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Chapter Thirty-Six
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2021-04-04 10:28:56Jade stood under the portico and slipped off her soiled boots, not wanting to track sleet into the house. The last hour had been nothing more than a blur, a space in time that she could vaguely remember. Snowy bits dusted the porch as she removed her winter gloves, hat, and jacket as well. Her mind was so numb that it didn't even register the frigid air.
Inside, a hush radiated throughout the house, indicating that she was alone. Jade placed her purse onto the entry table; the contents of it mirroring the doctor's diagnosis. She was pregnant. Eleven weeks, nearly three months! The very thought of it still shocked her. Jade didn't know how to be a mother; she wasn't even given a good example of how to be one. She ventured past the entryway and gazed around, unsure of what to do with herself. Any other evening she would've happily poured herself a glass of wine after such a stressful day.
There was a huge list of things she could no longer c
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Rendezvous Chapter Thirty-Seven
Jade pulled away from the curb and steered the car to the neighborhood entrance. The clock on her dashboard read that it was only 1:00 PM, much earlier than she had anticipated leaving the party. From here, she was supposed to drive straight to an art exhibition downtown, where she would then meet Miguel.Now, she thought,there would be time to stop at home and freshen up beforehand.As she passed the rows of lavish homes and manicured lawns, the tail end of a black sedan up ahead caught her eye. She was certain it was Andrea's car parked on the side of the road, steam billowing from the exhaust pipe. Jade slowed down and veered the car onto the crunchy grass a few feet away from its rear, concerned for her friend. It didn't look like the car had been in an accident.From behind the driver's window, she could see Andrea was visibly upset, with her light lashes soaked in the evidence of grief. Her eyes were closed as if, like a t
Last Updated : 2021-04-04Rendezvous Chapter Thirty-Eight
Jade slipped into something a bit more formal and then headed for the Art Expose. She wasn't sure the appropriate attire to wear to such an event but decided she couldn't go wrong with a conservative dress and heels. As she entered the gallery, she paused to glance around at the crowd, glad that she had time to change out of her jeans.The clicking of her heels echoed throughout the individual corridors that lead her to each new exhibit.She clutched her pocketbook in front of her and pretended she belonged. Every room was filled with different pieces, in different styles. Occasionally, she paused to observe the artwork hanging from the walls and then would search the unfamiliar faces. There were so many people; she wasn't sure where to even look for him."Ma'am?" She turned towards the deep voice, looking up at a tall waiter carrying a tray of crystal champagne flutes. Jade politely declined, "No, I'm fine. Thank you."From behind him, her gaze lande
Last Updated : 2021-04-04Rendezvous Chapter Thirty-Nine
"So you do recognize me." The woman's voice was thick, foreign. Jade did, although her looks were inconsistent with the online photo she'd seen. She appeared sickly now, emaciated. Her collar and hip bones protruded from underneath the thin fabric of her dress, and her face was gaunt, the contour of her cheekbones too sunken. With all her makeup, Jade thought she resembled aDay of The Deadsculpture.She said nothing as the tall woman stepped towards the sink beside her, swaying her hips as if she were on the runway. "I recognized you as well." She leaned over the bowl and wiped lipgloss from the corners of her mouth, her slenderness revealing every bump of her spine. Nadia turned on the faucet beside her, and through the mirror, continued to speak, "Although, I've yet to learn your name."Jade rolled the lipstick back into the tube. "That's because it's none of your concern," she shot back in a snarky voice.The woman laughed, ad
Last Updated : 2021-04-04Rendezvous Chapter Forty
The further out they drove, the more rural the scenery became. Highrises and expansive freeways merged into suburban communities and shopping centers. Past the county line, they reached widespread farmland and tall groves that stretched out further than the eye could see. The plowed snow continuously thickened along the narrow roadway as Jade listened to the hum of the tires beneath them. Occasionally, she would peer through a break in the forest and catch a glimpse of ridged mountaintops in the distance. It was now miles between driveways, each defended by rod iron gates and fences.A road-marker indicated that they were nearing Gladwyne. She glanced over at Miguel, who was still occupied by his tablet. She had occasionally caught a glimpse of the screen: twelve boxes of real-time, black and white surveillance footage of his apartment, always appearing unchanged.What was he looking for?She could only think of one thing,Nadia.The shor
Last Updated : 2021-04-04Rendezvous Chapter Forty-One
Astonished, she stared at him as her mind began to turn. She sensed their tour had just come to an abrupt end.Reading her face, he continued, "You lookalmostas shocked as I was when my ex-wife called me earlier. It seems you left a tad-bit of information out of your story, the part where you threw it in her face that you were pregnant."Jade contemplated her words. She never thought Nadia would have the chance to tell Miguel before she did. She wasn't even sure why she threw it in her face, other than to retaliate. Her words had bruised Jade's ego, even if she knew they were false. It was a rash decision that had obviously not ended in her favor. "I never told her I was pregnant.""So your not?" He asked flatly.Jade felt her knees grow weak and leaned on the windowsill for support. The edges of it cut into her thighs. She frowned at him and then at the floor. This isn't what she had planned; it wasn't supposed to be like this. She c
