After Nathan's confession of love and Haisley's acknowledgment of what Nathan did to her on Gilbert's birthday, both chose to remain silent. It was only a few moments later that they stared at each other and burst into laughter simultaneously. "You pervert!" Haisley exclaimed. "Sly girl," Nathan replied. "I'm sly because I learned from you," Haisley retorted, unwilling to be outdone. "And I love you," Nathan declared firmly. Haisley fell silent, gazing at him and observing his expression for a few moments. Not to question whether Nathan's declaration of love for Haisley was true or not, but to understand how he felt in the current situation they were facing. "What are you going to do after this?" Haisley asked again, curious. Clearly, Nathan's issues were not resolved until his situation with Loretta was clarified. Nathan shrugged with an indifferent expression. "Dad has hired someone to investigate Loretta's situation," he answered matter-of-factly. "I don't want to avoid it a
Nathan shook his head. "No. I took the initiative to come here on my own. I tried to reach you because I couldn't contact you directly." Nathan said, and Haisley nodded. "I changed my phone number and deleted all contacts because I didn't want to suddenly have the urge to contact you." Haisley's response made sense. Nathan nodded. "I then tried to find out about you from Crystal, and you know, she absolutely refused to help." Nathan said frustratedly. "She even cursed me and said I'm the source of all your sadness. "Fortunately, Juan is more communicative. He told me that you're now working, mentioned where you live, and the hotel where you work. Then, I prepared a flight ticket to Miami. Somehow, he knew everything," Nathan complained again. "He then discussed vacations to Miami and more. I told him to restrain himself, and he threatened again to send me to jail. "I'm not afraid of his threat, but I'm afraid that my issues with you aren't resolved, and you might leave with someon
"Not yet, but that doesn't mean I won't," Haisley gently rejected. "He has fought for me until now; I think, as a sincere response to his efforts, I can give him a chance. I just have to think about all the goodness he has, and I know that love will come because of familiarity. That has been a common saying we've heard for a long time, hasn't it? "Even though for some people, love comes after quite a while, I'm sure I can bring that feeling for Dean because he's not a difficult person to love." "But with him, your life will feel bland, flat," Nathan commented again. Haisley shrugged. "For someone like me, comfort is paramount. You know I'm not one to speculate. So, Dean has already made me calm with everything. "I don't need to worry that he will take impulsive actions like Gilbert. I also don't need to puzzle over what's in his head like I do with you. And Dean is also a person who expresses what he feels right away, so I won't misunderstand because he keeps everything to himself
Haisley rests her forehead on Nathan's shoulder again. She takes a deep breath and exhales slowly, never letting go of her embrace around his neck. "I'm sorry," she whispers softly. Nathan also falls silent and chooses to listen. His hands are clasped at Haisley's waist, and he places his chin on top of her head. He, too, takes a deep breath and exhales slowly. "No need to apologize. I'm the one who should apologize here," he responds softly. And those words make Haisley feel breathless for a moment. "I asked too much from you, yet I've never given you anything. No kindness, no hope. I haven't planted a single goodness all this time, but suddenly I'm asking for all that goodness from you. I have no shame," Nathan says with a sad smile on his face. "But I want you to know, I've fallen in love with you. And perhaps you can say this is some kind of punishment that God gives me because I've wasted you all this time. So now, He wants me to know that this has been your feeling toward me.
