Dylan had always been a very light sleeper and just the sound of someone opening his bedroom door or calling his name a little loudly was usually enough to wake him up from sleep. For this reason, at first, Austin thought that the child was deeply asleep, so he advanced further into the room and tap
“And why the fuck have you not been answering your calls? I called you at least a dozen times. First, you refused to pick up and then you switched off your phone. What’s up with that? How dare you treat me that way?” She screeched at him. Her loud voice was worsening the headache that he had been ba
“Hurry up, Sally. We don’t want to be late for Jimmy’s competition. He’s been so hyped up about it since all these weeks and the last thing he’ll need right now is for us to disappoint him.” Nora said, poking her head around her restaurant’s kitchen, where Sally had already finished up with what she
He did not pick up her call, and after calling him three more times without him picking up, she gave up and focused on cheering her son up. He came first, as she had known he would and she and Sally beamed with pride, picked him up, and showered him with kisses when the event was over. Jimmy had alw
The words that Austin had just uttered washed over Christina as slowly as though she were in a trance. She raised her eyes up to his and stared at him aghast, hardly able to credit what she was hearing. Deep down, she had always known that this day would come, but somehow, she just hadn’t expected i
A sleepy Sean took one look at Austin as soon as the latter got to his house, his suitcase gripped in his hand as though it was the only thing in the world that was keeping him sane, and it most probably was. Sean’s face creased in sympathy and he extended his hand to collect the briefcase from his
Richard stared in utter disbelief at the screen of the television in his large room in his father’s house, unable to credit what he was seeing and hearing. Apparently, while he had been busy enjoying himself and trying to make up for the unjust suffering that he had undergone for years, his son with
Nora first found out about Dylan's death on television from Christina's mouth and like everyone else, was shocked and sad. She had only met the boy a few times, but in those few times, he had seemed like a good kid, after their first meeting at Austin's wedding. He had seemed to be a bit too mature
“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