Half past five in the morning and Diane was awake, seated on her bed with her laptop on as she scouted the internet for houses available for rentals. She rubbed her forehead, sighing tiredly, as she strained her eyes to read the words on the computer. It was almost Dawn and Jayden wasn’t back from wherever he went to. It felt like he had simply disappeared from the world because she had no idea where he went. She even tried calling his phone but it went straight to voicemail and after several trials, she simply gave up.
Thinking about it, she felt bad of course. She had led him on and then broke his heart. Why couldn’t just be in love with him? Everything would be so simple. He would love her, care for her and all she had to do was date him and not compare him to Nicholas but even that in itself was almost impossible. She could not not compare him to Nicholas and she couldn’t stop thinking about Nicholas.
Diane sighed again, burying her head in her ha
Diane stood in the middle of her new house, a feeling of melancholy enveloping her. She stared at the three seat sofas, the arm chairs, the couches and the center table in the living room. Sighing heavily, she moved to one of the couches and slumped into it. She had just paid for the house. After her discussion with Jayden in the morning, it had become more important than before for her to find a new house and she was so grateful that she did. But she just couldn't shake the feeling of loneliness that came with the house. She was the only one in it and it bothered her as she had been so used to living with other people. Reaching out to pick her phone on the table, she decided to giver her sisters a call. She unlocked her phone, scrolled through her contact list, clicked on Malvika's name and dialed the number. After ringing thrice, Malvika picked up. "Hey, Diane, what's up?""I'm fine. How are you, Malvi?""I'm good. It's nice to hear from you. What of Jayden?"Diane glanced around.
Diane threw open the cabinet in anger, bringing out a frying pan. She slammed it hard on the counter, then turned to pick up the bottle of oil. Turning around, she saw her sister, Malvika standing by the door. "Malvika, you can go back to the living room.""I think you need some help. What do you want to cook?""I was simply going to fry a couple of chips," Diane replied with a shrug as she picked up a bag of chips from the counter. She walked the gas cooker, turned it on and placed the pan on it. "Why are you here?" She asked her sister, as she turned the cap of the oil's bottle and poured into the pan. "Like I said, you need help," Malvika replied as she snatched the bottle from Diane's hand. She covered it and grabbed the bag of chips before Diane could reach out for it. "Let me help you," she said, tearing open the bag, picking out a handful of the chips and dropping it directly into the pan of hot oil. "So," she said. "Are you still divorcing Nicholas?""Malvika, if it wasn't cl
Malvika brought the car to a stop beside the house and waited for her sister, Natasha, to climb out of the car. After climbing out, Natasha closed the door and poked her head through the window. "Malvi, aren't you coming in?""Of course. But not now. I need to go and see someone."Natasha gave her a knowing look. "And does that someone happen to be Jayden?" She asked, while Malvika avoided her glancing, not replying her. Natasha sighed. "Malvika, I thought you've given up on whatever obsession it is you have for Jayden."Malvika's eyes flashes with anger as she whirled her head around to glare at her sister. "It's not an obsession, Natasha. I love him and I don't think you understand what that means. Now, if you would excuse me." She rolled the window up, forcing Natasha to yank her head backwards. Then, she started the car and drove out of the compound. As Natasha watched her leave, she thought, 'I understand. More than you can ever imagine."----------------------------------------
Instead of walking into her room first, Malvika made the decision to see Nicholas. So, she turned to the left and walked towards Nicholas's room. She raised her fist and knocked on the door. "Come in," Nicholas said immediately and she pushed the door open and walked in. "How do you know I was the one?" She asked as she closed the door behind her."I didn't," Nicholas has replied, sitting up. "Hey," he greeted and she smiled at him, taking her seat on the bed. "So, to what do I owe this unexpected visit?""I have something to say to you."He leaned forward, curious and eager, saying, "I'm all ears.""Right. Natasha and I went to see Diane today," she informed him. "At Jayden's house?""No. She finally got a new house.""She did? Why? I thought she would be so excited to live with Jayden. I mean, they are already dating," Nicholas said, all in one breath. One could hear the bitterness and sadness in his tone. Malvika glared at him. "If you would just shut up with all the questions an
The alarm let out a loud ring, causing Diane to jolt up from her sleep. She rolled around on the bed, reached out to pick her phone and dismiss the alarm. She dropped her phone ok the bedside locker with a thump, rolling around on the bed again. Then, she sat up, brushing her messy hair backwards with her hands and wiping her face with her hands. She stumbled out of bed, out of the room and to the kitchen to prepare herself a hot cup of coffee before getting herself ready for work. As she connected the electrical kettle to the socket and switched it on, she heard a knock on the door. Wondering who it was that was at the door by this time, she stumbled out of the kitchen towards the main entrance. Pulling the door open, she stumbled into a bouquet of flowers that was by the door. Lowering herself, she gently picked it up, obviously surprised. She stared outside, hoping to see who dropped it there, but she saw no one. Uhn. Did she have a secret admirer or what? She found a note stickin
