Kiara grabbed the drinks and headed off the pier and began her walk back to the beach house. A part of her wished that Marissa would’ve stayed back, so they could talk more, but she left so quickly that even five minutes after, there was no trace of her, and she was nowhere to be seen.There was not much of a place to quickly scramble into on the pier, so it felt to Kiara like Marissa had just disappeared into thin air. She sipped her icy drink, as she pushed the door to the beach house open.“Hey Princess, where have you been?” Luca called out, standing up from an office desk in another room near the entrance and going to meet her.“Oh, I went to get us some drinks!” She grinned sheepishly, shaking the two drinks right in front of his eyes. “This is for you.” Kiara extended his beverage to him, wiping her wet hands on her shorts.“Thank you sweet cheeks.” He winked, taking the straw into his mouth and slurping up the contents.“You’re welcome. What have you been up to?” She inquired,
Kiara’s phone buzzed, and the display lit up with a notification. She dropped the sweater she was busy knitting and picked her phone up, scrolling through the notifications. It was a message from… she wasn’t so sure.Her brows furrowed as she scrolled past her message app, tapping her password in.Hey, it’s Marissa. Can we talk?Kiara’s eyes skimmed over the message as her heart thumped in her chest. The last time Marissa’s name was brought up in a conversation, Luca flipped out and told her to never interact with her again.Kiara ran her hand through her wavy hair, taking a deep breath. Her thumbs hovered over her keyboard, ready to type out a befitting reply, but she decided not to and put the phone back down on the table.She picked up the sweater and continued knitting from where she stopped. It was for Clara, who was still in the hospital regaining her strength, and Kiara wanted to give her a little gift to make her feel better. The knitting needles clinked against each other, cr
Luca paced around the room silently. It was midnight and, as usual, he was on a phone call. He kept an eye on the bed, wary of Kiara’s movement. Kiara tossed and turned in bed, as drool dribbled down her chin.She wiped her mouth, smacking her lips quietly as she turned to cuddle into Luca’s body. There was only one problem: he wasn’t there. Her eyes fluttered open slowly, but her vision was blurry and dim from the dark room. She could make out Luca standing next to the window with a phone pressed to his ear. Instead of asking him why he wasn’t in bed like she had initially planned, she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to listen in on the conversation.“There has to be some sort of leverage…” He spoke into the phone in a hushed tone. “No, no… Damian…”Those were the few words that she could make out, other than that she couldn’t hear anything. Her breathing began ragged as soon as she heard her father’s name mentioned. She sat up slowly, resting her back against the bed’s headrest. “S
Kiara stared at her father, her hand still resting on the doorknob. "Dad?" She frowned, unable to believe that it was really him."Yes, sweetheart?" He gave a little smile, pocketing his hands in his dark blue suit pants."What are you doing here?" she asked, still stunned by her father's appearance. Last, she recalled, he told her he'd be gone for three days, but it had only been two."Oh, well, the hospital tried to reach you, but they said they couldn't." He scratched his head. "So, they phoned me as a reference and updated me on Clara's health condition."Kiara moved closer, the rustle of the bags being the loudest sound in the room. "Oh, so how is she?" Kiara looked down at Clara on the hospital bed. Her lips were cracked, and her skin was becoming pale, though not much of a difference from the first time she was admitted to the hospital."Clara? How do you feel, sweetie?" Kiara asked, lightly sweeping her hair away from her eyes."I'm okay..." Clara croaked, with barely enough s
The door creaked open, and Kiara froze, her heart racing as Damian stepped inside, his eyes narrowing. “Wow,” He chuckled dryly, looking around the cozy house.“I can’t believe you could actually be so neat.” Damian nodded, impressed by the spic and span-look of the house. “Huh?” Kiara asked, taken aback. The house looked pretty untidy before she left.She stepped into the house and looked around. All the clothes that had been strung around weren’t there anymore. The carpets were clean and everything was in order. Except for a sock that was three sizes bigger than her foot. Where was Luca?She ran to the center rug, kicking the stinky sock under the living room chair. “Yeah, who would’ve thought?” She laughed worriedly, looking around. The bedroom door was cracked open a tad bit and Damian stepped closer, inspecting the floor. He was one to notice any little thing, but it seemed like there was nothing to complain about. “Well, since the living room is so neat, I might as well inspect
The gentle pitter-patter of rain soothed Kiara as she sat by the window ledge with a book in her hand. She could feel drops of rain routinely fall on her ruffled skirt, which calmed her down yet drove her almost crazy at the same time.It reminded her of that story about a man who was tortured with drops of water on his head at a slow pace. Moral of the story? It made him run mad! The man lost his sanity totally. It was called the Chinese Water Torture.However, a droplet of water was the least of Kiara’s worries at the moment. As soon as she got back home, she was overwhelmed with many silly feelings. Feelings that included immense guilt and confusion.Guilt because they’d almost been caught one too many times. And confusion because she didn’t know whether to continue or stop. It felt too good to stop, it was bliss. The connection that she and Luca shared made her feel alive and the vibe was electrifying. She couldn’t help but daydream from time to time.Then, other times, if she was
