KYLO’S POVThe stillness of the world outside was interrupted and stars flickered like burning coal on the black velvet sky. My breath turned into vapor in the coldness of the night as I crouched behind the high walls of the mansion. It wasn’t Theo’s home but it served as a prison for Varya.Every beat of my heart counted down to when I would soon arrive at her location.For weeks, I have been pursuing ghosts, sifting through dead-ends and false trails. But tonight, everything fell into place. Theo had slipped up, his increasingly erratic behavior leading me to this secluded property on the outskirts of the city.It was a heavily guarded fortress—too secure for a man simply protecting his business.He was hiding something, and I knew what. No, who?Varya was here. I could feel it in my bones.I slipped through the darkness, my movements precise and deliberate. Every step had been planned, every security measure calculated. I’d spent days watching the property, noting the shifts of the
“Varya,” I whispered, stepping into the room. Her head lifted, her eyes widening in disbelief as she saw me.“Kylo?” Her voice was hoarse, barely more than a rasp. She attempted to sit up but couldn’t, her body was helpless, helpless after being held captive for weeks. I was by her side in an instant lifting her up from the ground and pulling her close to me.“I’m here,” I whispered back, pulling her as close to me as she could get. “I am taking you out of here. ”She began crying and the both of us embraced each other and stood there strangely. But this is what we did not have time for. I note that I could feel the sense of impending doom surrounding us. Theo could come back at any moment, and if he saw us cuddling he would never let me live it down.“We have to go,” I whispered and retreated a little so we could properly look at each other. “Can you walk?”She agreed, even if she very much looked like she’d prefer sleeping instead of getting out of bed. I walked her to the door, hol
Varya’s POVThe hospital room was cold. The soft humming of machines was the only sound in the room, interrupted only by the steady beep of the heart monitor next to my bed.However, that did not do anything to calm down the storm swirling around inside me; the sore body I possessed with every muscle in it aching from all that trauma was nowhere near compared to that tornado made up of emotions taking over me.Kylo was by my side now, his hand resting gently on mine. He had been there since they brought me in, his presence a source of comfort even though he barely spoke.Theo and Tia had been arrested during the rescue, taken the moment they lost control. It was a cruel irony, one that left me feeling hollow inside.They had been the ones who orchestrated my kidnapping, yet now they were the ones in captivity. It should have brought me some satisfaction, but it didn’t.My thoughts were tangled, heavy with the weight of betrayal, fear, and confusion. And now, sitting beside me was some
I inhaled, allowing the quiet to linger in the air. My head was filled with the most diverse of feelings and my heart felt divided between wrath and kindness. There were words on the tip of my tongue but they remained unuttered. I only gazed at her, my face betraying no thoughts.Jasmin’s eyes filled with fresh tears, but she nodded slowly. She understood. She knew that my silence wasn’t forgiveness, but it was something. It was an acknowledgment of her pain, of her remorse. And that, for now, was enough.She rose from the chair slowly and tried to take a step towards the door, but her legs were like jelly. Her hand rested on the handle for a second then she looked back at me, her voice barely audible.“I am really sorry Varya, I don’t know what came over me. ”With that, she left the room quietly and I was left all alone to ponder all by myself. Still, it happened the door closed and the silence enfolded me again.I found myself lying on the bed with my eyes wide to the ceiling, the
Jasmin's povI sat alone in my upscale apartment, the silence pressing heavily against my ears. The room, immaculate and orderly, reflected the controlled life I had built for myself, but tonight, it felt stifling.I absently traced the rim of my coffee cup, the warm liquid long forgotten, as if its warmth could somehow counteract the cold weight of my guilt.My eyes strayed to the letter I had been scribbling for days—a cursory note of apology to Varya, trying to elucidate why I couldn't remain.But those words were devoid of substance, weak gestures to atone that hardly sufficed. No matter the earnestness, printed statements on paper with ink pens could not reverse the harm I'd caused.The framed photo of Varya on my desk—one from our last carefree summer together—was a cruel reminder of what once was. Her laughter seemed to echo through the empty apartment, mocking my regret.My eyes filled with tears as I considered the friendship I had violated and the trust I had broken. I had t
VARYA’S POVThe walls of the hospital room were pale, and the hard fluorescent lights made it feel sterile. I sat in an uncomfortable chair, staring blankly at a hanging IV drip while what Kylo revealed spun around in my head.It was not until his words got through to me like a knife that I started to bring back fragments of the deep-buried memories.Kylo had revealed everything about the accident—my father’s death and my mother’s life-changing injuries as a result of Mr. Anderson driving their car into the side of our truck.The information itself was mind-boggling but what shook me to my core is that Kylo, my husband, was still that very young boy from that night.It had been years since I'd gone into detail about the accident. These memories were closed off from each other; they couldn't be opened up for examination because they were too traumatizing for me to remember them again.However, with Kylo's revelations and bits of my past coming together again, there is now something fro
