Reyona had no idea how much time had passed before the door opened again.Never in her life did she know that she would be so grateful for that tiny slant of light.The light did not even reach where she was, but it was something.Something other than the crippling darkness that seemed to be seeping under her skin.Keeping Allysyn's face in her mind had been one of the things that had staved off the gloom.Reminding herself that the girl was alright was the goal.Maybe they can release Allysyn even if they keep her?Then she would remember Pat and sobbed behind her gag.When she started giving in to despair, she would remember Maxwell.He must be on his way already. He would surely get them out of this, and they could all go home.Then she would remember Junior and vow to open her heart to that delightful kid fully.Then her family would come to her mind and she would wonder what they would do if something happened to her.It was the darkness.It was doing something to her mind.It wa
“And then she ruined everything!” Susan’s crazed eyes shone at Reyona in the dark.She could see the way Allysyn jolted even though she couldn't see the girl’s face.“Please, make this stop” Reyona prayed in desperation as she continued trying to move her hands.At one point, she thought she felt the tie on the right hand slacken but soon realised it was just her imagination.The hands were tied separately and so tightly that she couldn't even move them an inch from the spot they were. At this point, her tears were mingling with her snot as she kept her eyes pinned on the spot where the girl stood rigidly while her crazy mother kept prattling on about how Reyona took everything from her and ruined her life.“You were nothing but a bet, you know. I could see your stupid virginal look in that gym that day and I told Tommy to ask you out. It was all a lie! I was behind every step of it the entire time.”Reyona was no longer surprised by anything again at that point.She just wanted to
“Hey, you! Stop!” Susan ran faster!They were not going to shoot!Cops don't just shoot at people randomly. If she could just get to the end of that alley with Rad, she would be safe!He would have activated their plan B already.If she could get to the alley at the same time as he did, she would be safe.Unless he chose to fuck her up and bail, those cops behind her have no chance.Though she was getting breathless and wished she could quickly get a puff to keep up her energy, she ran with everything in her.She had a third of thirty million waiting for her anyway.She wouldn't need to work anymore for the rest of her life.Fuck her kids and Tommy.The little bitch had chosen the life wrecker over her anyway.Whatever happened was not her fault!She just needed to catch up with Rad and her life was set forever.He was right…She frowned as she saw him trip and fall as he rounded the corner.What the…She knew something was wrong when he was not getting up immediately.She got to th
“Go, we will stay” Celia said when she saw the torn look on Maxwell's face.He looked back at the “In operation” sign still showing over the door, then back to Reyona's gurney and nodded, “Thank you” before he hurried after her bed.Celia moved closer to her husband, and they held each other as they waited.“I thought they don't do operations in the emergency room,” she said in contemplation.“They could, in peculiar cases,” Andrew said in a sombre tone. Urgent, peculiar cases.”“Oh, God. Please let her be okay” she prayed as she held him tighter.After a while, she said, “They should know.”“Her family?”Celia nodded and said, “They would hate themselves if they couldn't be here for her at this moment.”“Maxwell felt….”“It was good that we didn't tell them when she was still in danger, but not anymore. They need to know now.”“Okay, I guess you are right,” Andrew said as Celia put on her phone.“I can't believe they are having twins. Can you believe that?” Celia asked with a pensive
Maxwell was contemplating whether he just saw her finger move or he was hallucinating when Andrew came in.He looked at Reyona's still body and said “Still nothing?”“I think I saw her finger move,” Maxwell said woodenly. Then he shook his head while still staring at the hand. “No, I think I was just…it didn't move.”Andrew nodded and said, “Can you step out for a bit?”“For what?”“It's Allysyn.”Maxwell’s head jerked upwards at that. “What?” How could he have forgotten that she was still in surgery?It's been over two hours.Maxwell saw the doctor close to the door, and he was already walking towards the doctor even as Andrew jerked his thumb towards the doctor.“What is going on? What happened? How is she?” He asked anxiously as he went out.“She is fine. She is fine. I need you to know that she is fine.” the man said automatically.Yet the way he said it made Maxwell ask, “But?”“She sustained an injury. A nasty one from a blunt hit to her Coccyx, that is her tailbone. We had to q
He was going to get better.He would show them.Every single one of them would see.What was so difficult about being sober?He would be sober, and that damned Rohan would take him seriously.Everyone would treat him as he deserved to be treated.He deserved to be allowed to help find his daughter.She is his daughter, after all, not theirs!He would stay sober and get a job! Then he could get his children back and take them home!“Sober, yes,” he thought as he lifted the glass of beer to his mouth.Right after having this last drink, he would do exactly as he had said.They should have found her by now, right?Thomas's gaze went to the small blinking TV atop the head of the bartender.The small tavern was the type where he could get a cheap, watered-down beer.Just the type he could afford with the last dregs of his latest sales - his mother's china plates.The bartender had collected money upfront before pushing the sloshing beer his way.“Snobs everywhere. Even a stinky bartender d
