THE NEXT day…Michelle could feel the exhaustion in her body, yet she tried to get up from the bed and took a hot shower immediately. Last night was too steamy between her and Ethan. It was around past midnight when they decided to sleep as they had so many things on their list for the next day.However, Michelle could not focus her attention on the long list of to-do’s in her head because her thoughts were preoccupied by something that completely bothered her.Anna Peterson.She knew to herself that she wasn’t imagining things. Her eyes saw her clearly behind the slightly opened door, watching them while making love in the Jacuzzi.It was supposed to be a romantic honeymoon night, but Michelle was not able to concentrate after seeing Marsha’s nanny. She felt as though their privacy as a married couple had been violated. Michelle was ashamed. No wife would ever want a nanny to see her with her husband having sex. It was supposed to be private and special...I need to talk to her, she
MICHELLE stiffened for a split second."What did you say?" she asked Anna, her brow furrowed."M-Mrs. Steinfield?" Anna’s eyes widened, and seconds later, she turned pale once again. "D-Did I say something wrong?""You said you would check on your daughter?" Michelle looked very confused. "Are you referring to my daughter?"Anna hit her forehead, biting her lower lip. "Oh, I-I am sorry, Mrs. Steinfield. I-It’s a mistake... I mean your daughter. Uhm, I think I was carried away as we always role play. I-I hope you’re not mad…"Michelle breathed in and out. She bit her tongue and thought that nannies were most of the time like that—treating the children they were taking care of as their own. It was not like she was against Anna thinking the same thing. It just felt off to hear it for the first time. Michelle may have been so possessive when it came to her daughter that she felt that way. Still, she nodded her head to Anna, as if to tell her it was fine."Go ahead and check on Marsha. Whe
Everything still felt surreal...That was the only thing Michelle had in mind after leaving the restaurant where Ethan chose to propose. Walking to the ski resort they booked into, Michelle raised her hand to see the ring on her finger.The diamond ring shone brightly in the snowy background. She smiled widely, still unable to believe that she had gotten engaged for the very first time.A warm arm was wrapped around her waist. She glanced at Ethan, who was also looking at her ring. "So, it turns out you really have a romantic side, huh?" She teased him."I’m starting to have one," Ethan said, leaning in to kiss the side of her head."I’ll make sure to remember this day every year. It’s our first engagement.""Are you happy?"Michelle nodded her head without any hesitation. "So much.""Mommy! Daddy! Walk fast!" Marsha shouted excitedly at them.That was when they realized that their daughter and her nanny were already at the entrance of the ski resort.Michelle and Ethan both chuckled,
ETHAN paced back and forth, his hands cupping both sides of his head.He could not sit back, knowing his wife was inside the emergency room. His legs weakened as he recalled how the blood streamed down Michelle’s face as she passed out. It was a nightmare that scared him to death.He honestly blamed himself for what happened. Had he known that Michelle would also ski, he should’ve paid attention to his wife as well. He was the man of the family, and it was part of his responsibility to keep them safe at all cost.He breathed in and out, praying in his mind that his wife could survive the accident that had happened. He could never afford to lose her again.He waited for almost two hours outside the emergency room and tried to be optimistic about the outcome of Michelle’s emergency situation. His head turned to the waiting area in the lobby, and he saw Marsha, who had already fallen asleep in Anna’s lap.Swallowing hard, he gathered all his strength. He should not be weak at this moment
“YES, Anna was with me…”Michelle stared up at Ethan in confusion. He blinked thrice, forehead suddenly creasing and she wanted to know what was the reason of his expression.What was up with Anna?“Why?” she followed up. “She taught me how to ski.”“She said she wasn’t there in the trail.”Michelle frowned. Even if Anna didn’t join her that time she ski before the accident, she was aware that the woman looked after her on the top of the trail. She licked her lower lip and thought of a reason why Anna said that to Ethan.“Maybe she went to the cafe to get a cup of coffee?” Michelle shrugged. “But she was definitely at the top of the trail before I ski.”“I might have to ask her again,” Ethan said firmly.“Don’t bother, Ethan. What happened might be traumatizing to her as well.”Michelle held his hand, and calmed him down. Ethan’s expression softened and he nodded afterward. “Fine. But please, don’t ever do that again.”She chuckled, a pain pricked her head but it was bearable.“That i
IT WAS ten o’clock in the evening, and Ethan stared at the clock, wondering why Michelle had taken so long to prepare. He then decided to go back to her room. Michelle was covering her face, crying, and Ethan decided to sit with her.“It’s not your fault,” Ethan murmured while rubbing her hands. “Look at me, Michelle; I contacted the staff so they can look for Marsha; everything will be fine.” he continued.“I’m such a terrible mother… Didn’t I? " She whispered and didn’t even look into Ethan’s eye. She felt that time that if only she had checked Marsha’s room before she slept like she always used to, it wouldn’t happen. “I already felt something was off, and I didn’t trust it,” she continued.Ethan then held her shoulders. “Don’t blame yourself, Mich…”He then kissed her forehead.“Where did they go? The main door was opened. What if both of them has been kidnapped?” Michelle asked panicking.Ethan then tried to contact Anna’s number. It’s only a busy tone.Now both of them look into
Michelle was worried sick and looked around for each corner, any dark alleys, and also she began showing a picture of her daughter to all the strangers that she passed through.“Did you see this kid? She’s with a nanny, she’s wearing a blue uniform…” no one bothered to listen to Michelle, and she started losing faith. But in the sea of the crowd, she thought she saw Marsha. Michelle then started running toward that kid, and she bumped a lot of people.“Hey, lady! Watch out where you’re walking!” a man shouted as she bumped into him that, make the old guy lose his balance. Michelle didn’t even apologize, and she went on running, and as soon as she reached for that kid, a lady then went in front of her.“Belinda, where are you going?” the old lady then look Michelle.“Ma, do you know her?” the kid that she thought was Marsha uttered.“I’m so sorry, and I thought she’s my child…” Michelle then bowed her head and went on and looked for Marsha. She was unconsciously walking toward the stre
MICHELLE burst into tears and tossed the phone on the couch.The entire situation was making her lose her mind, and to know that Marsha was in the hands of someone who had an ulterior motive made the dread crawl over her skin and almost slowly kill her.Ethan grabbed Michelle’s arm, pulling her around and engulfing her in a hug. Michelle hugged him as she cried in great despair."What are we going to do now?" she asked, hopeless and worried. "What if Anna hurt our daughter? I swear I’m going to die if she has done something that will harm Marsha! I can’t allow it, Ethan. We just can’t!"Ethan pressed his lips to her forehead as he rubbed her back to calm her down."We will find them. I promise you. We are going to save Marsha. Calm down, Mich," he said, trying to soothe her.However, Michelle could hardly find a way to calm herself. Marsha, her precious daughter, might be scared at that moment. Her daughter tended to cry a lot if she hadn’t seen her parents for a long time. The though