Mr. Carter’s driver took Austin and the other members of his ‘entourage’ straight to an airport, where they got on a private plane … a different one from the one of the previous night. Austin could not believe that in less than twenty-four hours, he was getting into another luxurious car and flying
He couldn’t do anything about it though, so he tried to shake the feeling off and concentrate on what Mr. Carter wanted from him, and boy, the man wanted so much. The man didn’t even let Austin go back home for the rest of his holidays, but instead, took him on different tours to his numerous pharma
"So this is the boy you’ve been boasting about.” Christina’s mother said to her father-in-law later that evening as they all sat down to dinner in the grand living room of their family house. Austin was sitting with them, feeling incredibly uncomfortable. He would have preferred to eat in his room,
“Uh, hi.” She said nervously after they stood there staring at themselves unsurely for the better part of a minute. “Hi, Christina. What are you doing here by this time of the night?” “I was wondering if you and I could take a walk together, but it's okay if you’d rather not, though. I understand.
Throughout the rest of the day after Austin left, Nora was moody, and she was beginning to second-guess herself. What on earth had she been thinking by accepting that her son should go out with Austin? Maybe it was best if she called Austin and called the whole thing off. Jimmy was still too young f
The next morning, Austin got to Nora’s restaurant quite early. He didn’t know her place, and she wasn’t ready to give him her address, so they had agreed to meet here. For some reason, Austin was very nervous, but of course, he tried not to let on how nervous he was. It would not be a good look on h
The restaurant was quite busy when Austin went into it, but it was almost always busy, at least all the times he had been here, so that was nothing new. He followed Sally to Nora’s office, where she was seated, typing something very fast, with her face puckered in concentration. For the first time i
Unlike what Nora and Sally had predicted, Austin’s ‘date’ with his son went much better than he had thought or hoped that it would go. Jimmy was the perfect combination of a well-behaved and hyperactive child, and before the day was over, Austin was helplessly and hopelessly in love with his son. A
“You’re here again.” She states, rolling her eyes without so much as a good morning when she opens the door and sees me standing there. “Good morning to you too. Yes, I’m indeed here again. How are you doing?” I ask her, resolving not to let her hostility get to me. She has every reason to be hosti
I have not been to Nora's apartment for several months since Sally disappeared. In the first month of Sally's disappearance, I used to come here a lot, so much so that I’m sure that I must have begun to look like a desperate creep to Nora. Each time I came here back then, I would plead and plead wi
“No! I want to go with you and Aunt Sally!” He protests angrily when he sees the nanny and realizes that I’m about to leave him with her. “Honey, you must be very tired from running up and down with me these past few days. That is why I want your nanny to take you home so you can rest. Besides, you
SEAN Somehow, Sally allows herself to be convinced to come back home with me, which as even her doctor agrees, is the best decision for her right now because she needs all the help that she can get. We’ve finally been able to reach Nora and Austin, who have arrived at their honeymoon destination a
SALLY I can tell that Sean is surprised at my blunt tone and sharp words, but I couldn’t care less. I vaguely remember how I had pleaded with my boss to get in touch with him after she told me that she could not reach Nora and Austin no matter how many times she tried to reach them. I had been ter
The small bundle feels incredibly light as the nurse places it in my arms. Every single iota of sleep flees from my eyes as I hold and look down at my daughter. The nurse helps me adjust the baby in my arms while smiling at me in approval. Immense love for this tiny human floods my entire being and
I smile unsurely at the doctor, certain that I must have misheard what she just said. She doesn't smile back but instead continues to stare back at me with a measured look that says that she's not messing around. “I'm sorry but I'm not sure what you're talking about. What do you mean by expectant f
SEAN I have to admit that I am not thinking straight, but I'll blame that on the lack of sleep and the thought of seeing sadly again after all these months. Sally is lying on a bed in a very tiny room and she's being placed on oxygen. She looks so small and defenseless in the hospital bed. I appr
“There has been an emergency involving Sally and she's requesting for you.” A female voice had said over the phone mere seconds ago. “Is she OK? What's wrong with her? Where is she?” I ask in quick succession without waiting for an answer to each question. Taking deep breaths, I remind myself to be