“Oh,” the doctor smiled in relief as he said, “I wouldn’t know until we checked him, but it is not a must for siblings to have the same blood type. A lot of things constitute blood types, and they vary between siblings.” he sighed before he continued “What about we get the father here just so we can test him?” he turned towards Reyona apologetically as he said “Not to dispute what you are saying, ma’am, but we need this blood urgently. We have also been reaching out to international agencies and NGOs who have actively engaged in preserving the rare blood type over time, but we have not gotten any affirmative response yet. Any help we can get right now is fine. Any means at all. Let’s start by checking the father, please. Or anyone that you know who could be a possible match.”The doctor left in a hurry as he got a call from the nurses.Celia came in just as Maxwell was calling Andrea to see if she could help them get the blood from any of her connections.Andrea exclaimed when she hea
“He is. I can’t reach him, and his daughter needs his blood to survive. Please, don’t hesitate to add some compensation for whoever can find him as soon as possible and haul his ass down here too. I don’t care how much.”“Interesting,” Officer Guy said. “Does his daughter really need his blood or is that a metaphor of some sort?”“It is a matter of life and death, officer,” Maxwell answered earnestly.“Do you have a picture?”“Not at the moment, but I can get it,” Maxwell said.Officer Guy quickly passed the pen and note to Maxwell and told him to write down everything he could remember about the man, including the last time and place he had seen him.He made a call to the station and called for an urgent announcement.“I am going to need that picture,” he said as he disconnected the call.Then, as if he had just remembered, he dipped his head into his jacket and took out Reyona’s phone. “Here we found this on the dead guy. We thought it was his, so our tech guys unlocked it and went
Dear Reader, Thank you so much for following this journey from the beginning to this point. I appreciate your comments, votes, review and continuous reading. You are my real MVP. Reyona's story has come to an end here as she went on to live happily ever after while navigating the beauty and trials of life with the love of her life. But then Toria's story is just about to begin. What do you say to navigating Toria's new journey as she confronts her rollercoaster feelings for Andreas while dealing with the powerful Kanellis family and forces determined to keep them apart? Would you like to see if a headstrong, free-spirited lady like Toria can fit into the imperious and honourable family while she fights her demons? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section. Thank you for being here. Do check out my other books. I am Kabirat Aleem.
“.... I promise to love and cherish you for as long as we live and beyond. I will respect you and always remember that you are my partner before anyone else. I will put you and our family first in my decisions. You are mine in totality just as I am yours. Together we shall grow in loyalty, in abundance, in comradeship, in support and eternal love. I will forever be by your side in everything that comes our way on this journey of life….”“I, Maxwell Rohan, take you, Reyona Beatrice Dexter, as my lawfully wedded wife today in the presence of God and man, with the promise to cherish our vow until I breathe my last.”“I, Reyona Beatrice Dexter, take you, Maxwell Rohan, as my lawfully wedded husband today in the presence of God and man, with the promise to cherish our vow until the day I die.”As her sister and her husband completed the vows they had worked on themselves and slid the rings on each other's fingers, Toria tried hard to keep her tears at bay as the minister said, “You may kiss
The past month had been the most heart-filling one for Reyona.She watched as Allysyn lolled Sophie's bassinet while showing her something in the picture book she had in her hand.Meanwhile, Junior jiggled the rattle above Lucas to the delight of the baby and the hopping dog.An inexplicable bliss filled her at the thought that these belonged to her.These beautiful blessings that had been bestowed upon her when she least expected them were a solid part of her story.Reyona leaned back in her chair with a big smile on her face as she reached for her drink.“Rey, you are glowing. I mean, you are literally glowing. You should see your face right now. Hold on.”Toria quickly took a few snaps with her phone before turning the phone around to face Reyona.Reyona smiled as she looked at the pictures while sipping her mimosa.Although she couldn't see herself literally glowing as Toria had said, she loved what she saw.The woman in the picture looked…fulfilled.Long gone was the anxious, sad
