Ximena/Angela’s POV
I was singing a lullaby to my little angel, Raven. She hardly sleeps these days, and I wonder why. Putting her to bed has become my daily and nightly routine since Davey traveled. She prefers his arms to mine, and these past few days have been hectic for me.“Come on, baby, you need to take a nap now. Mommy is tired,” I whined, feeling sleepy and frustrated. She was just three months old, but her cries were as loud as a ten-year-old’s. “Davey, please come back soon. I can’t handle this.”“Ma’am?” Rita, Tristan’s nanny, came over, holding the landline. “You have a call,” she said.“Who is it?” I asked, taking the phone from her.“I don’t know, Ma’am.”“Hello,” I said.“Is Mrs. Jackson on the line?” a hoarse voice asked, and I instantly felt uneasy.“Yes, who is this, please?” I asked, motioning for Rita to take care of Raven as I stepped out of the room.“We got this number from the vXimena/Angela’s POVIt was already too much for me to handle. I sat on the floor, my back against the bed, listening to the pitiful cries of my child, but I couldn’t do anything.“Ma’am?” Rita called suddenly, rushing over to me. “Why are you on the floor?” she asked, trying to help me up.“Leave me alone!” I snapped, pushing her away. “Why did you take so long?”“I’m sorry, ma’am. There was traffic,” she explained as she handed Raven to me.I cuddled my baby, more tears running down my face. She cried a lot, but never this much, and never without me or Davey. The pain was unbearable. I couldn’t accept that I would never see Davey again. It was a torment I couldn’t endure.“Should I get you lunch, ma’am?” Rita asked after helping me put Raven to sleep.“Just leave me alone,” I told her.She stayed beside me, her soft hand resting on my shoulder. “I understand how you feel, ma’am, but you can’t go on like this. I
Ximena/Angela’s POVI didn’t know how else to feel. Suicide crossed my mind so many times, but when I remembered my two bundles of joy, I wanted to live for them. I can't let my kids suffer the way I did. Though I didn’t grow up with my father, I still had someone to care for me–my crazy aunt. But not my kids. Davey’s mother died two years ago. He lost his father at a young age too, and his only sister, Clara, hates me. She never liked me, and it was why she fought with Davey before moving to Canada.“Can I come in?” Rita asked, cracking the door open.“You are already in,” I replied.She moved to sit beside me. Taking a deep breath, she began, “I know this is really hard for you, but I need you to be strong and push through. If anything happens to you, I don’t know if I can give your kids the life you would have given them,” she said, and I listened. “It's not easy to bear all the grief, the loss, and the burden alone. But I’m here for
Ximena/Angela’s POV“Angela,” he called, his footsteps approaching.“What are you doing here?” I asked.“I called him, ma’am,” Rita responded.“Why?”“Tristan said I should call him,” she said, moving closer. “Besides, ma’am, we need to get you away from here. I don’t know what Clara will do next.”“She is right, Angela. You are not safe in this house anymore,” Hudson said, taking my hand.“Excuse me,” Rita said as she left.I pulled my hand away from Hudson’s. “Why are you here?” I whispered.“They told me everything that happened. Why didn’t you call me earlier? I know you must be going through a lot,” he said, holding my hand again. “What did the doctor say about your sight?”Tears streamed down my face as Hudson reopened my concealed pain. He squeezed my hand in sympathy. “It hasn’t been easy for me, Hudson,” I confessed. “Davey left me alone in this cruel world. He didn’t even think twice
Ximena/Angela’s POV“There is a step,” Hudson said as he led me into my room. I had to agree. Tristan had no place to play around in the hotel. I pitied him. He was always stuck with me inside. It wasn’t that he couldn’t go out, but I feared an evil might be lurking, ready to snatch my child away.“Thank you,” I said as he helped me sit on the bed.“I will show you to your room, Rita,” Hudson offered.“No, she will stay with me,” I insisted.“But there’s only one bed here,” Hudson pointed out.“There was only one bed at the hotel. We will manage. I can’t do without her.”“Then Tristan should come with me to my room. That will make more space for you...”“No,” I interrupted. “Thank you for your hospitality, Hudson, but we will stay together in this room,” I said firmly.“Fine, as you wish. I will go call my doctor to find the best optician,” he said.“Thank you,” Rita and I said in unison, and Hudson left.“You seem uneasy, ma’am. What’s the problem?” Rita asked, sitting beside me.“I’
Ximena/Angela’s POV"Why didn’t you tell me?" I asked Hudson. We were both sitting in the living room after breakfast. He had refused to go to the office, weighed down by the melancholy of what had happened the previous day."I didn’t want to add to your worries, Angela. You are already going through a lot," he replied sadly."I know, but at least I could have reassured you. Besides, I know a friend of Davey’s who works at the U.S. embassy. Maybe he could help," I suggested."They have refused a fine or any other negotiation. I doubt he could do much," Hudson said, his tone hinting that he had already given up on recovering the goods."Does that mean you are going to let them keep the goods? What about your investment? How will your company survive? Are you just going to go bankrupt?" I listed the possibilities, panic rising in my voice."I’m already bankrupt, Angela." His words hit me like a punch. "The company has been losing m
Ximena/Angela’s POV"Angela?" Eleanor called, sitting beside me. "I had a bad dream.""Did you take your medication before sleeping?" I asked."Yes, but every time I close my eyes, she is always there, laughing hysterically and tormenting me.""Who are you talking about?" I asked, suddenly more interested."Adeline," she said, and my blood ran cold. "She seems so real and dangerous. I’m scared, Angela. What if she comes back?"Her words sent a chill down my spine. Should I take the words of this mentally fragile woman seriously, or rely on my own sanity? Adeline had died before us and was taken away by the authorities. There is no way she could come back. Heaven certainly wouldn’t allow such an evil soul to torment lives on Earth.I reached out and touched Eleanor's hand as she moved closer. "You don’t have to worry. She’s not coming back. She is gone now," I assured her."I hope so," she murmured, snuggling clo
Ximena/Angela’s POVRita left immediately for New York City, while Nevaeh gave me my medication before heading out to meet Eleanor. Although those two were never close, Nevaeh still couldn’t help but take care of her aunt and ensure she was well looked after. I lay on the bed, reflecting on what Kane had said. He mentioned a witness; someone who could have come forward after all these years. Who could it be? Who else might have witnessed Camila’s death? Could it be Harper? No, she would never do something like that, not even under threat. I trust her that much."People can change overnight, Ximena," my inner voice warned. But Harper isn’t one of those people. Could the witness be Alberto? I paused, recalling all his schemes against Hudson. But how could a fugitive walk into a police station to report a murder? He would be afraid of spending the rest of his life in jail. If it’s not him, then who? Eleanor? No, she is here, and she can barely find her way t
Ximena/Angela’s POVI couldn’t breathe; I was suffocating under the weight of my helplessness. The doctor said Tristan didn’t need to be admitted until we found a matching donor since his condition wasn’t critical yet, but he was put on medication.“We have to see Hudson, one way or another,” I told Nevaeh, who sat brooding beside me in the living room. She had just been denied access to her father today as well. Something wasn’t right, and we needed help, but how?“The most infuriating part is that plump, red-haired old hag!” Nevaeh snapped, startling me. “I felt like ripping off her stupid head and strangling her! She looked so ridiculous in that uniform,” she ranted, clearly frustrated.“You need to calm down, okay? We need a solid plan to see Hudson. He is the only one who can explain exactly what happened to Camila,” I said, trying to steady my voice.“But how?” Nevaeh turned toward me. “How do we see him without the officers’ permis