Jayden stumbled out of his room and walked into the kitchen. He had spent all night drinking alcohol, puked all about his room and fallen asleep in his own filth. Then, he woke up early this morning with a pounding headache. It felt like crazy monsters were throwing an iron ball about in his head. As he stumbled into the kitchen, he slowly massaged his temple with his fingers. He still felt very drowsy and sleepy, but he managed to place a kettle of water on fire. Then, he stumbled back out of the kitchen to the bathroom. He picked up his toothbrush and toothpaste, managed to press out a blub of paste on his brush, then, started to brush very slowly. He glanced at his figure in the mirror and shuddered. He looked.....pathetic. His hair was uncombed, his eyes were bloodshot and the bags under his eyelids were extremely puffy. He shook his head slowly as he spat out the paste in his mouth. After brushing, he rinsed his mouth and the brush, placed the brush back in its position, then, w
Malvika stood in front of Jayden's door, staring at Jenny and Jayden with her jaw dropped. A lot of questions swirled around her head as she stared at the both of them. Why the hell was Jayden dressed in just a short with no vest? She eyes Jenny furtively, taking note that none of her hair or dressing looked out of place. But still what where they doing? She snapped her mouth shut, knowing that she was starting to look like a fool. Then, in a very soft tone, she asked, "What is she doing here, Jayden?"Jayden opened his mouth to talk but he had no idea what to say. As he stared at Malvika, he saw the hurt swimming in her eyes. He knew he owed her no explanation – she wasn't his girlfriend after all – but that didn't stop him from feeling bad for hurting her. Jenny sent a smirk in Malvika's direction. "We were just making love," she said bluntly, mostly to hurt her. Her smirk grew wider when she saw Malvika's face contorting with Jayden. She turned to him and kissed him hard on the li
FLASHBACK Malvika walked into the house, tired, angry and hurt. It had been a gloomy day for her. She had just found out that the guy she was in love with was in love with her elder sister and it had wrecked her emotionally and mentally.. What were the odds of that happening? How the hell could Jayden be in love with Diane? And why hadn’t she ever suspected it? She should have known, right? And most importantly, did Diane also love Jayden too? After Jayden’s shocking and heartbreaking confession to her, Malvika had sort comfort from the most unlikely person and from her worst enemy – Jenny. In her drunken state, she had told Jenny about Jayden and his love for Diane. “Can you believe it?” she asked drunkenly, he arms flailing about and knocking a couple of bottles off while Jenny just stared at her, amused. “The….the two of us are here pining over him and……and…..” she hiccupped, “he’s in love with my sister!” “The two of us?” Jenny asked, her amusement evident on her face as she con
Diane stood in front of the bathroom mirror, her heart thumping wildly, her hands shaking as she unwrapped the pregnancy test packet. She lowered herself into the toilet seat, raising up her dress and pulling down her panties. Closing her eyes, she placed the pregnancy test instrument beneath and let the urine flow on it and into the toilet. Then, she placed it back on the counter and waited. Just a year ago, and some months after Diane’s kidnap, Malvika delivered her baby boy in an hospital and just as she had promised, she gave that baby to Diane and Nicholas. The baby was named Cameron Alan Langston. Some months after birthing her child, Malvika left as she had said she would and took off for Florida to continue her life despite pleas from her sisters – Natasha and Diane. Diane had been raising Cam for a year and she was enjoying every moment of it. But recently she had begun to feel feverish – vomiting all over the house. No food could stay in her belly. At first she thought it wa
A slight sound of movement outside made Diane open her eyes. The entire room was still dark as there was no space for illumination. Her hands and feet were still bound together. Her neck hurt from having bending them in one position for a very long time. The mosquitoes in the room kept biting her and the notes were painful. She had been unable to sleep for a while even with her eyes closed, so when she heard movement in front of the door, her eyes flew open. She fixed her gaze on the door, sensing movements behind it. Her heartbeat increased in fear as she was unable to tear her gaze away from the door. Her fear heightened when someone started to bang something on the door. She began to struggle with her chains, unable to move. “Help!” she yelled. “Somebody, help me!” But the banging increased, until the door was pushed open. She opened her mouth and let out a loud scream when she saw the uniformed men armed to the bones barging in, “Ahhhhhhh…….” “Ma'am, please you can calm down,” On
"Ashley?!" Nicholas exclaimed. Ashley glanced up, her eyes grief and fear stricken. She pushed at the hair that were sticking to her face because of the tears. "Nicholas," she gasped behind her cuffed hands. "Oh my God, Nicholas you are here. I missed you!" She cried. "What are you doing here, Ashley?" Nicholas asked, still shocked and confused. "How....how did you get here?" "I....I was arrested," she mumbled. "For what? How? What did you do?" He threw a series of questions at her, all of which she did not answer. He stared at her, a small frown on his face as something finally clicked. "The cops said they arrested a couple of people who turned out to be a gang. They got an address from these guys and when they got there they found.....you?" He was shocked.....and although he was able to piece it together, he was still very much confused. "I'm sorry," Ashley whispered. "For?" "What happened," she cried. "I....I didn't know at first. She didn't tell me we were going to kill her
