(Aya’s POV)It was not sadness... but deep torment, anguish, and hatred that bound my heart.It had been years since my mother died, but even until now, I was still hurting. It was difficult to understand why she had to die when I still needed her. Dad... My dad... He never left my side and reminded me every single day that everything happened for a reason. He would always brag to the world about how I helped him move on, but the truth was that dad was the one who carried me, giving me strength and courage. Now that he was gone, who would carry me?Losing one parent was hard, but losing both was tormenting, drowning me in this endless hell.“How’s Aya?” I heard Aunt Beth asking Addie.“Broken.” My cousin sniffled. “She hardly talks. She doesn’t even trust anyone to hold Katie. She breaks down whenever we try getting her.”I could hear them all... I could hear everything! Even the heavy pounding of my heart, the constant ringing of phones, and even Myra’s sniffles whenever she talked t
(Aya’s POV)“I went to your place, but someone told me I could find you here,” Scarlett said, glancing at the small chapel. “I...” She closed her eyes and swallowed hard like she was gathering the courage to talk to me.She was far from the Scarlett I had seen in the pictures at the villa. My heart could not help to feel pity as I looked at her. The scar on her cheek, her dry and pale skin, the dark circles under her eyes, and the way she gazed that seemed to lack energy pierced my heart.“What do you want?” I choked but cleared my throat.This was not the best time to fall apart in front of Scarlett. Yet, I could not help but wonder if I had done something that angered heaven and brought these people back into my life to break me.“Stay away from my husband, Aya,” she blurted like a bomb.I took a deep breath and pressed my lips as I thought about what she said. I opened my mouth to tell her I did, but I pressed my lips as I did not know how I could stay away from the man I loved jus
(Aya’s POV)“When I grow up, I want to be a doctor,” Myra said with determination while we ate dinner.“Did you hear that, Dean?” Mom smiled and glanced at dad. “We’re going to have a doctor in our family,” she muttered excitedly and turned to me. “How about my little girl? What do you want when you grow up?”I giggled. “I don’t want to grow up, mommy. I just want to stay with you... and daddy... and Myra. Forever and ever!”“Amen to that,” Dad laughed, shaking his head as he placed green beans on my plate. “Even if you don’t want to grow up, you still have to eat vegetables.”“Geez, Aya! You must have a dream.” My older sister rolled her eyes at me. “You can’t stay with mom and dad forever.”“Myra, your sister’s only seven,” Mom reminded her as she smiled lovingly at me. She reached for my hand and squeezed it.“Aya...” She squeezed my hand again. “Aya, it’s time.”“Hmm?” Disoriented, I opened my eyes, seeing Addie before me, squeezing my hand. I sighed, realizing I had fallen asleep
(Aya’s POV)I could feel Morpheus hugging me, but this was not the best time to sleep. I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again to glance at Katie, sleeping peacefully in my bed. I opened the door and found Myra sorting things at home, placing them in boxes.“Don’t just stand there; make yourself useful,” she said without looking at me.After the funeral, Myra wanted me to come home despite Uncle Dannie’s request to stay at their place. I lied to him that this would give us time to console each other. I told him I wanted to be with my sister and let her get to know Katie better. It took time, though, to assure Addie and Leslie I would be fine. I walked toward her, but I sat on the couch instead of joining her.“Have you seen mom’s wedding dress?” She asked, looking into our parents’ bedroom.She made herself busy last night, taking all our parents’ stuff from their bedroom, and when Leslie and I went home this morning, my sister seemed to have sorted almost everything from thei
(Aya’s POV)I turned off my cell phone and leaned on the seat’s backrest, closing my eyes for a few minutes. I opened my eyes when we were near the bus terminal. I turned to Katie when she opened her eyes, blinking and looking around the car. She only closed her eyes again and went back to sleep when she saw me beside her.“Hi, I’m Aya,” I cocked my head to the side, introducing my name to the driver.“Bert.” He glanced at the rearview mirror and smiled softly. “I’m sorry, but my beautiful boss gave me specific orders. Pick you up. Give you that duffle bag. Take you to the airport. Make sure you ride the plane. Go home. No talking, especially asking.”I chuckled, shaking my head. “Thank you, Bert, but that was not the plan. I’m sorry.”“Huh?” He looked ahead, but the knitting in his brows told me he was confused. “Yeah,” I faked a smile. “She must have misunderstood me. It should be... Umm... Pick me up. Give me the duffle bag. Drop me at the nearest bus station. Go home. No talking
(Aya’s POV)I thought I was dreaming of hearing Katie humming the ‘Mary had a little lamb’ nursery rhyme song nonstop, but I wasn’t. When I opened my eyes, she was at the coffee table, playing with her rag doll and eating a biscuit we bought earlier at the convenience store. She stopped humming when she saw me get up from the bed.“Katie...” I yawned, checking the time on my wristwatch.I groaned when I realized it was already nine in the morning. Everyone at home must have discovered by now that my daughter and I were gone, and I could imagine my sister’s rage if she found out I had taken Katie with me.“Are you ready for another field trip?” I opened my arms to my daughter.She giggled, dashing toward me. “Uh-uh!” she answered, hugging me.I eased back to look at her face. “Okay, this is the plan. We’ll take a quick shower, grab an early lunch, buy a new phone, and then find a ride to Sta. Lucia.” I raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “That’s a lot, right?”“Yes, mommy,” she chuckled.“
(Aya’s POV)“Mommyyyy!!!”In my dream, Katie was screaming because Myra was dragging her out of our house. When I opened my eyes, I realized it was not a dream. She was seated beside me, screaming terrifyingly as the shadow entered the door. My heartbeat was as deafening as my daughter’s cry.Then the living room brightened when the shadow switched on the light.Only then Katie stopped screaming.“Aya?” The older man asked, squinting his eyes as he tried to recognize me. “Mariel Aida Sophia?”I blinked, adjusting my eyes to the suddenly well-lit living room. My forehead creased, thinking about where I met him, but my heart was still panicking, and Katie, still trembling, snuggled closer to me.“I think you owe me a cup noodles?” He smiled, reminding me where we had met.I gasped, raising my index finger and scanning my tired brain for his name.“Marco!” I beamed, my eyes sparkling as I remembered. “Hey, baby. Don’t be scared. He’s a friend,” I said, smiling at my daughter to assure he
(Red’s POV)Addie left the door open when she saw me in her apartment’s doorway. Without smiling, she retreated and walked toward the couch, sitting beside Leslie. It surprised me to see Mike coming from the kitchen and holding a cup of coffee. If not for our present situation, I wanted to tease him if he had decided to live here after they all left at home.“Give me something,” I asked, feeling helpless as I sat on the loveseat.“Should we start with Aya’s lunatic sister who reported her to the police for kidnapping Katie?” Leslie hissed annoyingly, clenching her fists.Mike raised his index finger. “It’s been taken care of,” he informed them. “I just got a call from Miles, and he told me not to worry about it.”“Then somebody, please tell me, where’s Aya?” I asked impatiently. My heart was hammering in my chest, regretting leaving her alone. “I should not have left her,” I murmured.Addie sighed deeply. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have encouraged her to go to the farm. We’d rather d