "Christie" I called and bent down to her level. We were in front of the building about to leave but I had to make sure I talked to her. "Be fine, okay? Mum will come back soon. Take care okay?" Her giggle filled my ears and she pulled me into a hug which I reciprocated. I broke the hug and peppered her face with kisses which made her chortle. She was indeed a sweetheart! "Bye M
My chest fell and rose as I watched the police take Louisa. I couldn't believe she had escaped from the prison. I knew she wanted to harm me, she was desperate to cause me pain but I didn't expect her to break away from prison."No, you just can't —" Louisa's protest was cut short when the officers grabbed her arm as they led her to the van. The officer turned to me and I bit hard on my lip.My thoughts had begun to wander off. Will it keep happening over and over again? Did I deserve no peace? Why did Louisa cause me pain on things I didn't know about?I couldn't understand it. I whipped my head to Moore when I felt his soothing touch that caused my heart to pound. He pressed my hand softly and I looked up at him.His eyes held the warmest and softest expression I could read; I could read the hope and pain that hid behind his lids."Stop it. Stop it, Moore, you can't keep touching her that way. I hate it!" Louisa yelled as her eyes bore holes into my skin. Veins popped out on her for
I sucked in a sharp breath, the pressure pressed down on my neck made it hard for me to even breathe. My head was pressed back hard against the pillow beneath as the figure above me pressed down even harder than before.The darkness made it impossible for me to see who it was, I only felt cold palms grasped at my throat. My eyes flew open in both shock and panic, small ragged gasps escaped my throat as I felt the air start to leave me. My heart, once quickly beating slowed in tempo and my eyes widened in desperation.No, I couldn't die. I can't die just yet — at least not in this way. I couldn't let them kill me like this.Small coughs erupted from my lips, I wheezed, now desperate to survive, and used my last bit of strength to scream for help as I pushed the figure back with all my might.My push made the figure fall to the ground and I used that opportunity to reach for my light lamp as I coughed painfully, and gasped greedily for breath. The lamp came on, its light wasn't bright b