Joan rolled freely to the other side of the bed, and slowly, she brought her groggy eyes to open. The early morning Chicago sun poured in through her windows, aggressively spearing her eyes that were still barely awake.She groaned into the pillow, her arms raising in the air as she stretched. The birds chirped by her windows and the leaves of the close evergreen trees rustled with the breeze. She was always at peace with nature, so she’d rather wake up to this than a blaring alarm, even though it was just the morning after a long weekend.Her eyelids were heavy and for a moment, her thoughts confused but she did remember his face as the last thing she saw before closing her eyes—actually no, it might have been the cartoon on the television. But that would have meant Ivan carried her into the bedroom, where she now found herself.She sat up with disappointment clearing her eyes. And her hands grazed the empty portion of the bed right next to her—she expected to see him, but he was go
“Leonardo!”His hands ferociously barged through the doors as Isabella clung to him through the two-hour drive. “What is going on?” There was a crack in her voice. She was surrounded by red and yellow tapes that crossed through the entire entrance of his villa.And uniformed policeman that stood aside.Tears shimmered in her eyes as she let go of one leg of her heels—it was a terrifying sight and the fact that he had not said one word even haunted the more.“What happened?” Isabella yelled, her voice returning an echo as she grasped his arms roughly. “Look at me.” She gritted through her teeth, coming face to face with his clenched jaw.“You tell me what is going on right now, and who these people are.” Her words were followed by the stopping of an engine, and coming through the doors was Freya, alongside Sheriff Stevan. You know it was serious since she wasn’t in her assistive wheelchair.And Isabella turned to her to see the horror that filled her eyes.“Have you told you?” Freya as
They were seated around the dining table in sheer silence, nothing to be heard but the tick-tock echoes from the clock that hung over the muraled walls. Her fingers intertwined with each other—and it took Isabella hours to finally calm her outrage.She couldn’t speak, her throat was injured. And her eyes sour from the tears that couldn’t even fall again, she’d cried that much but after many assurances, she finally sat opposite Stevens who had promised to get her children back.Except she didn’t want promises, she wanted action. She wanted to see the work being done but right now, all she had was faith, and hope although she was usually scared to have both.“Dare to hope” Majorie always said. But in that moment, something as abstract and promising seemed so fearful. And the thought of never seeing her kids again brought tears to Isabella’s eyes—she was wrong, she still could cry, but only if she tried.She felt his hard yet comforting hands slip through hers in an embrace beneath the t
The flash drive fell to the table with a thud and Sheriff Stevens had his laptop just in case. He pulled open the monitor as he inserted the metal mouth into a side port. Leonardo hovered behind her and so did Isabella. “You think we could get something off here?” Isabella asked him, running her hands through her hair as relief washed over her pale face. “I’m remaining optimistic that your aunt is right” Leonardo muttered beneath his breath, throwing his head over his shoulders.“But why—why make such accusations if there’s a possibility that it’s not true” Sheriff Stevens looked back to Isa and a lump slid down her closing throat. “My aunt, she’s sick sort of. Sometimes she gets like this and sometimes it’s even worse” She responded.In that moment, it crushed her heart that she even said that but that was the only logical explanation, right? Because what could the maid, Jazzlyn have to benefit from the kidnapping of her kids?So much.But she had no idea, she was oblivious to the t
TWELVE YEARS AGO.Isabella was sixteen and like unlike most sixteen year olds these days, all she cared about was herself and the boy in front of her—the boy she loved with all her heart, in a city that was home to her. She had plans, a million of them interwoven with these things,Her shrill chuckle echoed off the white washed walls of this abandoned building that was exclusive to them—their little hide out spot, that when she snuck out her house at midnight, they met here. Even their first time was here and times like this when they ditched school, it was usually to come here.It wasn't more than a deciphered structure with bullet-cracked windows and an eerie aura, but all that mattered was the meaning behind it. The fact that something like this was home to them—something as real as what they felt for each other. And the moment her bold brown eyes met Colton's, she was convinced that not many things lasted forever, but what they shared was.This very moment was.In his arms, she ch
The car came to an abrupt halt, with Isabella alighting from the backseat. Leonardo, whose hands wedged underneath his chin threw her a daunting stare. He couldn’t get that image out of his head—and he couldn’t quiet his raging thoughts.Did she know?If she did, then why did Isabella lie?He got down the car, closing the door behind him and pacing towards her to match her steps. “Isabella” He called and they both halted, the winds whistling through their hair. He slipped his hands into his pocket, nudging his adam’s apple with a hard lump.She looked to him with her dreamy-brown eyes and a lopsided gait—why was only more familiar now that he realized? She pulled the strands of hair that fell across her face, those were shorter, they were shorter than seven years ago and the one in the photo.God, she’d changed so much but somehow not enough.And looking at her, his tongue went paralyzed. He searched the heavens and the earth for what he could possibly say—that perhaps she should give
The moment was intense, and so was her climax.In the nick of time, Ivan managed to pull away from her, rubbing his fingers against the back of his jeans. And Joan clung to the wall, holding around the railings as she wiped her sweat. Not long after the chime, the doors separated and in came an elderly woman who darted suspicious glares at the both of them. Even with the distance between them, the stench of raging hormones still filled the air and Joan awkwardly pulled down her skirt."Good day" She cleared her throat as she walked past. Hoping for the ground to just open up and swallow her in embarrassment, she made the run for it—Ivan trailing right behind her until they got the last door in the passageway. And inserting his keys, he pushed open the way to a lavishly decorated dinner-for-two, and as Joan walked in, she held her hands to her face."Come on" She turned back to him, seeing the table in the center of the suite and he shrugged. "Bet you like this one" His breathes were
The Northside of Norman was where Isabella spent the most of her life. Talk buildings, grim husky atmosphere—a lot had changed since she left her home here. But for people like Jazzlyn, who’d stayed all these years, these changed could go very unnoticeable.The metal creaks of the playground swing echoed in the midnight, and there was a strong stench of booze that enclasped her aura, each step that she took towards the Evans Villa. To say Jazz was overcome with guilt would be a mere understatement.Not just that, she was still reeling in the betrayal of her mother. The parking lot was without her car which made it obvious that she had skipped town with her more perfect daughter, Holly and leaving her back with her stepfather.She pushed through the front doors and was immediately met with Gerald’s scrutinizing gaze. Isabella’s father halted as if he had seen his very own reflection in his step daughter. “Where is your mother?” His voice was as husky as a Siberian bull and his hairy ch