Last Updated : 2021-04-04Rendezvous Chapter Forty-Two
Jade fumbled backward, feeling like the wind had just been knocked out of her. "What?" she demanded, "You didn't thinkthatwas something worth mentioning before you left me alone in a hotel room?" She was now angry, could feel the heat sweep across her face as she glared at him, "You could have prevented this!"His arms went up in defense, "I didn't think that you would get pregnant, Nadia and me...""What you thought because she didn't get pregnant, neither would I?" She yelled, taking a step forward with every word, "You could have told me, I could have taken the morning after pill! Do you know how much my life is going to change? My body!" she gasped and pushed him, yet he barely budged. "I'm going to have to push a baby out of my vagina! How can you be the CEO of a company and yet still be so stupid?" She pushed him again and again, rocking his shoulders. Her small fists swung, not caring where they landed. She wanted him to hurt, just as much a
Last Updated : 2021-04-04Rendezvous Chapter Forty-Three
Jade woke to the bedroom door being opened. The sudden shift of air and noises from behind it had stirred her awake. Just outside the doorway were unfamiliar voices, and further down the hall, she could hear a vacuum running. The door closed again with a faint click, and the room once again became silent. She was impressed by how well it blocked out the sound. Between that and the comfortable bed, she'd gotten a great night's sleep.Light footsteps crossed the carpeted floor as she slowly opened her eyes. She stretched and then peered up, searching beyond the posts of the bed. The blinds were now closed, allowing just enough sunlight for her eyes to adjust. Although she was alone in the bedroom, a thin slit of light shone underneath the bathroom doorway. Jade sat up, keeping herself covered with the blanket. Underneath it, she was still naked, her dress now torn and unwearable from the night before.
Last Updated : 2021-04-04Rendezvous Chapter Forty-Four
What Jade had assumed was only a closet was an entirely new room. Sure, it held all the same components: built-in chests, cupboards and shelving, cases to hold jewelry, and both clothing and shoe racks. It also contained a seating area, a wide vanity, a pedestal surrounded by a three-way mirror, a rotating bag holder, and a coffee bar.Jade was astounded by her surroundings. "You've got to be kidding me," she gawked at the space. She couldn't imagine it ever being hers. Of course, it would never be hers. Even if she were to move in here, Miguel wouldn't expect them to stay in separate bedrooms. Would he?"Ms. Meadows, would you please take a seat." It hadn't been phrased as a question.Jade turned her attention away from the
Last Updated : 2021-04-04
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Rendezvous Chapter Eighty-Nine
Grace is the divine power that inspires virtue in humans and gives us the strength to endure difficult times. Grace Elizabeth Santos was born on June 29th at 3:17 pm. The first time Jade laid eyes on her, she believed her daughter was absolutely perfect in every sense. She never truly understood what love was until she laid her eyes on her daughter and cradled her tiny, pink body in her arms for the first time. It was the most magical moment she'd ever felt. Grace came out screaming, wide-eyed, and confused by the strange cold world, but the moment she heard the sound of her mother's voice, she froze and just blinked, listening for her. "I could lay here forever studying her features and adoring every little movement and noise she makes," Jade whispered as she softly hummed to Grace who was sleeping in her arms.&n
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"Time keeps slipping away from me," Jade thought to herself, sipping on a cup of morning tea as she gazed out the window. Her drink had already gone cold. Was her memory failing her? How many days had passed? Sunrise, sunset, sunrise, sunset, she tried to count them all, but it was difficult—fuzzy like static on the television. At this point, nothing made sense. One moment it was two in the morning, and she was lying in bed next to Miguel, and the next, she was here, sitting in this chair, having a cup of tea. She didn't know what was real or which memories she could believe.She was losing her mind, just as her mother had.Miguel had to have known that there was something wrong with her, although she attempted to conceal it. There had been no way to explain to him how she ended up in the ocean, drenched from head to toe and nearly frozen to death. She couldn't explain it. She couldn't
Rendezvous Chapter Eighty-Seven
The following day, Jade had been medically cleared to leave the hospital. After signing a mountain of paperwork and receiving follow-up care instructions, she began getting dressed. The clothes alone brought a comfort she had greatly missed. Miguel had run out earlier that morning to grab her something to change into for the flight home. She couldn't exactly leave there in nothing but a thin hospital gown, and the clothes she had been wearing were now somewhere in an evidence bag. "One pair of black leggings, slippers, and an oversized t-shirt," Miguel beamed as he placed the shopping bag on the hospital bed, proud of himself. Even if there wasn't currently an assistant around to fulfill the task, he was determined to get them both out of that hospital room. After she was officially discharged, a nurse wheeled her down the elevator to