Now, only Haisley and Nathan remained. Haisley chose to sit in a chair by the pool, feeling the breeze in silence. Nathan placed a thin blanket over his shoulders before sitting beside her and hugging her. He wrapped his arms around Haisley's stomach and rested his chin on her shoulder. "What are you thinking?" Nathan asked curiously. Haisley remained silent for quite some time before answering. "A lot," she whispered. She then lowered her head, covering her face with both hands, and soon Nathan felt the girl's body shaking, her soft sobs heard between her fingers. Haisley was crying. Nathan reached for her shoulder and shifted his position so that Haisley now sat sideways on his lap. One of his hands lifted, pushing Haisley's head to lean on his shoulder before gently stroking her head. Meanwhile, his right hand caressed Haisley's arm slowly. "Shhhhh," he whispered, trying to comfort her. "Everything will be okay," he assured in a soft tone. Now his hand moved up and down her ba
Haisley knew she was wrong. She didn't think that far. She knew her father would be disappointed if she got married without asking for his blessing. But Haisley believed her parents would understand her actions. Something then flashed in her mind. "I can ask Juan and Crystal to bring them here. I can also contact Aunt Monica, and you just need to call your father. He's the farthest from here. We can process the wedding in two days if you tell your father right now. At least he can take the earliest flight and arrive here as soon as possible." "You're crazy, Haisley," Nathan groaned. Haisley's thoughts clearly seemed unreasonable. Haisley froze, standing still with her eyes locked on Nathan. "I am indeed crazy, Nath. But at least my craziness doesn't exceed Loretta's. It's your fate to be surrounded by crazy women like us. "I leave all decisions to you, Nath. If you really don't want to marry me soon, don't blame me if I never want to see you again for the rest of my life," she sa
Haisley then reached for the pillow she had used earlier. She pulled out a flat object from it and showed it to Nathan. "G gave me this before they left," Haisley said with a smile on her face. "He said I should hide it from you and contact him if I need help," she explained, shrugging. "What do you mean?" Nathan asked, not understanding. "Well, he would run away with me if I wanted. Dean also said that if you did anything, anything I didn't like, he would come back here and take me away from you," she said, causing Nathan to instantly tense up. "Don't do anything foolish. I definitely won't allow it," Nathan growled. Haisley nodded. "That's what I told him too. But Dean said he could report you to the police for kidnapping. That way, he could also send you back to England to face charges along with Loretta's affairs," she continued, making Nathan even more furious. "Dean really cares about me more than he does about you," Haisley insisted, making Nathan raise an eyebrow in confu
The next day, Nathan's parents came along with Gilbert. Nathan's mother was clearly ecstatic when she found Haisley, joyfully embracing her tightly. The same joy was evident in Haisley's mother as well, as the women who had been friends for years finally came together. Nevertheless, a hint of sadness could still be seen on Haisley's face, though not too prominently. They then discussed their plans for the next day, including the blessing, the pastor, the wedding venue, and the post-celebration feast. While the parents were discussing the tight schedule, Haisley took the opportunity to inform her two friends about her hastily arranged wedding the next day. Abigail and Flavia were clearly surprised by the news. Abigail even bluntly asked if Haisley was pregnant out of wedlock. However, Haisley firmly replied 'no' to her friend and briefly recounted what had actually happened to her and Nathan, leading to their decision to get married quickly. "If you want," Flavia said in her usual s
A few years later, shouts were heard in the backyard of Chayton's residence. A heavily pregnant woman sat on a chair, watching her children jumping on the four-meter-diameter round trampoline, laughing. Occasionally, she yelled, asking her kids to be careful and not to fall. She felt the side of her seat compress and saw her mother-in-law sitting there, placing warm milk in front of her. "G said he's going to fly straight to America," the woman whispered. Haisley turned to her mother-in-law and smiled. Since her brother-in-law made the startling announcement about his choice to convert, she knew her mother-in-law was disappointed. Although in the end, her mother-in-law accepted her son's decision. "Gilbert is an adult; he knows what he's chosen," said his father-in-law in support of his youngest son who chose to convert. "You must be confident in your choice, G. You're not doing it just for a woman, right?" the father asked. Gilbert looked at his family and shook his head. "G has
Haisley fell silent again. She and Nathan had discussed this before the kidnapping happened, but they hadn't informed their families yet. "Nathan asked me to live in England and continue my studies," Haisley said, making Abigail furrow her brow. "Nathan will support me because, clearly, my scholarship can't be used anymore since I've left campus. At first, I said I didn't want to, what's the point of studying if, in the end, I stay at home taking care of the kids. But Nathan said that 'no one regrets having learned', so yeah, I'm starting over." Haisley explained, looking at Abigail with curiosity. "You still don't want to continue your studies? Your brain is clearly smarter than mine, Abby." Abigail shrugged. "I also have plans to go there. I'm just not sure which major to take. I haven't found a passion that drives me to choose a specific field. Maybe later, I'll consult with Itan." Haisley chuckled at her friend's words. "Why are you laughing?" Abigail asked curtly. "I don't know
The next day, Nathan and Haisley's families were planning to return to the hospital. Still, Gilbert objected because Nathan wanted to go home since he opened his eyes in the early morning. Nathan told Gilbert that he didn't want to make Haisley wait for him at the hospital for too long and preferred to rest at home. Gilbert eventually conveyed his brother's request to the morning visiting doctor. Fortunately, the doctor agreed, and in the morning, after completing the paperwork, Nathan, Gilbert, and Haisley returned to Flavia's villa. They received a warm welcome at the villa owned by Haisley's friend. Her family was just as enthusiastic as they were the night before when they gathered at the hospital. If the previous night they allowed Nathan and Haisley to rest, this time they didn't. Everyone was clearly very curious about what Nathan experienced during the abduction. With Haisley sitting by his side and their hands intertwined, Nathan recounted the entire ordeal to his family.