Diane slowly opened her eyes. She let out a soft groan of pain as she tried to adjust herself on the ground. Her hands kept pulling against the cuffs. She glances around, shuffling her legs. The entire room was dark, except for the ray of light coming in beneath the door. She had spent almost two days in this hell hole that Jenny and Derek had locked her up in. Just yesterday, one of Jenny's goons had placed a call to her family, demanding a ransom. Diane let out a pant. She was feeling hungry and thirsty. Not only that, her entire body was in serious pains. Her body ached to the marrow and she had this massive headache that forced her to wince from time to time. She could not wait to get out of here, yet she had no idea how she would get out. The doors and windows were locked, her hands and feet were handcuffed and there was absolutely no way that she could free herself. Her best and only option was to wait for Nicholas to pay the ransom so she could be released. Just then, the door
“Hey,” Malvika said as she walked down the stairs tiredly. Natasha was sprawled on the couch, tired from her constant crying. Her eyes were red and her cheeks looked swollen. Malvika walked towards her and sat beside her. “Hey, are you still crying?” She asked, looking around the living room. She saw Nicholas standing by the door, talking lowly to someone on the phone. “I’m too tired to cry,” Natasha answered weakly. Her weeping had seeped out every of her energy. She pulled herself to sit up. “What do you think happened to her? She said she was going out and all of a sudden, we couldn’t find her. How did that happen?” “Okay, I need you to calm down,” Malvika said. “The cops are doing everything they can and Nicholas and I are trying our hardest best to find her. We are going to find her, okay?” Malvika tried to reassure her younger sister. She sounded sure of herself, but deep down, her insides crawled with doubt and fear. What if they were never able to find her? Was she so sure th
“Yeah, I don’t think that’s going to be possible,” Jenny says into her phone, pulling the cigarette away from her lips and blowing out a puff of smoke. She was seated on the chair, her legs crossed out in front of her as she listened to her brother ask her to come to the house. “Nick, I really appreciate the invite, but I’m sorry, I’m not going to be able to make it. And by the way, I’m really sorry about Diane.” After a while, she hung up and threw the phone on the table, letting out a sigh. “Nicholas?” Ashley asked as she flipped through a magazine. She glanced up at Jenny, raising her brow. “Yeah.” Jenny let out an exaggerated sigh. “He wants me to come over today,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I’m not going though. I’m in the middle of something,” she said, blowing out a ring of smoke while Ashley chuckled. “Why can’t we go, though?” “We?” Jenny raised a brow? “Who’s we?” she asked. “You and I of course.” “Okay cute, but he didn’t invite both of us. He invited me, his sister.
Malvika sat in front of the car with Nicholas, her nose pressed on to the window as she was deep in thoughts. Beside her, Nicholas drove as carefully as he could, the both of them thinking about Diane. He was driving her to the restaurant where Diane’s cat was found. She had an inkling of what the restaurant was or who might be behind the kidnap but she needed to confirm it first.“What are you thinking about?” Nicholas asked, breaking the silence.She pursed her lips, turning to look at him. Then, she answers, “I might know who could be Diane’s disappearance,” she answered, slowly and carefully, watching his face for any reaction.He darted a surprised glance in her direction. “Really? Who?”“You are not going to be happy about this,” Malvika answerez. She paused, before finally saying, “Jenny.”“What?!” Nicholas sharply pulled the brake of the car in shock, halting it. A loud honk resonated behind them as a car drove angrily past them. “Sorry!” Nicholas called out, before turning ba
“Any news?” Natasha asked as she descended the stairs with Alyssa behind her. Her eyes were red from tears and she rubbed her cheeks to clean them off. Malvika and Grace were seated on the couch in the living room. Olivia was spread across Grace’s leg, sleeping peacefully. They had all stayed in the living room, waiting to here from Diane but heard nothing.Malvika shook her head. “No. Mark and Nick went to the station this morning,” she said.Natasha sighed, slumping on the chair. Alyssa sat down quietly beside her. “But where did she go?”“No one knows.”“She told me she wanted to receive a phone call,” Grace informed them, rubbing her hands slowly round her daughter, Olivia’s back. “That was all. I didn’t see her again.”“Her car isn’t in the garage,” Malvika said. “So, she went with her car.”“But someone must have seen her leave.”Malvika sighed. “We didn’t and we don’t even know who to ask. Hopefully, Mark and Nicholas will come back with good news.”The four of them sat in the
A groan slipped out of Diane’s mouth. Her left leg moved a bit as she struggled to straighten her shoulders. She subconsciously tugged her hands, sensing that they were in some sort of bondage. She let out another groan, this time fluttering her eyes open slowly. Her hazy sight was, however, met with darkness. She blinked twice, glancing around but her gaze met nothing but darkness.What happened? She wondered, squeezing her eyes shut as she tried to remember what happened the night before. With her eyes still shut, an image of her standing in the living room reading Ashley’s text message. She remembered leaving the house and going to a restaurant that looked deserted and out of business. She remembered thinking she would find Ashley there. And she remembered someone hitting her head. The last thing she remembered was blacking out.Oh God.Was she kidnapped? She was kidnapped! They freaking kidnapped her!Did that happen to Ashley too? Maybe that was why she was texting her. Did the s