(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
(Red’s POV)“Red, why don’t you go home first?” Addie looked at me worriedly.Addie was right that I should have gone home and checked on my family first, but Violet threatened me, telling me she would ask my parents to pick them up from home and bring them abroad if I would not give them any news about their Mommy Aya. My children were heartbroken when Scarlett did not let them leave home to see their Grandpa Dean for the last time. I had no idea why Scarlett would stop my kids from seeing Dean when Violet and Green begged, telling her how close they were to him even if he was not their real grandfather. The last time I talked to her was when Liam, Mike, and I went with Aya to St. Agatha, but after that, I had not spoken to her again because she was either with her therapist or with Sherrilyn. “I’ll go home if you give me some good news I could tell my kids,” I sighed.“It’s like we’re missing something here,” Mike squinted his eyes, looking at his tablet and sighing as he thought.
(Aya’s POV) Three months later... I raised my hand, my fingers trailing my little one’s soft skin as she had her milk from my breast. I smiled when she stopped, a habit she seemed to have whenever she heard something familiar. “You heard daddy’s voice, Athena?” I asked lovingly. When I raised my head, my lips curved into a sweet smile seeing Red stopping and leaning on the doorframe. He kept his cell phone inside his pocket and gazed at us. “Cora left already?” I asked as I fixed my nursing bra and thought to pump milk later. I could not believe I was blessed with lots of milk. He shook his head. “She’s hiking with Ariana tomorrow. Can you believe it?” He chuckled. “Or should I call a rescuer in advance?” I chuckled, shaking my head. “Don’t say that in front of your sister. She might think of something else, like camping there for the night. So, please...” As Roman promised, his two children, Ariana and Red, stayed until I gave birth, and they seemed to have changed their mind
(Red’s POV)“Are you sure?” Mike asked me as Emmet and Scarlett went to the playroom to talk to Rosie.“You said it yourself, Mike, that even if I don’t press charges, she will still go to jail,” I muttered, sighing as I eyed Aya sitting in the living room, murmuring words to our little one as she caressed her belly.I hoped it was still because of her pregnancy that she was soft-hearted, sobbing over the story she heard from Scarlett. She lived poorly with Emmet, who worked as a security guard in a warehouse in the province he mentioned, but she never looked sad, not even regretting marrying him. If asked, she said she wanted to stay dead in her family’s eyes rather than go back, but Sherrilyn found her again, threatening her of hurting Emmet and Rosie if she didn’t help her with money. Sherrilyn must have forgotten that even her daughter signed a prenuptial agreement before our marriage, and the few gifts I gave her as a gift would take time to repossess because of her death. “But
(Aya’s POV)Almost eight months ago, when I first came here to the Carlington Residence, I believed I was born a selfless person with no ‘me’ time in my system. I had never expected to be part of this family when all I wanted at that time was to get a job and replace the parure Ryan gave me. I was not qualified for the job, but I had to lie to Red. The pieces of jewelry, the need for money, and the hope of finishing my studies and getting a good job for my father and Katie were the forces that pushed me to pretend to be someone else. Who knew I would meet Red, the man who had told me many times I was not qualified, had given me a chance because of his love for his children? It was not even a year, but a lot of things had happened in my life. I turned my head and gazed lovingly at my husband. He didn’t have to say it, but I knew deep inside he was hurting. I might not have witnessed their long years of marriage before the plane crash, but I saw how he tried to cope, live for his chil
(Aya’s POV)“Think, Sherrilyn,” I chuckled nervously. “The restroom is small for me to trip. And wait! Are you threatening me?”I thought of different ways to run toward the door, but Sherrilyn’s plan of possibly pushing me would be more realistic than the one in the restroom. I took a deep breath to calm myself and hoped Red would come on time. If I weren’t pregnant, I would care less about what she planned to do, but my sole concern now is my child.“Mom, will you please stop!” Scarlett grabbed her mother’s arm, stopping her.“Stop?” Sherrilyn hissed at her daughter. “As long as she’s here, she’s going to be the end of you.”“What do you plan to do with her, huh?” She asked annoyingly. “We’ll only make Red furious. Mom, all my life, I did what you wanted. Will you listen to me once? Let Aya go.”“What’s happening with you?” Sherrilyn brushed off her hand and gave her daughter a dagger look. “Have you gone mad?”“No!” Scarlett stood before her, blocking Sherrilyn from coming to me. “
