Hailey***The silence between us was suffocating, a heavy weight pressing down on my chest as I tried to steady my breath. My fingers gripped Hollis tightly, as though by holding him in my arms, I could shield him from the pain that clung to him like a shadow. His past, the betrayal of his father, the haunting loss of his mother—each memory swirled around us, invisible but all-encompassing. I could feel the rawness of it in his every breath, and it broke my heart to know how deep the wounds ran.For a moment, I closed my eyes, allowing the rhythmic thrum of his heartbeat to ground me. I let the sound wash over me, offering a moment of peace amid the storm that raged inside him. But as I exhaled, a harsh truth settled in my chest. He didn’t want history to repeat itself. He didn’t want to become like his father—the man who had been torn apart by forces beyond his control, the man who had lost everything in his desperate attempts to hold onto something that could never be his.It was a
Hailey***A month has passed, but it feels like years. Hollis's wounds have finally healed, but the ache in my heart still remains. The memories of that day haunt me, replaying in my mind, a constant reminder of the pain and loss I endured. I fear that the scars will never fully fade, no matter how much time passes. But now there’s a new pain, different from the physical and emotional wounds I’ve known before. It’s the pain of separation, the feeling of being lost without someone who once meant everything to me. The emptiness inside grows deeper with each passing day, leaving me longing for a sense of wholeness that may never return.The house is so quiet now—too quiet. Without Summer’s laughter echoing through the halls or Max’s tiny giggles filling the air, it feels hollow. Every room reminds me of them. Every corner holds the weight of what’s been lost.I sit on the couch, cradling a photo frame in my trembling hands. The smiles staring back at me feel like a lifetime ago. A fragme
“How much more do I have to suffer?” I cried alone in the airport bathroom as tears started streaming from my eyes. In just a week, my life took a drastic turn. I don’t know if I’m the same person that I was a week ago. How much worse have things gotten in my life? As an orphan, I only ever wished for one thing: a family of my own, but now that one wish seems impossible to fulfill. I had always believed that life couldn't possibly get any harder, but recent events shattered that belief. But my bad decisions had led me to this point, and now I had to face the consequences. I knew deep down that I had to find the strength within myself to overcome this adversity and rebuild my life, even if it meant starting from scratch. From today, everything will be different—a new start. That is all I want in my life. A fresh start in a new place, a new me. My phone rings in my pocket, distracting me from my thoughts. I looked at the caller ID and wanted to crash my head on the wall. ‘Him...
"Who the hell are you?" The man shouted, holding Max in his arms and pulling Summer away from me. Staring at me in anger. "And how dare you brainwash my kids against me?" All my senses went numb at the sudden interruption of the man standing in front of me. His eyes burned with fury as he clutched Max tightly, and his voice was filled with a mix of desperation and rage. Who the hell is he, and why the hell is he shouting at me? I thought as I looked at both Max and Summer struggling to get out of his grasp. I could see the fear in Max and Summer's eyes, their innocence tainted by the tension in the air. "Leave me alone..." Summer cried, trying to get away from the man, her voice trembling with fear. The man's grip tightened, his anger escalating as he ignored her pleas. I could feel my heart racing and adrenaline coursing through my veins as I desperately searched for a way to intervene and protect them from this unknown threat. "Shut up, and why the hell are you here alone?" He
“You can’t leave,” he said, pulling me along with him out of the airport. My heart raced as his grip tightened, and I struggled to break free. “What the fuck?” I creaked, trying to free myself from his grasp. “Let me go." My mind raced with fear and confusion as I desperately searched for an escape route. “I said you can’t leave,” I shouted again, trying to push him away, but this man was as stiff as a giant brick wall. He doesn’t move an inch. I realized that I was trapped in his grasp. “Come with me." He said he was pulling him along with him outside the airport. “What do you want?" I questioned him as he pushed me inside a giant, expensive car. My heart pounded in my chest as the car door slammed shut, leaving me feeling even more trapped. The man's cold, calculating eyes met mine in the rearview mirror, and I knew that whatever he wanted, it wouldn't be easy to escape. "Now, are you talking?" I said, my voice trembling with fear. The man's devilish smile only grew wider, s
“I need you to take care of my kids,” he said, pausing for a bit. “I want you to work as a live-in nanny for my kids.” I went silent for a minute after listening to his words. “Are you crazy or not?" I couldn't help but feel a mixture of shock and disbelief at his request. The thought of being responsible for someone else's children on a live-in basis seemed overwhelming and daunting. He shook his head at my words. “I’m just stating the facts. I want you to take care of my kids, and for that, I can pay any amount you wish.” I sighed loudly, trying to calm my mind. “For the last time, I didn’t care about money. You are a piece of sh*t, and I don’t want to work for you.” Hollis smiled while listening to my words. “Why don’t you care about money? Are you that rich?" I chuckled at his assumption. Rich, and me... What a joke! “I’m anything but rich." “Then you are a fool to let go of such a great deal," he said, his eyes not leaving mine. "Maybe..." I replied with a hint of sad