“Baby girl, have you been impulse buying again?” Maria asked with a chuckle leaving her lips. She placed a hand on her hips and awaited an answer from her daughter.Kiara looked up from the book she was reading, meeting her mom’s gaze. “I’m not sure if I know what you’re talking about, Mom.” She wrinkled her brows, sliding her bookmark and placing her book face down.“Oh silly, I saw the dresses, the heels, even the teddy bear.” She shook her head, taking a seat beside Kiara. She looked at her, taking hold of her hand gently. “Are you okay Mom?” Kiara asked, looking down at her hand. It was weird of Maria to act like that.“Oh, I just miss my sweet pea. I know I’ve been a little busy, and you have too.” She nodded, trying to hold her tears from spilling out, “You’re growing up so fast, and I fear you’re slipping out of my fingers.”Kiara shook her head hastily, “No, Mom. Don’t say that. I could never, I’ll always be your little girl. You know?” She sheepishly grinned.“You know the ot
“Amore, I’m sorry,” Luca said, grabbing her arm.“Are you sure you are? Look at how sober Katie is because of you!” Kiara whisper-yelled, disappointed with Luca’s behavior. “Besides, you should be apologizing to them, not me.” She looked into his eyes.His eyes softened, and he nodded, stepping away from her and moving towards his children. He crouched to reach their level, “Look, I’m sorry.” He shook their hands, rubbing them sweetly. Before he could progress with his apology, Katie burst into tears—tears that she had been holding all along.“Oh, baby.” He pulled Katie into his arms, rubbing her back. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered, angry that he made Katie cry. As tears streamed down her face, Katie hiccuped, “It’s okay.”“I’ll get you some water,” he pulled away, navigating towards the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. He opened it and placed it in the hands of a hiccuping Katie. She gulped it down almost immediately, coughing a little. “Drink it slowly.” He urged, wiping the corner
Kiara was standing in front of her open box, staring at the mess of clothes she had put inside earlier. Her fingers gripped a particular dress. She hesitated, but she shook her head and threw it aside. 'Does it matter what I pack? I am leaving.' she thought. 'Leaving the only home I have ever known.' Leaving everything behind.Her phone vibrated beside her and the notification read: Flight confirmed: 10 AM tomorrow.She exhaled slowly, feeling the weight of it settle over her."This is it." She said to herself.*********Across from Kiara's city, Donald’s phone buzzed.He picked it up and looked at the screen, expecting nothing important. But when he saw the notification, his heart pounded.GPS Movement Detected – Kiara Lux: Airport Route SetHe tightened his grip on the phone."No," he said in a low tone.He stood up from the chair, running a hand through his hair.'She is leaving. Leaving for good.' And if I let her go now, I might never see her again.' he thought to himself."No
Detective Harrison had been on Luca's case for months now with no positive results, no evidence to link him to the crimes.He sat in his office, flipping through a stack of photos that had been put across his desk earlier that day.Every single one of the photos showed Luca with his men. One photo showed when he took off his mask in the warehouse during Kiara's kidnap, the other showed when he tried to take the documents from Damian. His clothes matched. The photos showed him at different instances of Kiara's murder attempts. All the evidence pointed to one to Luca.The evidence had come from an unexpected source. Harrison glanced up, his gaze narrowing at the man sitting across from him. It was Donald.The same man who saved Kiara multiple times.Harrison tapped the stack of photos together. “You’ve been keeping an eye on him for a while, haven’t you?”Donald leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. “Since the day he warned me to stay away from Kiara.”Harrison arched a brow. “You too
After a few days, Kiara was finally discharged. The hospital doors slid open, and Kiara stepped outside, with Maria and Damian closely behind her. Catching her breath in the cool evening air. It felt different. Not the air itself, but how it touched her skin, how it felt against her face. Everything around her felt distant, like she was walking through a world that had moved on while she had been stuck somewhere else. She wrapped her arms around herself, her movements slow and hesitant. Maria stood beside her, watching her closely. She had barely left her side since she woke up. As they approached the car, her concern was evident in the way she kept glancing at her, waiting for her to say something. “ Are you okay baby?” Maria asked. Kiara nodded. Damian, who was putting their belongings in the trunk, stood at the driver's side of the car. "Are you sure amore?But Kiara didn't respond.Damian didn’t push. He opened the car door for her, waiting until she was seated before ge