"Both of you, come with me," he said with a nod of his head, walking towards another black Jeep Gladiator, as dark as the other two jeeps that had roared away, leaving their tire tracks in the sand. Clasping each other, with Nathan limping, they entered the leader's car. "You were never part of this capture," the man said with his deep voice, immediately nodded by Haisley and Nathan. "You never met us," he continued, receiving another nod from Haisley and Nathan. After that, no one spoke. Haisley and Nathan's hands were intertwined, their bodies swaying with the car's movements on the uneven roads. Haisley looked out the window. Although she didn't pay much attention to the road when they departed, she knew that the path they were on now was different. And actually, the dock they had just left wasn't the same as when Haisley departed. Was this a secret route? A path known only to a few? Were the people who just saved her elite forces? Were they government troops? Or special forces
"They will take you to the dock, which will then take you to where Loretta is. The man who will pick you up later is not my henchman. So, you have to be cautious," Antony warned. "The two men with you now will give you some items." The man next to him then took out a small box from his shirt pocket, opened it, and took out a small round object about the size of a headset's knob, no bigger than a thumb. "This is a GPS and a mic. Place this object where it can't be seen," the henchman said with a mischievous smile. "Maybe in your clothes." He chuckled, making the driver laugh heartily. "And this, although small, is very sharp." The man handed Haisley a metal object. "If you press this," he pressed his thumb on a point, and then a sharp-edged knife quickly appeared. "This knife can accidentally hurt you, so be careful and use it wisely." He said as he placed the object next to the previous black item. "Uncle's people will monitor you. With the GPS, we'll know where that man is taking y
"Wh-who are you?!" Loretta asked in the midst of her pain. "Ramon! Ramon! Where are you, you bastard!" she shouted loudly. Loretta looked at the darkened cabin where Ramon should have been behind the ship's wheel. She trusted the man who had tormented Nathan all day to be the captain of the ship they were on. "We've neutralized Brother Ramon from the beginning!" said the uniformed man, walking closer to Loretta, who had turned pale and looked in pain, taking handcuffs out of his pocket. The other two men working for Loretta had already been instructed to kneel, and the two other men in black uniforms handcuffed their hands behind their backs. "How did you get here?" Loretta asked, trying to buy time as the police put handcuffs on her. Unlike her two henchmen, Loretta's handcuffs were placed in front, allowing her to still hold her bleeding leg. "You'll know the chronology later," the policeman said, pulling Loretta's arm to make her stand. Unbeknownst to Loretta, the ship they had
They walked with firm steps that made the ship's floor creak under the weight of their large bodies. One of the big men grabbed Nathan's arm from behind and made him stand up, causing Nathan to groan in pain. Haisley tried to hold onto Nathan, but her arm was also held by another man whose body was just as large as the one holding Nathan. Nathan appeared to walk with a limp, occasionally hissing in pain. Something was wrong with his leg, and Haisley could sense it even though she didn't know why. "What have you done to Nathan?!" Haisley shouted at Loretta, who stood between her and Nathan. The woman turned, tilting her head and then looking in Nathan's direction. "Nothing," she replied flatly, shaking her head. Then her mouth opened wide, and she looked at Haisley with a guilty expression. "Maybe I've made a few of his ribs move. A little crack in the rib bones, and his leg won't kill him, right?" she asked cheerfully, continuing her steps. Nathan was now at the front of the deck,
Five minutes, could Haisley sneak out of Flavia's villa? What should she say if someone catches her? Haisley shook her head. Quickly, she walked out of the room. Sneaking as she put on her sneakers and headed towards the front gate because the villa didn't have a back gate. A guard seemed to be at his post. Haisley tried to come up with a plan so that the tall, sturdy man wouldn't suspect her. She walked closer and saw the uniformed man immediately stand and inquire about Haisley's needs. "The guest inside is asking for you to come in, he said there are instructions to be given." Haisley said to the man, who she knew was only slightly older than her husband. The man nodded without much suspicion and then left his post. Thus, Haisley could leave the villa without being suspected. She stepped out and chose to hide in a dark area while waiting for the car mentioned by the caller to arrive. The two men who had earlier claimed to be police officers and took Nathan away now stopped the
"We have successfully located his whereabouts." The local man pulled out his phone from his pocket and showed the screen to everyone in the room. "Ramon's gang has a hidden base on a small island. There's a concealed building behind the forest that they've been using as their headquarters. We need to cross the strait to get there, and it will take hours," the informant continued. "We have agreed to raid the base when we are sure that everyone is there. Forces have been mobilized. The police, along with the navy and ground forces, are working together for this massive capture. Pray that your brother Nathan is in good condition." The man said, nodded at by several heads in the room. They intended to share this information with Haisley so that she could be more at ease, knowing at least they had information about Nathan's whereabouts. Gilbert went to the room where he knew Haisley was with her two friends. However, after knocking on the door several times and receiving no response, he c