I don’t know how many minutes, seconds, or hours have passed since I lost consciousness, but I couldn't make myself open my eyes; my head is starting to throb badly, and I can feel a dull ache spreading throughout my entire body. The darkness surrounding me feels suffocating, making it even more difficult to gather the strength to regain consciousness. I also heard random voices from around: “She seems to be sleep-deprived and also malnourished. Other than that, there doesn't seem to be any problem with her.” The voices seemed distant, as if they were discussing my condition from afar. “Is there anything I need to take care of?" I heard someone say something, but I couldn’t make out who the person was. “Nothing much; just feed her some healthy food, fruits, and vegetables, and let her get enough sleep. She will be fine.” The other voice said reassuringly. As the conversation continued, my mind lost consciousness again as I was lulled into deep slumber once again, unaware of the dis
“If you wanna know that, follow me.” He stepped out of the room. God... I hate him. But still decided to follow him. Walking behind him, we reached the kitchen, where I see Summer having her supper sitting on the kitchen stool by the kitchen counter. “Hailey….,” she shouted, jumping out of the stool and wrapping her arms around my waist. “Are you fine now…,” She might be worried about me. God, this is the first someone cared about how I am. “I’m fine…how are you?” I said with a smile, ruffling her hair playfully. “I’m happy that you’re fine…,” she said, staring at my face. “Are you now going to stay with us? Right?” “Well….,” I don’t know how to answer her question. “Summer…you should finish eating your food first.” Hollis interrupted, saving me from answering the unknown question. “Okay Daddy..,” she said, returning to eat her food. “Sit…” Hollis said this time to me, as he pointed his finger to a stool next to Summer. “Okay…,” I sat beside Summer, as Hollis walked to the m
Hailey***A month has passed, but it feels like years. Hollis's wounds have finally healed, but the ache in my heart still remains. The memories of that day haunt me, replaying in my mind, a constant reminder of the pain and loss I endured. I fear that the scars will never fully fade, no matter how much time passes. But now there’s a new pain, different from the physical and emotional wounds I’ve known before. It’s the pain of separation, the feeling of being lost without someone who once meant everything to me. The emptiness inside grows deeper with each passing day, leaving me longing for a sense of wholeness that may never return.The house is so quiet now—too quiet. Without Summer’s laughter echoing through the halls or Max’s tiny giggles filling the air, it feels hollow. Every room reminds me of them. Every corner holds the weight of what’s been lost.I sit on the couch, cradling a photo frame in my trembling hands. The smiles staring back at me feel like a lifetime ago. A fragme
Hailey***The silence between us was suffocating, a heavy weight pressing down on my chest as I tried to steady my breath. My fingers gripped Hollis tightly, as though by holding him in my arms, I could shield him from the pain that clung to him like a shadow. His past, the betrayal of his father, the haunting loss of his mother—each memory swirled around us, invisible but all-encompassing. I could feel the rawness of it in his every breath, and it broke my heart to know how deep the wounds ran.For a moment, I closed my eyes, allowing the rhythmic thrum of his heartbeat to ground me. I let the sound wash over me, offering a moment of peace amid the storm that raged inside him. But as I exhaled, a harsh truth settled in my chest. He didn’t want history to repeat itself. He didn’t want to become like his father—the man who had been torn apart by forces beyond his control, the man who had lost everything in his desperate attempts to hold onto something that could never be his.It was a
Hailey***"If you want to see me alive again, you have to leave now," Hollis said firmly. "Or do you want to see my dead body lying in front of you?"The words hung in the air, suffocating, and for a moment, time seemed to freeze. My heart raced, each beat louder than the last, my body trembling as I struggled to grasp what he was asking. I stared at him, searching his face for any sign of doubt, some indication that this was just another cruel game, another way to push me away. But there was nothing. His expression was cold, almost empty, and yet in his eyes, I could see the pain—the broken pieces of the man I once knew.I took a shaky breath, feeling as though the world were closing in on me. How could he ask me to leave him? How could he force me to leave him with the children?But deep down, I knew—he wasn’t asking; he was pleading. This wasn’t a choice anymore; it was a sacrifice, one I had to make to keep us all safe. The weight of it crushed me, but I knew there was no other wa