KYLO’S POVThe room in my apartment was a chaotic mess of documents, photographs, and scattered papers. Each item represented countless hours spent piecing together the truth of Varya’s harrowing ordeal.The city lights outside cast a muted glow, highlighting the seriousness of the task at hand. In preparing to face Theo, and his family, who we had accumulated the evidence against, my heart raced.I stood by the window staring out into the enormous city below with my mind focusing on the confrontation waiting ahead.This was not only about seeking justice for Varya but also making sure that those responsible suffered consequences for their actions: every decision had to be exact; thus, there couldn’t be any mistakes on my part.Turning away from the window I looked at Varya seated at the table whose face showed both determination and anxiety mixed together. Although she had gone through a lot of pain herself, there was still an unyielding flame inside her eyes indicating her willpower
Kylo's PovMy vehicle sped down urban routes where all I could hear was a soft buzzing from the machinery and patterns echoing my car’s tires on the pavement.There was an enormous load resting on my back considering how stressful life can be at times yet; a daunting activity awaited me: discussing with Dora her involvement in Varya’s abduction case.This incident becomes more complicated just as much as it reminds me that she was once my friend and it is very evident that she played a critical role in this entire disaster.Dora had always had a thing for me, an obsession that had bordered on unsettling. I hadn’t realized how far she was willing to go until now.The jealousy and resentment she harbored towards Varya—my wife—had pushed her to orchestrate a kidnapping, a crime that would forever alter our lives.Dora had been working behind Theo and his wife, Tia, pulling the strings in a twisted drama of betrayal and malice.As I navigated through the city, the memories of my past with
On getting there people moved faster than usual; nurses ushered me into one room after another helping me put on a hospital gown a long way.Kylo stood still near where people were turned upside down due to the speed of what was happening around them offering some comfort unlike any other distraction I might find outside pain was too much but still stuck onto this thought that everything would soon pay off.Soon, we would meet our baby.Hours passed in a haze of contractions and medical jargon, the world narrowing down to just me, Kylo, and the baby.The pain was intense, like nothing I had ever experienced before, but I refused to give in to fear. This was what I had been preparing for, what we had been waiting for.The baby was coming, and I was going to bring them into the world.Kylo never left my side, his voice a constant source of encouragement, his hand a lifeline as I struggled through each contraction.He wiped my forehead with a cool cloth and whispered words of love and re
This confidence he had in us, in our capacity to manage a new phase boosted my morale erasing my fear places.I remember it very vividly, we were watching a movie one afternoon while lying on the couch in the living room and suddenly I felt a vigorous kick. I choked on my words, putting the palm of my hand on my swollen belly.“What happened?” Kylo asked, sitting up at once.“Everything is okay,” I replied cheerfully. "The baby just kicked really hard. Here, feel."I guided his hand to the spot, and we both waited. A moment later, another kick came, this time even stronger.Kylo's eyes widened in amazement. "Wow... they're strong.""I know," I laughed. "I think we're going to have a little soccer player on our hands."He grinned, leaning down to press a kiss to my belly. "I can't wait to meet you, little one. But take it easy on your mom, okay?"I watched him, my heart swelling with love. Seeing Kylo so involved, and so excited about becoming a father, made everything feel even more s
It was rather reassuring to be back home after the whirlwind which is our honeymoon, yet at the same time it was also rather daunting.The Island was once a beautiful place where all I cared for was our presence, Kylo and I had no other distractions.But it was time for us to step back and face our day-to-day lives, my pregnancy, and everything that came with it.By then I was several months pregnant and some of the symptoms were clearly visible to the naked eye. My tummy protruded out significantly and with that some effect of carrying a child.While the honeymoon had provided respite from pregnancy, the moment we were home, pregnancy was as real as reality could get.When about the house I felt both at ease with being home though nervous about the changes happening to me and around me.It pleased me that Kylo stayed close at my side; his fingers lightly brushing over my lower back.He got more caring and thoughtful than ever; I could easily see how much he cared for me and how much
