She gripped the edge of the sink, panting heavily and trying to control her heartbeat. It was fruitless. Her heartbeat was as frantic as ever. And when the washroom began getting crowded with other ladies who were mostly there to retouch their makeup and boast to each other about how wealthy their husbands or boyfriends were, Hailey knew she had to excuse herself. She left the washroom and made her way toward the grand hall. And she almost bumped into two people.A handsome guy and a blonde lady were walking side by side. They were both conversing and they didn't see her on time. They both looked so familiar, most especially the guy. And when they noticed her, the lady blinked and the guy's jaw simply dropped. "B–Baby's Mama— I mean, Hailey!" The guy exclaimed and quickly left his partner then hurried toward her. Baby's Mama. Only one person called her that. Was he... Devon?Hailey could remember him sitting beside Kendrick that day at Sharelene's party. "W–What are you doing h
***Where did she go?The question resounded in Kendrick's mind, paying less attention to the man sitting across from him.She'd appeared at the event and fled. He'd gone back home and found it empty. Did she leave for good? Was she never going to come back?Or would she come back? She always came back, right?Hailey would always return to him, banging at the door and screaming that he let her back into his life. She wouldn't leave him because of this. She was hurt by this decision, he felt it deep inside. Yet, this was the only way. He trusted Sharelene with her words. This was the only way she could be with him. She would be out of the public's eyes. No one would know about her, and she'd be safe from all the dangers. The dangers he'd always strived to protect her from.It shocked him when she brought those words up. Yes, he'd said those words. She was unconscious at that time after the surgery. How was she able to remember?"Mr. Reid." The lawyer cleared his throat, snapping him
***Her clothes were damp. It was as if she was dipped inside a freezer. Her skin hurt. The cold burned like hell. Hailey opened her eyes, her teeth chattering and her whole body shivering. Where was she?A blurry surrounding appeared in her view and before she could see clearly, her vision was blurred by the cold liquid splashed at her. It was freezing. "Leave her alone."A voice yelled in the background. The sound of a woman crying.And the water was splashed on her again. This time, it entered her mouth and she broke into bouts of coughs. Her eyes opened and a tall figure towered above her. She couldn't see his face clearly. She still couldn't comprehend where she was or how she got here. Then it all began coming back. Last night, she was at the cemetery, and then...A large quantity of the freezing water was poured on her again. This time, Hailey fully regained her senses. She could see the figure clearly. And he moved, stepping toward her. "No, don't hurt her." That famili
...Hours passed by. The dress had long dried up on her body. Hailey remained in her mother's embrace. Hopefully, those men wouldn't return. Hopefully, she would wake up and find out that she was having a bad nightmare. Kara's phone call last night, and everything that happened yesterday. Hailey lifted her head and her eyes wandered around the room. Apart from the several boxes that stood in a corner, there was nothing else in the room. The metal door was worn out. The floor was dusty, and the air was stale. The tiny cracks on the wall were the only source of light. The door creaked open and footsteps came inside. While her mother wrapped her arms tightly around her, Hailey's eyes went to the door and her lips parted. "Well, I shouldn't call this a surprise, right?" Chloe laughed, her footsteps echoing in the room. "You've already seen this coming right, Sis, haven't you?"Two of the four bully men were behind her, blocking the door. "Y–You." Hailey's Mum gasped. And Hailey b
"Shut up!" Hailey wriggled her hands fruitlessly to free herself from the men's tight hold. "You are the bitch, Chloe. You shouldn't have run away and hide. You should have put up this bravery and showed yourself to the public.""You're still as arrogant as ever." Chloe clicked her tongue. "You have the mouth to talk to me like that even though you're now at my mercy. Guys–" she nodded to the men. "Beat her up.""Chloe, no. Stop it, please. I'm begging you, leave her alone. Y–You can ask them to beat me instead.""Oh, don't worry. It will soon be your turn."Hailey's head buzzed with noises as one of the men's heavy hands made contact with her cheek, sending her across the floor. She clutched her stomach and bit her lips hard, preventing any sound from escaping. "You bitch! You're never getting away with this!" Her glare returned to Chloe."Guys, what are you waiting for? Beat her to a pulp," Chloe said and gave Hailey a small smile. And the men matched forward. Amidst the buzzes in
***"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
***"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
...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