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
56, 57, 58... I counted exactly 6 dollars and 58 cents. That was all the money I had left. What do I do? Where do I start from? I squeezed the money back into my pocket and strolled around the cramped space.It's been a day since the incident with the Hawthorne man happened, and it is pointing toward one thing: I have little to no hope of finding Liv in this big city.So instead, I am on a job hunt. I hastily brushed my teeth, styled my hair in a bun, took a quick bath, and sprayed my body mist that was given by Sarah, a kind lady.After zipping my bag and locking it with a padlock, I stepped outside. You can't trust anyone here at the refugee camp. There are a lot of miserable people, addicts among them. I wouldn’t dare leave my few belongings unsecured.The sun blazed overhead, and I squinted, wiping the sweat off my brow. I better be fortunate today. But how could I make the money last? It wasn’t even enough to cover three meals, and after today and tomorrow, I’d be out of options
“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
She stepped inside, her boots crunching on the frost-covered floor, the sound echoing in the silence. Her breath formed white clouds in the air, the same as mine, but while mine were ragged and desperate, hers were calm, and measured. She enjoyed this, I knew. She enjoyed seeing me like this—broken, helpless.“Look at you,” she taunts, “Reduced to nothing, just like you deserve.”I kept my gaze fixed on the ground, my teeth chattering uncontrollably. I didn’t want to look at her, didn’t want to see the glee in her eyes, the satisfaction of seeing me like this. But I knew she wouldn’t let me hide for long.“Look at me,” she commanded, her voice sharp and cold.I hesitated, but then slowly, I lifted my head. Our eyes met, and I was struck by how much she looked like me—or rather, how much I should have looked like her. She was everything I was not—strong, confident, cruel. She had the life that should have been mine. I was her. Her lips curled into a smile as she reached into the bag
The creak of the door was almost inaudible, but in the suffocating silence, it sounded like a thunderclap. Nate’s silhouette cut a dark, menacing figure as he stepped inside, his shoulders stiff with anger. I could hardly breathe as I watched him, my heart pounding in my chest.He slammed the door behind him, the jarring noise echoing through the small space. I flinched, my hands gripping the edge of my rumpled blouse as if it could anchor me against the storm brewing in his eyes. His face was contorted, twisted with a fury I’d seen before but never to this extent.He threw a stack of documents toward me with an aggression that made my stomach churn.The papers scattered across the floor like leaves in a storm, their contents glaring up at me.“What are these?” I knew exactly what they were but I just couldn't believe it, talkless of accepting it. All the exhaustion seemed to leave my body and I jerked forward. “Do not fucking waste my time Daphne, you can clearly see what those are.
“No Nathaniel, do not give her the attention she is craving for. Wake up from your delusional dream, Daphne. THIS IS REALITY!!! Not a movie where a miracle will happen overnight. ” There was nothing I could do but shake my head at the scene unfolding before me. Where was my Nate, and what had they done to him? My Nate was always a man of his word; he was not someone anyone could just mess with. Yet here he was, swayed by Claire’s manipulation and dismissing my reality without a second thought.He nods his head at her words and knowing him, I knew he was exactly thinking about what she said. What are the odds right? After undergoing several tests from well respectable hospitals and standardized, capable doctors. How can I say I am pregnant overnight? But what hurt me is that he took the words of a stranger over mine. “Fucking sign the papers before I lose my control Daphne. Always the same lying C*nt. You disgust me.” I disgust him? Me, Daphne? I internally shook my head. It's not hi