Whatever was in there, it was a top-notch secret. She turned off the stoves as all her cuisines were done one after another. Some staff would come inside and walk out now and then. And even Kara would come to take more snacks out of the fridge.Everyone had been quite busy. No one even paid anyone attention.Hailey was finally done with her work and she sat back on the stool again. She even brought out her phone to play with it, still the therapist's words flooded her senses. She honestly needed to do something about her thinking process. Even Rick came inside to check on her and had paced back and forth in the kitchen. Hailey didn't pay him any attention. If it was in previous days, she would have tried to strike up a conversation with him, even though his answers were always monotonous and their conversation would only stray to his boss. Right now though, the words in her head were even enough to keep her occupied. Time flew by and when the sun was high above the sky, Hailey wa
They were so beautiful and Oh– she wanted to get one for her baby. "Hailey, come on." Kara tugged at her arm. "Let's make a bet fast before it comes to an end." Hailey swatted her friend's hands off. She didn't want to miss even a second of it. The things had now changed to another shape, they looked like stars in their silver lights. She never expected Kendrick to be interested in techs. Come to think of it, there wasn't even a robot in the mansion. Only his parents seemed to prefer the technology lifestyle. They didn't have a lot of servants but machines were everywhere in the villa. The drones show continued, it didn't seem to stop anytime soon. Hailey had seen drones before. They weren't a new thing. But she had never seen these kinds of designs. If she could covet some for herself– no, her baby. If she could covet some for her baby, that would be fantastic. "Hailey," Kara called her out, snapping her out of her daze. She chuckled and pointed at Hailey's face. "You're dro
"Hailey!?" Kara flailed her hands in exasperation. Hailey placed both hands on her waist and after her breath returned to normal, she held Kara's shoulders and gave her a serious look. "Kara, do you think there's a possibility that my drink was spiked that night?" She asked.Kara's face only contorted into confusion. "Where is that coming from? Are you speaking about that night at the bar?" "Yes." Hailey nodded. "The therapist told me my drink might have been spiked which was why I couldn't remember anything. I can't stop thinking about it, seriously. I mean, who would spike my drink?" "Wait– you saw a therapist?" Kara's confusion only grew. She looked as if she wasn't getting anything Hailey was saying. She looked stunned and taken aback."Yes, Kendrick got me one." Hailey gave her an urgent nod. And she was about to go on speaking when Kara interrupted her. "Why would he get you a therapist?" Kara's expression instantly transformed to that of worry. "Hailey, are you alright? Is
They were laughing and drinking and chatting, no one even noticed her. Hailey stood at the same spot, taking everything in with wonder. She was still standing there when Rick came and walked past her to join the party. She called out his name to ask what was going on, but he didn't hear her as her voice was drowned out by the loud people. A lively atmosphere hung in the air, it was infectious."Madam, you're back." It was the Butler that first noticed her. He picked up the remote and turned down the volume while the other servants turned their heads in her direction. Hailey smiled and walked forward as they all stood up and greeted concurrently. And she was left baffled again when they started muttering words of congratulations. Did something big happen? She frowned again.The Butler must have read her confusion as he cleared his throat. "Didn't you see the news, Madam?" He said. "We're celebrating Master's victory.""Oh." Hailey nodded in realization. Of course, she had seen t
Kendrick squinted his eyes but he didn't look angry. In fact, he looked– tired.Hailey had to give him another look to make sure she hadn't seen wrong. There was an emptiness in his eyes, they almost looked lifeless. "Is there any progress?" Kendrick asked, making her break her gaze quickly. Progress? Hailey pursed her lips. How would she know if there was progress? The therapist had said everything was up to her, but she herself didn't know if it could be of any help. And the instructions she gave, she wasn't even sure if it would work. You have to face your fears to overcome them. Those were the therapist's words. And facing her fears meant allowing Kendrick to touch her. If she got used to his touch, her trauma would slowly get away."Is there a way I can help?" Kendrick's voice came again. He was studying her expression as if reading the turmoil going on inside of her. Hailey took in a deep breath and faced him properly. She had already come to a conclusion. And that was why
He was going to regret this. "Okay." He gave her a nod. "I'll only touch this." He let his eyes fall on her stomach.There was silence after that. And when Kendrick lifted his head again. She looked shocked.Her eyes flew wide and her lips were parted. She hadn't expected him to easily give in. "A-Are you serious?" Hailey stammered. "I'm serious." Kendrick gave her another nod. And when she broke out of her shock, she did something he never expected. Hailey's curled upwards and she smiled. Had she ever given him a smile? That was a first. "Really?" She had stopped stuttering and her eyes even lit up. This crazy woman. Kendrick couldn't help the chuckle that left his lips. He should be annoyed now, or even think of keeping on with lecturing her or setting new rules. But she looked happy. Which was all that mattered."Really," he gave her a reply and her smile only grew. Then, she chuckled and gave him a grateful look. His heart wavered at that, and he found himself laughing ag