(Aya’s POV)“Did you bring everything you needed?” Addie chuckled, asking me jokingly the same question she had the first time I got here in the villa in Rose Hills.I laughed as I get off the car, hating that I had to feel like my bladder was about to explode if I didn’t find a toilet right this minute. I had no intention of getting inside the villa, but Dante stopped the car in the driveway. I already had the chills, my tiny hair standing up, and my baby seemed to feel my need as it moved and kicked. I almost rolled my hair, seeing Scarlett standing in the doorway, waiting for her family.“I’m not sure I need them now, Addie,” I growled on the phone, thinking quickly about where the nearest restroom would be. “What I want now is to pee, and if I don’t, I’ll leak in Gino’s car… or worse, here in the porch!”“Then leak there first. I’m sure Scarlett won’t mind,” she advised. “Got to go, cous. We have a guest. Take care, okay?” she said, ending the call.“Why don’t you use the one nea
(Aya’s POV)“Will I get a discount if I give referrals?” Miles smiled as he picked up his cup of coffee. His eyes wandered around the common room.“Even if you don’t give referrals, Miles. I’ll still give you a discount... or maybe have your accommodation for free,” I promised him.Miles chuckled. “I’ll call you when I have the time to hike,” he sipped his coffee and then put his cup back on the center table. “But before my hiking plans, I should close this case first.”He must be working overtime; his wide-set eyes looked tired but still focused on our discussion. I wondered if he had ever slept or had time to eat. When Red called Mike and asked them to come, they arrived in less than three hours at the lodge.It was almost midnight.“You should go home, Red,” Miles said, surprising us with his advice. “Bring the kids back to the villa and pretend for a while, at least for the kids, that everything’s normal between you and Scarlett.”“I think it’s too late for that,” I cut in and smi
(Red’s POV)“Did we do something wrong?” Blue blinked his adorable eyes at me. “I’m okay having a baby sister, I swear!” He said, raising his right hand. “It’s okay we lost the bet.”We were in the main bedroom, looking like having a story-telling class, when I asked them to sit on the bed while Aya and I sat, almost leaning on the bed’s headboard, facing the children.“No,” Violet answered without breaking her gaze at me. “Mom and Dad are going to talk to us about Emmet and Rosie... and mom... the Scarlett mom,” she muttered, emphasizing her mother’s name.Katie pursed her lips as she played with her slime toy. “Why is your mom also Rosie’s mom?” she asked, leaning forward to look at Violet and her round eyes blinking curiously at her sister.She leaned back when my eldest daughter pursed her lips. Katie’s eyebrows knitted as she thought, then she shrugged her shoulders and continued playing with her toy.Violet sighed. “I hope I know the answer to that question, Katie,” she muttered
(Red’s POV)“You... know that I am Scarlett’s...” I gritted my teeth, clenching my fists but trying to control myself from hitting Emmet’s face.Emmet met my eyes and slowly shook his head. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. When he opened his eyes, he looked at his sister.“Emily, why don’t you take Rosie home?” He begged and smiled sadly at his daughter.“I don’t want to go home yet,” Rosie pouted her lips, her eyes pleading with him to let her stay.“You should listen to your daddy. Go home, Rosie,” Blue said as he got off his chair. “I’ll play outside. Triplets, do you like to play with me?”This was the first time I saw my children push away another child. Ariana always said that my kids could be awarded for amiableness and friendliness, which she sometimes disliked because it sometimes ended up trouble for her wallet when my kids also wanted to treat others with ice cream or any treats. My twins, even Katie, the sweetest of our daughters, said nothing about Rosie. She got
(Aya’s POV) “Can we name our baby sister now,” Green muttered excitedly as he ate his cake. Red turned his head to me, raising his eyebrows and asking me in silence if it was okay. I nodded, also excited about their suggestions. “Oh…kay…” He nodded slowly to them. “We’re open to suggestions,” he said, emphasizing the last word and glancing at the open main door when a familiar girl peered from the outside. “Can we do that later? We have guests.” Emily showed up at the door, smiling apologetically at us and glancing at the little girl she was with. For Rosie’s sake, I begged Red not to file a case against Emmet because on the day he ran toward me, he was not attacking; he was also trying to catch me. Violet smiled at Rosie, walking toward her and extending her hand to the child. “Hi, Rosie. Do you like cupcakes?” She nodded, her eyes wide as she looked interestingly at the balloons. She grabbed Violet’s hand and followed her toward the table. Red and I walked toward Emily, who st