Rendezvous Chapter Eighty-Six
Their reunion had been long-awaited, but as Miguel sat diagonally from her in an armchair in the corner of the room, sorting through the emails on his cellphone, she couldn't help but feel like there was a rift between them. She turned the television on to watch the five o'clock news. Lieutenant Davidson had mentioned that he would be giving a statement to the press that evening, and he'd even stopped by to ask her if there was anything she would or wouldn't prefer him to mention. She'd decided to give him her own brief statement to read.The top of the screen read 'LIVE' in big, bold red letters. "Are they really outside right now?" Jade questioned, seeing the camera was angled at the front doors of the hospital. Her room was positioned somewhere in the north wing. She wondered how many people had driven all the way to Pittsburg just to film this.She turned the volume up as
Rendezvous Chapter Eighty-Five
Lieutenant Lyle Davidson leaned forward in his chair, rubbing over the scruff around his chin. He was heading into his second double shift, and the week had only started. He flipped the page, scanning over the investigative report one last time. It was unfathomable that this woman was good for it. Her demeanor definitely had him fooled. When one of his detectives had first sent over the file to him, he thought, for sure, the boyfriend had something to do with it. Shit, wasn't it always the boyfriend in cases like these? At the time, it had seemed cut and dry. Some arrogant rich guy gets a chick pregnant, and then she suddenly turns up missing? Babies born out of wedlock could bleed a man dry, and money was one hell of a motive. Hell, it wouldn't be the first time he'd had a case like this come across his desk.A smile crossed his face as he snapped the folder shut. Between the physical and forensic evidence collected at the crime scene and Jade Meadows' affidavit, he had
Rendezvous Chapter Eighty-Four
The sounds of the hospital were unmistakable, and Jade recognized them before she even came to. Machines continuously beeped around her, footsteps paraded in front of the doorway, and an elastic band that was tightly wrapped around her abdomen monitored the baby's heartbeat— swish, swish, swish.She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, glancing around the small room. The walls were painted a flat pale blue, and the miniblinds on the windows let in a beautiful stream of afternoon sunlight. The tables and windowsill were lined with dozens of flowers, cards, balloons, and teddy bears. They'd been pouring in, all sent to her from strangers.The doctors had transferred her from triage to a private suite earlier in the day. From the moment she'd uttered the word 'kidnapped,' it was like she'd set off an alarm throughout the building. It felt like a million p
Rendezvous Chapter Eighty-Three
Jade was startled awake by a thud. Lying on the tiny bathroom rug, she didn't dare move. She was frozen in fear, not exactly sure what or who was out there. She hadn't meant to fall asleep, but it had been the first time in months she'd been without the lock around her ankle. It was so relieving to know that she free from her chains, even if she was stuck in the bathroom. She wondered if Marianna was there. The woman didn't usually come back for several weeks at a time, but Jade thought that perhaps she'd called Eduardo, and when he didn't answer, she'd rushed back.She listened carefully to the surrounding silence, only hearing the vibration of her trembling breath. The house was silent; there was nothing. No footsteps or voices. Just her and the ghost of Eduardo. "Hello?" She finally called out. If it were Marianna, perhaps she would open the door, and then Jade could overpower her.
Rendezvous Chapter Eighty-Two
Jade already knew that he'd allow her upstairs after Nadia had left. They always fell back into their old routine, and as predicted, after breakfast, he unchained her. It made her feel twenty pounds lighter. She'd nearly forgotten about the scissors wedged against her breast and had to stop herself from reaching up and touching them to make sure they were still there. She glanced back at the mattress as they walked towards the stairs, him in front of her. The scissors hadn't fallen out. She thought about pulling the scissors out right then and there and stabbing him but then decided against it. Knowing her luck, he'd probably fall backward on top of her and she'd die under his weight.That's not why she couldn't do it, though; it was because fear had a way of paralyzing you. She'd been here for months and never screamed out to his family for help, never attempted to escape. Why? Because females tended to l
Rendezvous Chapter Eighty-One
Sometimes it was nice to be able to hear what's going on upstairs, and then there were days where Jade would rather shove sharpened pencils through her eardrums than listen to one more second of Nadia's neurotic voice. The lunatic had woken up bright and early that morning and had been raging ever since. Their voices carried through the walls depending on where they were standing, giving Jade little bits of their conversation. She surmised that Nadia doesn't like his cat. "Well, at least it's not me that she's going all schizo on."Their conversation waded in and out like a tide, "I'm not getting rid of her!" Eduardo declared as the keys jangled in the door. "Ahh! Breakfast, at last." Things never seemed to operate smoothly while Nadia was here. Jade liked that he had a routine. It made captivity easier, not having to question what was going to come next constantly.
