**7 DAYS LATER**“Be careful, dear!” Anne calls out, her voice filled with a mix of concern and motherly affection as she glances back at me, her eyes wide with worry.“Don’t worry, I’ve got this,” I reply, waving the plastic fan over the firewood with a hint of confidence. I watch the flames dance and flicker, tiny sparks of soot drifting upwards in a mesmerizing display of combustion.“Hmm,” Anne stands up from her stool, placing her hands on her hips as she watches me with a scrutinizing gaze. She walks over and says, “No, hold the fan this way, or your wrists will get tired.” She wipes her wet hands on the back of her pants as she approaches.“No, no, I said I’m fine. I’ve gotten used to it,” I reassure her for what feels like the umpteenth time. I’ve spent so much time with her lately that we’ve practically become inseparable. Andrew jokes that I’ve stolen his wife completely. I’ve observed her enough to learn how to start a fire for cooking. Today, after much coaxing, she finall
**1 Month Later**“Do you really have to go?” Anne tugs at the hem of my dress, her voice trembling with emotion. It's classic Anne—always overreacting. Normally, I’d find her tear-streaked face amusing, but today, I’m sobbing right alongside her.“I have to,” I wail, pulling her into a tight embrace as we both cry. This place has become home to me; I never knew what it was like to be cared for so completely. They’ve made me feel like I’ve belonged here forever.“Are you *sniffs* sure?” she asks, her voice breaking. I nod vigorously, biting my lip hard to keep it from trembling. “Please, take… *sniffs* care of baby Alex for us.”“I will, Anne. I promise.”“Are you ready?” Andrew’s voice calls from the next room, and I call back a shaky “Yes.”Anne pulls me in for one last tight, warm hug. “Oh, come here, my miracle child.” That’s what she calls me—her miracle child.“I will miss you,” I say, tears flowing freely as I bury my face in her neck.“Alright, ladies, it’s time,” Andrew says,
After an hour’s torturous drive, we finally arrived at the neighboring town and the bus terminal. “Thanks, Bob,” I said as I hopped off the truck. “Let’s get you settled right?” we move around, and he kindly buys me a ticket, which I was grateful for, at least I would save my money. The route I am taking is 1-10 West. After waving goodbye and settling on my seat, the journey begins. *********The bus screeched to a stop, hissing as its old brakes caught up on the pavement. I had been holding it for miles, my bladder aching with every bump on the road. The diver’s gravelly voice cut through the cabin, “Ten minutes, folks. We stop here, then straight through to Houston.”I glance at the dusty gas station with its faded sign and peeling paint. Ten minutes. That was all I needed. My legs are painfully swollen, making it hard for me to move as quickly as I once could. I waddle off the bus, careful not to bump into anyone.The dingy restroom was exactly what I expected– grimy and smellin
The journey has not been an easy one at all. It has been over a day since the bus left me. I walked miles on the highway, looking for help. I had no choice but to hitchhike. For over every stop, I stood by the roadside hoping for another ride to the next town. Luckily for me, I had gotten closer to Los Angeles but the town seemed to stretch so far away, the hunger in my stomach was clawing at me, and blisters appeared on my feet, my shoes were worn out. I would stare at cars as I watched them whizz by without a second glance, I had become four shades darker due to the tanning of the hot sun. I had managed to catch a few short rides here and there, but none that would take me far enough to make a real difference. The last trucker who’d stopped left me stranded just outside a small town, promising he couldn’t take me any further. I thanked him, even though my legs felt like they couldn’t carry me any longer.At night, the cold air would pierce through my thin clothes. I found an old
My people, I’m telling you, life in LA hasn’t been easy at all. I’m down with a fever, wandering every day like a homeless person in search of answers. If I had known, I would have memorized Andrew’s number and called him as soon as I arrived. But I lost the paper with his and Claire’s numbers since I didn’t have a phone.I have memorized Nate’s number, though, and even in my sleep, I can repeat those numbers effortlessly. There were a few times I fought the urge to just call him and ask him to come get me. This isn’t easy at all.I finally settled in a refugee camp, and let me tell you, this place is hell. There are drug addicts, toxic people, and bitter women. The environment is far from conducive, contrary to what the organization portrays.I’ve been here for five days, wandering into the neighborhoods of the elite, looking for anyone who knows Claire. That’s my only lead; I remember Anne saying Claire works for a billionaire in Visionary Island, an estate for the wealthy here in L
“How could you do this to me?” I whispered, my voice barely audible over the roar of the stormy rain outside. The cold, metallic taste of betrayal placed at the tip of my tongue. My words felt hollow, swallowed by the endless void of silence that hung between us. I searched his eyes, hoping for a glimpse of the man I once knew, but all I found was emptiness. “WHY???” This time I scream at the top of my lungs, my heart beating frantically against my ribcage. His silence was infuriating me. “Answer me, Nate,” I demanded, my voice cracking under the weight of my anguish. I could feel the desperation clawing at my throat, threatening to choke me if he didn’t speak.He clutches the champagne flute in his right hand, swirling it lazily as he takes sips without a care in the world. The arrogance in his posture made my skin crawl. Meanwhile, I’m left ranting like a madwoman. But indeed, I am mad… I am a woman in love, madly in love, and it's driving me to the edge. “Say something!” I plead,
“Don’t listen to her, Nate, don’t be gullible and fall for her words. She wants what I have, she wants to be more. Just because I am pregnant, she’s lying through her teeth. Don’t forget she is barren.”I flinch at her words, unable to believe what is unfolding before my very eyes. Ever Since I was 20, I was constantly told that I was barren from specialized doctors, that I was unable to conceive. I raved up and down like a psychopath looking for ways…, for solutions… even though, then, it seemed impossible. It was one of the darkest moments in my life, and I was in a very bad state. But at the time, that didn’t stop Nate. He loved me with his entire being and didn’t think that was an issue at all, he always assured me and told me that it didn’t matter to him, it was not supposed to be a barrier between two lovers. He accepted me for who I was. He promised we’d get through it side by side, even if we had to adopt children of our own. We were actually planning on doing that few months
The cold felt like a living thing, wrapping itself around me tightly like a merciless predator. Sinking its icy claws into my flesh, clawing at my bones. I won’t be shocked if I get hypertonia by the end of the day. I had always thought I knew what cold was… growing up in a world that had never been kind to me or offered any warmth. But this.. this was something different. Something alive, something malevolent. It was all time consuming. I huddled in a corner, my arms wrapped around my knees, trying to preserve what little body heat I had left. The darkness was oppressive, broken only by the faintest sliver of light that managed to seep in through the cracks in the heavy door. It made me question myself, what if they are right? What if I am useless? I can't even protect myself not to talk about my unborn child.My breath came in short and unstable. It was the only sound in the walls I was confined in, a cellar I would prefer to call it. Apart from the faint drip of water as it fe