Hailey***I locked my gaze onto the clock, the incessant ticking echoing through the sterile room. The silence around me felt suffocating, and each breath I took seemed too shallow, too fragile. The only sound that tethered me to this harsh reality was the rhythmic tick-tick-tick of the clock on the wall, cold and methodical. Every passing second felt like a thief, stealing precious moments from me. Would he survive the night? The thought gnawed at me, sharp and relentless, threatening to sever the fragile thread of hope I had left.It had been nearly 22 hours since Hollis had been rushed in. The doctor had warned me—24 hours. If he didn’t wake up by then, the consequences could be irreversible. My gaze flickered back to him, still lying motionless, his face pale and drawn, chest rising and falling in slow, labored rhythm. I squeezed his hand, trying to give him my warmth, as if my touch could somehow pull him back from the brink. But I was powerless. Powerless to stop the clock, powe
Hailey***I locked my gaze onto the clock, the incessant ticking echoing through the sterile room. The silence around me felt suffocating, and each breath I took seemed too shallow, too fragile. The only sound that tethered me to this harsh reality was the rhythmic tick-tick-tick of the clock on the wall, cold and methodical. Every passing second felt like a thief, stealing precious moments from me. Would he survive the night? The thought gnawed at me, sharp and relentless, threatening to sever the fragile thread of hope I had left.It had been nearly 22 hours since Hollis had been rushed in. The doctor had warned me—24 hours. If he didn’t wake up by then, the consequences could be irreversible. My gaze flickered back to him, still lying motionless, his face pale and drawn, chest rising and falling in slow, labored rhythm. I squeezed his hand, trying to give him my warmth, as if my touch could somehow pull him back from the brink. But I was powerless. Powerless to stop the clock, powe
Hailey****I sat at Hollis’s side, my heart pounding in my chest, every beat a reminder of how fragile everything had become. The room felt smaller with each passing moment, the sterile white walls closing in around me. The beeping of the machines was deafening, each sound marking another breath, another second that Hollis was still here, hanging on by a thread. But how much longer? How much longer could he keep fighting?I squeezed his hand tighter, my fingers trembling. I could feel the warmth slowly fading from his skin, and a sickening knot twisted in my stomach. I didn’t know how to breathe in this room, not with him lying there, so broken, so still. I was suffocating under the weight of it all.“Please,” I whispered, the words barely escaping my throat. “Come back to me, Hollis. Please.”I couldn’t lose him. Not like this. Not after everything we’d been through. My chest ached as if it were being crushed by a thousand pounds. I felt so helpless, so useless. My whole body was sha
Hailey***I can’t breathe. It feels like my lungs are collapsing under the weight of everything, like I’m drowning in this cold, suffocating nightmare. My body is trembling, but it’s not from the chill in the room. The hospital air is frigid, but it’s the fear, the terror, that has a hold on me, squeezing tighter and tighter with each breath.The beeping of the machines is the only sound I can focus on, relentless and unforgiving. It claws at my mind, echoing the frantic rhythm of my own heartbeat. It’s a constant reminder that Hollis is still here, fighting, but how long will that fight last? I can’t breathe. I can’t think. I can’t do anything except sit here, powerless, watching him—broken and battered.His body is barely recognizable beneath the layers of bandages. The once-tan skin I’d traced with my fingers now seems so foreign, so raw. His face is pale, his features drawn tight in a silent struggle to breathe, to live. I wish I could take away his pain. I wish I could make it al
Hailey***I sit at Max's bedside, my fingers gently tracing the edge of his blanket, feeling the softness beneath my touch. My eyes are fixed on his peaceful face, but my mind is far from calm. The constant beep of the heart monitor reassures me in some way, yet it doesn’t settle the whirlwind inside me. Every now and then, I glance toward the door, half-expecting someone to come in with good news—news that Summer is safe, that Hollis is okay—but no one does. The silence only amplifies the gnawing dread in my chest, growing heavier with each passing minute. The scent of antiseptic clings to the air, sharp and sterile. The rhythmic rise and fall of Max’s chest is my anchor, grounding me in a world that feels more fragile by the second.Max stirs in his sleep, his tiny hand reaching out for me, and without thinking, I grasp it. He’s so small, so innocent, and I wish, more than anything, that I could shield him from the chaos outside these walls. I keep telling myself he’s fine, that I h
Hollis***The drive to the warehouse felt like a lifetime, every second stretching into eternity. The engine’s roar drowned out everything else—except the pounding of my heart, which seemed to reverberate in my chest with each beat. My mind was split, torn between the thought of Summer, trapped and terrified, and the dangerous man who had done this to her. Kevin sat silently beside me, his eyes sharp, calculating, but I could feel the weight of his gaze on me. His silence spoke volumes—he was watching, waiting, and judging every move I made.As we neared the outskirts of town, the city lights dimmed, replaced by a cold, sterile glow that cast long, stretching shadows. The warehouse loomed ahead, its rusted metal and broken windows seeming more sinister than ever. Tonight, it wasn’t just a building—it was a tomb.The first thing that hit me was the smell of gasoline, sharp and acrid, coating the air like a toxic fog. It burned my nostrils, thick enough to taste, like metal scraping aga