Aurora and Sebastian waited in the Police station closest to their residence. Cecilia Grazia was arrested and they were the cause. The ringing of the office phone in the detective's office had them snapping back to life. They watched the female detective answer the phone. "She has been taken into custody? Good. What? Can you send a picture so that whoever it is can be identified? Good, good, I'll be waiting." "Apparently," the female detective, Nadia, spoke to her, "your mother has been keeping a man hostage under her bedroom." "Hostage?" She blurted out, hating her mother even more. "I will receive a mail shortly so... Received." Nadia turned the desktop in her direction. Her first reaction was disgust at the bloody figure in the photo but on closer look, she almost dropped dead. "That's my father," she whimpered, "that's my bloody father." Nadia shot her a comforting smile then made another phone call. "Victim is Patrick Grazia. Please send him to a hospital. His daughter is
The crinkly sound of nylon bags had her looking up. Sebastian. He shut the hospital room door. "I brought food," he informed her, "you haven't eaten anything since the cereal. You are carrying a child now, you shouldn't act recklessly." Her emotions were conflicted. Was she to feel warm at his concern or guilty at his scolding? "I'm sorry, I got carried away." He stopped unpacking the bags he brought long enough to shoot her a look. "I didn't say that to make you feel guilty, I said it so you won't allow the present situation to weigh you down." She blinked, "Oh." He smiled, a warm loving smile. "It's fine that you don't feel like doing much, it's understandable." He brought out two medium-sized food flasks and a transparent pack containing cutleries. "Zik's family still lives here. I had to bother his mother to cook us a meal since she said takeouts are not so healthy for a pregnant woman. Here." He handed her a flask. Of course, she knew Zik's family still lived here. Zik
She has been through a lot recently." "I am her fiance." "We don't stay here, we'll only be here for a short while but of course, I'll make sure she takes prenatal care at a hospital over there." Aurora's eyes fluttered open. She shut them when the world danced and opened them again. Sebastian was talking to a man in a white jacket, a doctor. She sat up, flexing her shoulders. "You're awake," Sebastian beamed. "How do you feel, miss Grazia?" "Tired," she muttered, looking at the middle-aged friendly doctor. "It's nothing big. I'll advise that you rest here for the night. Get lots of rest, you need it, and eat well. Pregnancy isn't so complicated, is it?" She shrugged. She wouldn't know since she had never been pregnant before. "First time, isn't it? Take things easy, yeah? I recommended a couple of vitamins to your fiance. Have a good night's rest." Her eyes darted to Sebastian at the word 'Fiance'. It still seemed so unreal. Her gaze drifted to the ring on her finger. "I n
"And what does that have to do with anything? You had a family, he had his. Why couldn't you both forget about whatever fling you had in the past?" Cecilia swallowed. "You of all people should know how addictive the emotion of love Is." Aurora looked away. "The night I had a one-night stand with your father, I had an argument with Williams. That was why I made such a reckless move and, not to offend you, I do regret it but there's an advantage to every disadvantage. Your father found out about my relationship with Williams and with them both being sworn enemies and with me also carrying his child, he forced me into marriage. I was heartbroken, Williams was bitter. We both thought we could do without each other but years passed and the feelings never faded, they only heightened. We began seeing each other again and unfortunately, I got pregnant." "Unfortunately," Aurora shook her head in disgust. "You may disagree but it would have been better for Ezekiel never to h
Aurora watched her mother cry. She still found it hard to believe all that she was saying. Once bitten, twice shy. "Williams told me if I didn't do it, he would have his men do it. The attack at the house was a distraction. I made him eat a peppery food that he hated the night before so that morning, he was running a high fever and he couldn't make it to school. I..." she bowed her head, "Patrick never suspected me again after that incident and everything returned to normal but I wasn't normal. Do you think I never felt guilty for once?" Cecilia raised her head to look at her. "If you did, it never showed." "That's why I became so hard on you!" Cecilia exclaimed, "that's why I was always so strict and harsh. That's why when I found out you were secretly seeing Sebastian, I went all haywire. I was scared. I was scared that history would repeat itself. I was scared that Ezekiel's sacrifice would be in vain. It wasn't because I hated him, I loved Sebastian like my own son." Aurora
"Let's have your stomach filled up in no time," Sebastian said, smiling widely when she got into his rented car just outside the station. She looked him over; his clean carefully pressed clothes, untainted sneakers, neatly combed hair, and beaming face. His eyes... They shone brightly at her but after what her mother had told her about him, she could see the caution in them, the hesitation, the loneliness. She reached out and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead. "Let's take a walk to the park instead and you'll tell me all about your childhood and what growing up was like," she suggested, holding onto his hand. He blinked. "Sure. Whatever you want." Parking the car, they began the short trek to the park and as they walked, he told her of his lonely days as a child, the mother he never knew, the woman that took care of him for a short period and who he never saw again, the pain and fear his father instilled in him, the people he saw die, his suicidal thoughts and the girl that bro
"What?" Aurora blurted out but Nadia had cut the call already. She stared at the phone, blinking rapidly. She looked at the dining room with its door half closed and back at her phone. Something snapped and she was suddenly rushing into the dining room. "I'm sorry, I have to go," she said hastily, picking up her bag. "Why? What happened?" Sebastian inquired, getting to his feet. She began to rush out then she stopped, looked frantically around then raced out of the room. Sebastian followed after her, muttering quick apologies to the symphony family. "Aurora!" Sebastian called out, rushing out of the home. She was about to board a cab. She vanished into the back seat of the cab and it sped off. He could only grunt in annoyance and follow after her in his car. The cab was headed for the station, he noticed after some minutes of driving. He jumped out of his car when they arrived and hurried into the station before Aurora could get out. Detective Nadia was waiting. Several officers mi
"He went after you yesterday. Didn't you see him?" Rose answered when she asked about Sebastian's whereabouts. Aurora's entire body trembled in fear. "No, I mean yes, I saw him but I left him later at night and returned to the hotel alone but he hasn't returned and... I'm so worried." Aurora got to her feet, her limbs shaking terribly. The only thought that came to her mind was that he was in danger. Someone had killed her mother, what if they went after him too? The thought terrified her and she began to cry. "Have you tried his number? Of course, you have tried his number. What do you..." "I'll give you a call later, ma'am," Aurora said quickly and cut the call then she rushed out of the hotel. * "Aurora," Detective Nadia called in surprise when she appeared in her office. "Detective Nadia, I am so sorry to bother you but Sebastian is missing, my fiance. He hasn't returned to the hotel since the previous night, his phone is switched off and he isn't in any place I know," she