Beau sleeps soundly close to my lap. It's been a few hours since I woke up. I went back to sleep after our conversation. Exhaustion from all the crying I had done and the injuries I had sustained took hold of me. I gently stroke Beau's hair while he sleeps. Lifting my hand away from his head for a second, I wipe away the teardrop falling from my eyes. I’ve been doing some thinking. And what I’m thinking about makes me tear up. I sniffle a little, and the sound causes Beau to wake up.
"You’re crying," he says, seeing the tears in my eyes.
"No, I’m not," I lie, wiping the evidence from my face. "I need to talk to you."
"What is it, mon amour?"
A bullet tears through my heart hearing him call me that. His love. Placing a hand on his face, I try to memorize every detail. This is the last time I’ll ever be close to him, so I take my time admiring his handsome face. He is about to place his hand over mine, but I d
"Dad," I whine as he holds a spoonful of soup close to my mouth. He is determined to continue feeding me even though it's been a month since the kidnapping, and I am almost fully healed.Dad had arrived the morning after I broke Beau's heart. It was a surprise since I hadn’t had a chance to contact him yet, but I knew Beau must have. I saw my dad shed tears for the first time in my life that day. My injuries coupled with the news about the loss of his grandchild hit him hard. But he didn't try to speak to me about it when I avoided discussing the details. I’m grateful for that. I know I need to speak to someone about it. And once I’m ready, I will, but I’m not ready yet."I know you’re doing better,” Dad says. “But I still want to feed you. The doctor says you need rest, which means no straining yourself.""How could I strain myself by eating? Please let me feed myself." I put my hand forward to collect the spoon, but he
Later that night, I wake up to the feeling of something wet and soft on my forehead. I don't open my eyes because I know who it is. Beau is here for his nightly visit. I don't know how he gets in this late, but he’s come to see me every single night even though I asked him to stay away. I won't lie; a part of me is happy he didn't listen, because I look forward to this nighttime ritual. I lay as still as possible, pretending to be asleep."How are you doing today, my love?" Beau whispers. "I’m here to visit like I promised I would. I hope you’re doing better."I want to answer, and say yes, I am doing better and tell him there’s nothing to worry about, but I don’t. His voice tells me how concerned he is, and I wish I could ease his worries, but I can't. He’ll stop coming once I acknowledge his visits, and I don't want that. I need this time with him.Tears sting the back of my eyes. Knowing these are the only moments I’l
I wake up to the sound of someone calling my name. The first thing I see as I open my eyes is a dark brown ceiling. Someone touches my arm, and I turn."Thank God, you woke up. I was worried sick." Tamara gets up from the chair she’d been sitting in and pulls me into her arms."Tamara?" I don't return her embrace, confused about where we are and what happened. "What’s going on?" I ask as she pulls away from me."You don't remember?" Tamara's eyes widen.Closing my eyes, I try to force my brain to recall what happened. Tears flow down my cheeks as I remember. It wasn't just a horrible nightmare. It's true. I open my eyes and face Tamara, just as Harvey walks in."Harvey, please tell me Jenny was lying," I plead, begging him to tell me the words I wish to hear."Lilah…" His eyes are filled with sadness."Please say it." More tears stream down my face. Tamara grabs my hand and gives it a small squeeze.
BEAUI jolt awake, thrashing in the chair I am tied to as ice-cold water is thrown on me."I thought you were dead for a minute." The man holding the bucket taps my face, trying to wake me up."Delilah," I whisper, blood dripping from my mouth as my head drops forward. There’s not even enough energy left in my body to hold my head up. The fact that I’m still breathing is a surprise. I can’t remember much, just the pain from the beating."What did you say?" The man brings his ear closer to my busted lips."Delilah," I repeat, wincing as my broken jaw twinges from the effort of speaking."You fucking asshole," the man growls, punching me in the side. I groan, squeezing my eyes shut as my ribs crack in two. I pull my hand into a tight fist and try to absorb the pain. I plan to kill the motherfucker who just punched me. I’m just waiting for the right time to act. "You’re still calling her name?"h
DELILAHI bite my nails and pace the room, waiting for news of Beau’s rescue. Harvey came an hour ago and told me they were able to figure out where the gang was holding him, and that they were going to get him back. I have barely eaten or slept since I found out Beau had been taken. I can’t even think straight. The thought of losing Beau and how much that will destroy me is all I can think about.The Williamses didn’t report Beau missing to the authorities. They feared the gang would have harmed him more in retaliation if they did. Instead, Edward hired a mercenary group to find him. But I also suspect Edward didn’t want to get the cops involved, so the gang members wouldn’t tell them about the kidnapping he had hired them for. I disagreed with their decision to not to go to the cops, but I honestly don’t care as long as they find Beau. Someone bursts into the room, snapping me out of my thoughts. I look at Tamara, wondering why the
He scans the area around him and looks confused, but I’m sure that’s totally normal. It also took me a minute to recognize where I was when I woke up after Beau had saved me."Where am I?" He rasps out."You’re in the hospital; Harvey found you." I sit on the bed and try to take his hand, but he pulls away. I stare at him, confused.Beau looks around the room nervously before turning back to me. "Who are you?""My love, it's me.""You?" He looks at me expectantly, like he’s waiting for me to explain further."Delilah…it's Delilah,” I say. What is going on?"Sorry, do I know you?""You don't know who I am?" I ask, wide-eyed. He shakes his head. My hand moves to my mouth as it hangs open. "Oh my God…" I breathe out."Beau, honey, do you recognize me?" Jenny asks, pushing me out of the way.He looks at her. "No, I don't. Is Beau my name?""Bro, if this is some kind o
Throwing the blanket off my body, I sit up and drop my feet over the side of the bed. Glancing at my phone, I see there’s a few important messages that I’ll need to reply to while at work. At first, it was hard going back into the office after everything that happened, but as the days have passed, I’ve been grateful for the distraction.It's been months since my child was taken from me. I can't believe how time flies. A part of me is grateful for how quickly it’s passed because it makes it less painful that it's been a month since I last saw Beau. His mother made sure the day we found out about his amnesia was the last time I stepped foot in that hospital. Not even Yennefer could help me.Not being able to be there for him at such a critical point in his life breaks my heart. I bet he still doesn't even know who I am. I’m certain his mother has made sure of that.Tears sting the back of my eyes, and I throw my head back, trying to blink them away. My heart breaks every time I think ab
I stare at Beau and watch as he listens to one of my employees explain why we had to put a hold on the projects his investment had funded. I’m still as confused as I was yesterday. He says he remembers me, but then says he doesn’t know why I put the projects on hold. It doesn’t make any sense.I tried speaking to him again yesterday after he left to ask what was going on, but he refused to allow me to see him at his office or give me his new number. My new plan is to try and talk to him today once the meeting is over. I want to apologize and fix things between us. I believe I made a mistake that day in the hospital. At the time, I had thought I was doing us both a favor, but I know now that I should have never broken up with him.I continue to stare at him and take in his appearance. He looks as he did yesterday—healthy. I’m thrilled to see him well. It warms my heart to know he’s fully recovered and free of any wounds or scars that might have damaged his handsome face. Beau stands, a