Flashing red and blue lights filled the night.The party had turned into chaos as the guests murmured in hushed voices as paramedics rushed Kiara towards the exit, her body limp on the stretcher.Damian pushed past security, his expression unreadable as he followed closely. “I’m coming with her.”“Sir, we need space,” a paramedic started, but the warning died when Damian shot him a sharp glare.“She’s my daughter,” he said flatly. “I’m not leaving her side.”The paramedic hesitated but nodded. “Get in.”As the ambulance doors shut, Damian sat beside Kiara, watching as the medics checked her vitals. His hands clenched into fists. Even in her unconscious state, Kiara could still feel his touch lingering. It felt familiar, like she had felt it before.And just like that, her mind slipped into a dream.And then, the past pulled her in.***Laughter surrounded her as she spun in circles, her arms wrapped around Donald’s neck.“Put me down!” she giggled, swatting his shoulder.Donald smirk
Luca, on the other hand, has been going crazy since his kids were taken from him. They were all he had left. His neighbors heard him breaking things so they called the police. Luca was taken to a facility after his tests came positive for PTSD and disruptive behavior. Days passed, and he stayed quiet. Cooperative, pretending to be fine. The doctors bought it. They thought he was getting better. Not until one evening, during a shift change, Luca made his move. A nurse had forgotten to properly secure the door after checking his vitals. Perfect. This was his chance to escape from this hellhole.Luca slipped out, moving down the hall, his heart pounding.He stayed close to the walls, avoiding eye contact with staffs. One wrong move and they’d drag him back. His bare feet barely made a sound against the cold floors; the exit was close. Just a few more steps. Then— “Hey! "What are you doing?” A security guard spotted him. Luca bolted, running with all his might.Alarms sou
It's been three months and Kiara has not had the guts to go out due to the trauma she faced in Luca's hands. Although Luca has been away from the Lux family for months now, Kiara still feels like he's watching her. She still hasn't told her family the truth about her relationship with Luca and his involvement in the kidnap.The Lux home had never been this quiet before. There was no music playing from Kiara’s room, no late-night TV chatter, no laughter echoing through the halls.Maria sighed as she walked past the closed door of her daughter’s bedroom, hesitating for a moment before knocking softly.“Kiara, sweetheart?”She heard nothing.She knocked again. “It’s morning. You should eat something.”There was a long pause before a tired voice. “Not hungry.”Maria pushed the door open, stepping inside. Kiara was curled up on the couch by the window, staring blankly at her phone. The curtains were still drawn, blocking out the sunlight.Maria sat beside her, placing a gentle hand on her
A Few Months Later********************The courtroom was filled with quiet murmurs as lawyers shuffled papers and the judge prepared to begin. It was the final custody hearing for Sam and Katie, and Annie’s heart pounded as she sat at the plaintiff’s table, waiting for the moment that would decide everything. Across from her in the room, was Luca, who sat stiffly, his expression unreadable. He looked calm, but Annie knew better. This wasn’t the Luca she had once known. The man sitting before her had changed. For years, Luca had raised Sam and Katie without her, and for a time, they had been safe. But then, things changed. He became reckless. Cold. Dangerous although he had been that way, which was why Annie left him, she didn't think he would one day show his true colors to the kids.The judge, a woman in her late fifties with gray hair and sharp eyes, cleared her throat. “We are here today to finalize the custody arrangement for Samuel and Katherine Ettore." Ms. Annie, you may p
“Power’s out, completely out,” one of the nurses shouted in the dark hallway of the hospital. The emergency lights flickered off and on for a moment and then came back on, but the sense of unease had not.“Listen, we can’t stay here,” said Damian, his voice low as he looked around the nearly empty corridor. “This hospital isn’t safe anymore.”Maria nodded quickly, clutching Kiara’s hand tighter. “I’m scared for Kiara,” she said softly.Kiara, still shaken, couldn't say a word. She just sat there mopping. Harrison stood near the door, keeping his hand on his radio. “We need to move to a safer hospital. I’m calling for transport. We can't use my car. This place has been compromised, obviously.” Damian frowned. “Compromised? What do you mean?” “Not sure yet,” Harrison replied. “But when power is cut like that, and there are strange sounds in the hall, you can’t trust the security here.” Maria interjected, “So, where do we go?” Harrison sighed shortly. “There’s a private facility on
Kiara barely had time to react before Detective Harrison shoved her behind him, drawing his own weapon in one swift motion.“Drop the gun!” Harrison barked, his voice sharp and commanding.The intruder didn’t hesitate. He fired at Kiara but missed.A loud bang echoed through the room.Kiara screamed, instinctively ducking as the bullet slammed into a nearby vase, shattering it into pieces. Maria shrieked, stumbling backward, while Damian threw himself in front of her, shielding her from the masked man.Harrison didn’t waste a second. He fired back, forcing the masked man to dive for cover behind the couch.“Stay down!” Harrison shouted at Kiara, keeping his gun targeted at the intruder.The masked man didn’t stay hidden for long. In a blur of movement, he lunged out, knocking over a chair as he went towards Kiara.Her heart seized. He was coming straight for her.Harrison moved fast, stepping between them. Both Harrison and the masked man clashed violently, fists colliding in a flurry