Hailey would even find herself hiding in the garden sometimes. The place she had vowed not to step her foot in. But Kendrick that freak. He always knew where to find her. And the worst thing was— she had come down with a terrible headache. It was always going and coming back. Therefore, she couldn't go to work, and she had to be trapped in the mansion for almost three days. And Kendrick had switched into another weird habit again. He would go to work late and return home before the sun went down. He never let her be even for once.She had to be tortured by the headache, as well as running away whenever she sensed him near. 'Urgh,' It was frustrating. "Madam, are you alright." A maid was standing in front of her as she lowered herself to sit beside a potted plant inside the garden. "Is it the headache again, Madam?" She asked once more and attempted to put her hands on Hailey's head in order to give her a massage."It's okay, I'm fine." Hailey raised a hand to stop her and she s
"Madam. Do you need a massage," She asked in a worried tone. "No, thanks. I think I'll go inside the house."So the maid helped her back inside the house and when they got inside the living room, Hailey settled down on the couch. She ordered the maid to bring her something to eat from the kitchen and the girl hurried away instantly.Hailey simmered against the couch and pressed a hand to her forehead. It wouldn't take long for it to subside anyway. She had experienced similar episodes. Her phone went off just when she let her eyes close. And when she opened them and picked up the phone, a frown marred her face at the sight of the contact.Why was her father calling her? Was she dreaming? The man never called her— she couldn't even remember the last time they'd spoken on the phone. "Dad." She answered the phone and put it on her ear. Without waiting to exchange pleasantries, her father's grumpy voice instantly came from the other end."Hailey, do you take me for a fool or what?" T
Sharelene stood in a corner, watching everything unfold. The family was in a frenzy. She could only see fear in their eyes and hear the fright in their voices.As the staff wheeled Hailey out of the emergency room, a deafening silence fell upon the hallway. And Ken...He hadn't been himself since they came here. He hadn't been himself since a few days back when he learned Hailey was kidnapped. Neither would he speak to anyone, nor listen to those that tried to talk reason into him and advise him to take it rationally. Since a few days back, he was the complete opposite of the man she had met many years ago and had a second chance of getting close to again. The man that would always keep calm no matter the circumstances...He was nowhere to be found. Ken was completely different from that man she knew. In her mind, she'd almost gotten what she wanted... Or more specifically, what her family wanted. But now, staring down at the ring on her finger, it was as if the engagement neve
```````And every day, Kendrick lived in guilt. For the next several months, every minute of his life was consumed by guilt. It took him weeks to gain her mother's favor, and even months to regain her grandfather's. He would come back every day, hoping that her eyes would at least flutter. Her bump kept increasing at an alarming rate. His every day was filled with fear and trepidation. And one day, her eyes did flutter. He was supposed to feel joy, but not at a chance that more trouble loomed ahead. Her pregnancy was due and not a week after that, the babies arrived. His real fear resurfaced at that moment. The fear that they would never be able to hold their bundles of joy together. The fear that he would never get the chance to tell her that he loved her. However, she proved the doctors wrong, chasing away his fears. Now, staring down at the babies, her utmost gifts to him, Kendrick had never felt so much contented in his life. He'd never been able to wipe off his smile sin
***Kendrick paced in front of the Emergency Room. His heart was in his stomach and his hand never left his hair. It was as if she'd been inside there for hours now despite being wheeled in just now.No amount of self-reassurance could calm him. No one attempted to offer him reassuring words even. They've all been in the same dilemma.Her mother wouldn't stop crying and he couldn't find the heart to offer her those words he'd yearned so much to hear. Hadn't it all been his fault? Hailey was pregnant. How was that possible? When they arrived here, it was the first thing the nurses said after taking her vitals. But Kendrick still found it hard to digest.And the fact that the child would definitely turn out to be his only made him more confused. It made him angrier with himself. "Ken, what is going on here?" Rushed footsteps sounded in the hallway and he glanced sideways to find his parents as well as Sharelene. "What are you doing in this place? Is someone wounded?" Asked his f
~~~'Hailey.'Kendrick's hands trembled and his grip on the gun threatened to loosen. Staring up at the balcony where she was being held captive, he fought not to let the rage take over. The rage that became multifold the moment he sighted them dragging her here. Her body was limped. She looked worse than how she'd looked in the video. And an almost similar-looking lady, whose face was cascaded with tears, was being held at gunpoint beside her. Was that her mother? "Don't worry, Mr. Reid." Standing with them were the three shareholders. "She isn't dead yet. But she'll soon be, if you don't follow our commands."Mr. Weimar and the rest. Kendrick's assumption hadn't been wrong. They had a hand in this. "Already, you've broken one of our rules," scoffed one of them. "We thought we told you to come alone. Coming here with your friend is like seeking more trouble. Will Mr. Carter be competent enough to fend for himself?""Shit! Buddy, these stupid old fools are underestimating me," De