Two Months Later“Does this mean we will have to call you Mum and Dad now?” Allysyn asked in a solemn tone.Reyona looked at Maxwell with a smile before responding to Allysyn.“It means we are forever your family now. It means we have got you forever. In as much as you do not forget that, what you call us doesn't matter.”Although she knew how beautiful it would be to hear them use those words.“I am Thomas Junior Rohan?” Junior asked with his head tilted after he pronounced what he had been using his hand to trail in spelling.“Do you like being Junior Rohan?” Reyona asked with a smile.He looked thoughtful for about ten seconds before saying, “I love it.” To Maxwell, he said, “Does this mean I get to drive your car now?”Reyona and Maxwell laughed as Allysyn rolled her eyes.Reyona sucked in her breath as the laughter waned.“Well, maybe in the future, if you've been very good, of course. But not yet.”“Aww,” Junior said with a pout. Then he brightened in the next second. “I will be
The call was from his head of security.Reyona listened to his terse response to the person on the call.Then, just as he took the turn towards his estate, she felt her phone buzz.She frowned as she saw that it was a message from Maxwell.“We have a guest,” it says.She looked at the back of his head as she wondered why he couldn't just say that directly instead of sending it as a message.She was about to ask him who it was when she looked beyond the windscreen and saw the police cruiser.Her heart kicked against her rib and she looked downwards to check if the even-breathing Allysyn had slept off or something.“Look, Max! The police!” Junior shouted excitedly as he pointed at the spot where the police officer was just turning away from the man he was speaking to, the head of security.Allysyn's lax body went taut as she jerked upward, looked in the direction that Junior was pointing at, and then back at Reyona.She had a mixture of fear, question and uncertainty in her face.Reyona
Reyona and Maxwell went together to take the kids from school that day.Despite their fears that some unrelenting reporters might have decided to call them about what happened or ambush them for an interview about what they felt about Thomas's death, nothing of such happened.The school was also free of any lurking reporters or paparazzi.It was either they had decided that Thomas's death was not as worthy of news as his scandal had been, or they were still jeering up to blast the family with all they got later.Whatever it was, they were glad as they waited in silence in front of the school for closing time.Soon enough, school was over for the day.Maxwell came out as the students came out en masse.Soon enough, they saw Allysyn and Junior.Junior was skipping alongside Allysyn while dragging his backpack along and shouting some words at a friend who was going towards another car parked close by.He was being his jovial self as he waved hard at the friend and asked him not to forget
Reyona's head jerked upward as she heard Maxwell's voice.Then she looked sideways when she heard a growling sound.Jerking his head from Reyona to Maxwell, Skippy's pupils had dilated so much that they almost covered his entire eyes.His growl continued as he looked confused about where he should escape.Reyona realised what was going on as she saw Maxwell standing at the entrance, blocking his escape route.He felt cornered!She realised as the dog backed away while his growl increased in pitch.“Maxwell, move,” she said urgently, and he automatically stepped aside.The dog hopped past him in a flash.The dog kept going without stopping at all.Maxwell shook his head and went to Reyona. “What was that about?” He asked in an incredulous voice.“We were building a friendship,” Reyona said with a pout.“That was friendship?” Maxwell asked in disbelief.“Well, we were about to. Then you…do you think they do therapy for dogs?” She asked in contemplation.Maxwell started chuckling, “Ah, a
The soothing sound of the water reminded Reyona of the brook that ran through their homes in Bellevue Hill.She felt completely blissful in the oasis that Maxwell had surprised her with.It was exactly a replica of the one in her home in Sydney.After their dinner that night, Reyona was still pretending to be miffed at him because he wouldn't tell her if he really was the one who donated to the orphanage she had opened in her grandmother's name.Then, as if he didn't notice, he told her to check out something.“I am still mad at you,” She had said as she folded her arms above her belly and gave him a mutinous look.“It is a good thing that you are a versatile woman then. You could be mad at me and still come check this out. You will be glad you did. I promise.” He said innocently.Then, just as Reyona pretended she had not made up her mind yet, he swept her off her feet.How can he still carry her so effortlessly? She wondered as she squealed “Maxwell!”That was the first time the pap
Reyona had no intention of having the wedding while she was still pregnant.“It is called ‘walk down the aisle’, not waddle down the aisle'. Thank you.”That had been her argument and everyone had agreed with her.Not after Toria had added that their dad could carry her.“Then it will be ‘float down the aisle'” she had said in jest.They all came to an agreement that the wedding preparations would start after she had given birth in about two months.They spent the night in the hotel, and they all visited The King’s Creek to pay obeisance to Grams before their parents’ and Toria's departure.Maxwell, Reyona and the kids will stay back in Boowag until the jet got back.Stefan and his co-pilot were to carry Gladys and Carlisle to their destinations before coming back for them.It would take Gladys home first, then make a stopover at Milan to drop Carlisle before coming back.Toria had a standby jet that had brought her to Boowag and Kayooma for the preparation of the surprise and all.Of