I trusted him with everything that I had: heart, future, and life. Two days later we were in a private jet, by the influence I guess Kylo had, I had no idea where we were going. Kylo was not on specifics up to that time, but I did not give it much thought. There is nothing like suspense or perhaps relying on the unknown on the person. With that, I reclined in the chair and then looked at the shrinking landscape outside the plane’s small window. Kylo leaned forward, picked up my hand in his, and I looked at him and smiled. “You’re really not going to give me any hints?” I said as calmly as I could, though my voice was visibly laden with curiosity. Kylo chuckled, shaking his head. “Nope. You’ll find out soon enough.” I pouted playfully, but I knew better than to press him. Kylo loved his surprises and I must say, I enjoyed them as well. There’s something good about not knowing what’s next, about just going with the flow and chilling. The flight went by in no time, with Ky
Those days after the wedding were as if I was on honeymoon, loved being in that state, and did not want to wake up. I might as well describe it like this; the tranquility that came over me was one I never felt before. It was as though a weight I had no idea was lifted off my back, allowing me to breathe freely once more. There was a warmth that filled my whole body in place of the constricted knots in my stomach. It is worth noting that in the beginning of the story our marriage can be described as a purely business-like arrangement, a very practical marriage of convenience. But instead with time, it had become something concrete, something lovely. The relationship that Kylo and I had was a product of the most unlikely circumstances and the complacency that I felt as I stared at the house we had constructed together could only be described as profound. It was morning, the sun was shining and the rays of sunlight started entering the room through the windows. I was now pl
Kylo went first, his voice steady as he began to speak.“So Varya,” he began glancing at my eyes all the time,“when we got married for the first time, it was a business deal between us; something that was advantageous to both of us but lacked emotional warmth typical of true marriage. I was unapproachable and even icy; I never gave you the love or respect that you deserved. But as time passed everything changed. I changed.”His grip on my hand tightened more and I could see how sincere he was from his facial expression which told me that he meant every word in every line on his face.“I fell in love with you Varya; it started off slowly before all these sudden feelings hit me. You taught me what it means to be there for someone else genuinely because one wants to change oneself for them.”“And I have caused you pain earlier but today I am making a promise as follows: To be the man whom you deserve; to love you wholly and to build a happy joyful life together based on faithfulness and
The morning of the wedding was as well fine with no clouds in the sky to disturb the blue of the day. Now I found myself back in front of the mirror in my childhood room strapped and ready for this like a kid on Christmas Eve.The dress I bought for my wedding was an off-white, beautiful lace and silk gown that fitted me to perfection. It was plain and elegant and made me feel like flowers were blooming on my dress and the garden we would be getting married in was nearby.My mother was frequently touching my face, fixing my veil in position enrollment arrangement She caught my eye in the mirror and smiled, her expression soft with love and pride.“You look stunning, Varya,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “Kylo is a lucky man.”“Thank you, Mom,” I replied, my voice trembling slightly. “I just… I want today to be perfect.”“It will be,” she assured me, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Today is about you and Kylo, about the love you share. That’s all that matters.
VARYA’S POVThe day after Kylo's proposal felt like waking up in a dream. When dawn parted the curtains and let in the golden rays, it was hard to imagine that only a few hours ago Kylo had proposed to me for real.My hand went to the ring I now wore on my finger and the diamond again shone brightly against the sun, creating rainbows around the room.The moments were somewhat dreamlike and yet whenever I touched the ring on my finger I did not need anyone to tell me that this was all real. Kylo loved me.I stood up from the bed and walked towards the window and I looked outside at the city that was an unspoken character in our story, the one filled with both sorrow and happiness. This led my mind to the wedding which was now even in front of us.They were not an extension of a prior commitment, or repetition of a promise; it was the start of something fresh, of reality. And so the preparations could only be special as well.I could feel the buzz once I made my way downstairs in the ho
He had planned this event to be an entertainment for families, as well as business counterparts. The atmosphere in the room was filled with laughter, echoes of glasses touching, and music.This was ideally the environment that I wanted when I had planned the entire thing, but the feeling that swelled in my chest was almost tangible.I thought I was standing by one of the tall windows of the building looking down on the city below. The twinkling bulbs were of a high intensity and I observed it was dark like the sky at night and this made me take my eyes off it for a while.Yet, there I was thinking about Varya most of the time. It was her that made me develop nerves today and became the reason for this nervous energy in the night.She stood across the room dressed in burgundy dress which enhanced the curves of her body.She was gorgeous and although I was quite far I could notice the look of despair she was masking so well.It was a sadness that I realized that I had provoked and this