***"Hailey, listen to me!" Rob grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look up. "This is important, you have to take it."Nothing was more important to Hailey right now than getting away from him. Not only did she fear these drugs he had brought her, but she also feared the way his demeanor had changed ever since he returned with them.Of course, even if Rob was really trying to save her, there was no way she was going to cooperate with him.Yesterday, he'd secretly taken her blood, waking her up. And he returned this morning, looking agitated and somehow angry at her. "Hailey!" Rob's hold became tighter. "You must take these drugs immediately. I can't get you out here if you don't. Please, Hailey." He softened his voice. "Just take the damned drugs, you'll feel better. We both will feel better.""What exactly is wrong with you?" Her mother's voice faded in the background. "Leave her alone, she doesn't want to take them. Please I'm begging you, don't torment her any further."While he
Maniac.Hailey lifted her hand weakly to send a slap across his face, but her hand went limp and fell mid-way."M–Murderer." She pushed his chest. "Just go, leave me alone.""Hailey." Footsteps approached the room and Rob said frantically, "Please hold on." He touched her forehead. "You're sick. I'll get someone to treat you. I'll get you out, I promise."Then he sprang to his feet and left, closing the door behind him. Hailey was left wondering how such lunatics could be left wandering among normal people. She sniffed and waddled back into her mother's embrace. How blind had she been to associate with these kinds of people in the past?And how could she put a stop to these endless noises and intense headaches? She didn't want to remember? She didn't want to recall whatever they had shared in the past. ***'Ken, you have to save me. These strange men have captured me and they won't release me until you come. If you don't come alone, Ken, they're going to kill me and my Mum.'Kendric
...The hours dragged on, and from the tiny cracks in the wall, it seemed night had come. Still in her mother's embrace, Hailey shut her eyes to keep up with that pain.Both hands were wrapped around her stomach and she'd shiver now and then. As much as she'd like sleep to overtake her, it didn't. The exhaustion weighing her down didn't let her achieve that. The exhaustion caused by the aches all over her body. Her head pounded constantly, the voices also became louder each time she was left to her thoughts. Those hallucinations were neverending, and very soon she was afraid that they'd burst out, damaging more parts of her brain.The darkness slowly disappeared and the creaking sound of the door made her aware that morning had come. Another day of torture and pain."Hey, wake up!"Before cold water or anything worse could be splashed on her, Hailey leaned away from her mother's embrace who was also awake."Take your food!" The man burly man threw a food box and a water bottle at them
***"Ken, you have to save me. These strange men have captured me and they won't release me until you come. If you don't come alone, Ken, they're going to kill me and my Mum. They have laid traps for you, Ken—"Hailey was cut shut by a hard slap across her face. Bound to a chair with ropes, cold water was splashed on her face. She licked the side of her lips, tasting the metallic liquid; the only thing that kept her from fainting."Damnit! Woman. I told you to leave the trap part out! Are you deaf or what!?" The man holding a camera in front of her shouted. "Now, let's take another video. You will say everything you were asked to.""Stop wasting your time, Man," the portly man said and walked forward. "I don't think this lady is willing to cooperate.""I told you she's a stubborn one," Chloe scoffed from a corner."Now listen to me, Young lady." The portly man approached her and lifted her chin. "If you keep acting this way, we can't fulfill our promise to you. Give us your cooperation
***"Buddy, this is serious. How could she just disappear into thin air? Is there a chance that they're hidden somewhere in this city?"This city? Probably not. Kendrick had turned the whole city upside down. He'd deployed every force he could think of. They'd searched everywhere; every warehouse, every dilapidated building. There was no sign of them. It had been three days and there wasn't any traces of them. He'd driven to the cemetery that day, hoping more than anything that she hadn't spent the night there. And his prayers turned out to work. Only that, what actually happened was worse than spending a night in the cemetery. The sight of her phone by the cemetery gates was all he needed to know that something bad had happened. She was abducted. And there was still no traces of the suspects. Her sister and that guy. "Damnit! This is all screwed up." Devon paced for a while before sitting on the couch. "You didn't tell me you've taken her back. You never should have allowed her