The tiny movements came from her stomach just in sync with her rapid thoughts. And Hailey cuddled her bump with both hands to curb the movements. She was already in enough discomfort, the last thing she wanted was having to deal with the movements. With her home slippers still on her feet, she tossed her phone inside her shirt's pocket. It was a long shirt that extended down her knees. And without caring to have a glimpse into the mirror, her hair was surely messy, she waded out of the bedroom and hurried down the hallway. Her car keys. She needed her car keys. That was the first thought that came to her mind. But her car keys were with the bodyguard. How was she sure she would be able to retrieve it? There was no way that Rick was going to give her the keys. The bodyguards wouldn't allow her out of the front door. Then something clicked in her head as if a voice inside her was speaking. Or was it her instincts? It was telling her to stop in the study room. And Hailey didn't was
The words echoed in Hailey's head and her hands reached for the aprons rack. She had to leave this house immediately. And one after the other, she dropped each apron on the flame. Hailey coughed rapidly as the smoke of burning silk rose in the air. But she didn't stop dropping the aprons until there was none left in her hands. She also reached for the rags and dropped them all in the now roaring flame. The flame rose and touched the cabinets, the kitchen was engulfed in heavy smoke. Hailey's chest ached from coughing so hard. The smoke seeped through her nose, weakening her body, and she quickly covered her mouth then staggered out of the kitchen and took in long drags of the fresh air. Hailey hurried far away from the kitchen's direction. The smoke had already made its way to the dining area. And she stopped in the living room, concealing herself behind one of the heavy curtains, and her heart drumming frantically. It didn't take long before a scream came from the kitchen di
"Hailey," Kara called out to her. "Please don't tell me you changed your mind. Sonya has suffered while searching for her contact. I'll send you her contact Hailey. I know you'll do the right thing."Do the right thing? Hailey frowned. She still couldn't get a hang of whatever was going on. She didn't know where she was or where she was headed."It's alright, Kara." She finally managed a reply. "Send me the contact, I'll take a look at it.""Great!" Kara exclaimed. "I'll do that right now, Hailey. Don't keep your eyes off your phone.""O– Okay." Hailey could only reply with that. And her confused gaze returned to the road. Why was she driving at such high speed? And where the hell was she? Driving at this time of the day and in this cramped up car wasn't good for her. It wasn't good for—Her baby. Hailey dropped the phone and her eyes strayed down to her stomach. The tiny movements never stopped. And now, she could feel it moving nonstop. It was uncomfortable. Kendrick wasn't going
He jabbed at the elevator's button and paced, the three words echoing in his senses again and again. Fire! Hailey! Trapped! This was a lie. It couldn't be. This was a dream. How could there be a fire? Where did it come from? And what kind of a big joke was the Butler playing on him?Hailey wouldn't be trapped! She couldn't be! She must be alright. She had to be alright. He cursed out loudly and punched the damned doors. He'd be damned if anything happened to her. If even a hair on her body was hurt. If even a hair—He'd be so damned!The elevator reached the parking lot and the doors slid open. Kendrick sprinted out. The bodyguards were on standby, they had the car ready. The expression on their faces showed that they were already aware. And he didn't wait for the driver to open the door. He waited for no one to approach him. He grabbed the car keys from the driver's hands and zoomed out of the company.On the road, those three words kept echoing. His eyes fixed ahead, his h
"Master—""Take the others with you and go to the hotel." Kendrick opened his mouth finally. He wasn't going anywhere. Not until he found Hailey. He was going to stay here until she appeared from nowhere and told him that this was all a joke. She was alright. And their baby was alright.The Butler sighed heavily and patted his arm. "Then we won't go anywhere, Master. We will remain here with you."The maids never stopped crying. Their sobs were heart-wrenching."No, take them and go." Kendrick shook his head. "I'll stay here... Alone," he added. "But, Master—""Take the cars and go," Kendrick interrupted him. "It is an order."The middle-aged man lowered his head and slowly nodded. Then he turned around and the maids, who were standing from not far away and still searching, followed him out.Kendrick squatted on the floor and reached for what seemed like a bottle. A disfigured feeding bottle. He wiped the black smoke away and stared down at it. And apart from the bottle, many oth
The voice was frantic and it mentioned something like "Hospital?" Kendrick echoed the woman's words.The reply from the other end was affirmative. And Kendrick didn't wait to hang up. He grabbed a car key from one of the bodyguards and drove away. And he put down the phone after getting all the information he needed. Hailey was at a hospital. The foreboding feeling became stronger, suffocating him. The woman didn't give him any more details apart from the location of the hospital. She didn't tell him how she was or what condition she was in at the moment. She seemed to be in a hurry. There were so many noises in the background. Kendrick sped along the highway. She had to be fine. Hailey must be fine. She had to be alright with the baby. This new hope of knowing she was alive wasn't that promising. From the woman's tone, Kendrick was plunged into more depths of horror. And when he arrived at the local hospital and hurried down the hallway jammed with people, his eyes darted to ea
The doctor joined the others and as the doors to the operating room closed, Kendrick paced around.He didn't stop pacing in the empty hallway until a figure approached him. "What is happening, Son?" Bella stopped in front of him, holding a file that contained Hailey's health information. And Kendrick gave her a summary of what was happening. The elderly woman looked flustered. And she didn't wait for him to finish explaining. She dashed inside the operating room muttering rapid words. Words that only weighed heavily in his heart. Words that had him sitting on one of the chairs and cupping his palm together. A few hours passed by, it was two in the morning. Kendrick's eyes never left the operating room. He never blinked even once. And he jerked up from the chair when the door opened. He expected to see her being wheeled out. To see her now stabilized. What he didn't expect was the doctor that came out instead. With his bloody gloves and a sour expression, Kendrick braced himself
She fought through the darkness once more. With all her might and all her heart, she had to know where that voice was coming from, who it belonged to, and why it sounded familiar. And she fought. She kept on fighting, winning and losing. She didn't stop until a surge of energy burst through her, until a blinding light invaded the darkness, until those heavy weights lifted gradually. And the lights dimmed and her eyes fluttered. This time, she could hear new voices. Foreign voices. Voices that were all clear and coherent. They weren't only calling out to her, they were also conversing in the background. "Hailey, can you hear me?" This voice belonged to a female. "Please don't faint again, Hailey. You are strong, I know you can fight it."But Hailey wasn't strong. The pain was still there. The boiling tears scalded her cheeks and her grips tightened around that soft thing. Where was the male's voice? The darkness took her again. Where was that familiar voice?It hurt. She wanted
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