Chapter 100The world seemed to freeze for seconds and his jaw dropped as he stared at the horrible sight in front of him. He tried to walk over to her, but he was so shocked that he couldn't even move his legs. "Ba...babe? Aliyah?" His voice quivered as he finally managed to push his leg forward, and just like that, he went to squat beside her. He tapped her cheeks gently in a bid to wake her up, but she was already gone. The floor was soaked with her blood, her eyes were closed and her face was already looking pale."No...no... This is not happening," he slowly shook his head as a drop of tears finally dropped from his eyes. Who did this to him? What has he done to deserve this from whoever did this? Those were the questions he asked himself as he picked her up in a bridal style and stormed out of his room, heading downstairs, and once he got to the parking lot, he dropped her carefully on the backseat, hopping on the driver's seat and zooming out of the compound afterward.As he d
Chapter 101"Did you do it, Father?" Janice asked her Dad after she stopped pacing in the living room, but Mr. James scoffed as he rose to his feet."How could you suspect your Dad of such an act? How could I have done that to my own Dad and my nephew's wife?" James yelled at the top of his voice, enraged, but even acting like that didn't convince Janice that he was really innocent."I know you, Dad... I know you more than anyone else does, and I know what you are capable of doing...""Are you saying I tried to kill the two of them? How could you have said such a thing?" He yelled, running his fingers through his hair."I'm not saying you did, Dad. I'm just asking you to tell me the truth. Did you do that? Grandpa is in critical condition right now. Knowing the person won't undo what has happened, but I need to know. What if the cops barge in here now? You know Knox won't let this go...""What are you saying, Janice? Don't you at least trust me? You are the only one I have, so how cou
Chapter 102 Five days later... Aliyah was unconscious for two days after the blood transfusion before she finally woke up, but has been weak since then. Again, just as he has been doing for days, Knox was sitting on the chair beside the bed and holding her hand as she slept peacefully. The doctor said that she was already out of danger, but she has been weak so it was difficult for her to be awake for long as she kept sleeping. "When are you going to be fine?" He whispered as a drop of tears slid down the corner of his cheek while squeezing her hand gently. Chairman Daniel was still under life supporting machine and fighting for his life and here was his wife who was supposed to be there for him in these trying times, but she was also on the brink of death. The door opened and one of the nurses walked inside to give Aliyah the afternoon injection. "How is she? Is she going to wake up soon again?" He asked the nurses when she was done giving her the injection.
Chapter 103"How is he feeling now, doc? Is he going to be fine?" Knox asked the doctor worriedly. He came straight to the hospital from the police station."He is not responding to treatment yet, but we are still trying to make sure that he is fine. It's not guaranteed that he is going to be," Hearing this from the doctor although he wasn't so hopeful before, but it made him more broken. Although they were not best of friends while he was growing up, but the poor man was always there for him, he gave him the life his parents wouldn't have possibly ever given if they were alive, and he treated him like he was the only one in the world and that his world revolved around him. "Thank you," he said to the doctor, leaving his office and heading to the ER where the chairman was being admitted. As he walked in, he bit his bottom lip when he saw him laying on the bed with an oxygen bag on his face. He was under a life-supporting machine.He took a deep breath and wiped the tears that just dr
Chapter 104Tate sighed briefly and ran his fingers through his hair frustratingly, throwing himself on the couch. Again, he has been trying to reach Shirley but couldn't. After his mom asked her to leave, he tried to stop her from leaving but she never listened to him and left. 'Shirley, can you answer my calls, please? Just once' Again, he text her but she didn't reply to him, so he threw his phone on the couch and buried his face between his palms.Hearing Mrs. Andrew's footsteps descending the staircase, he stood up and was about to leave as he has been avoiding her for the last few days."Are you going to avoid me again, Tate? What has come over you?" She scolded him, walking into the living room."Is there anything you want me to do for you? If none, then I beg to excuse myself," he tried as much to be polite. Seeing this woman was getting him frustrated, but she was still his mom and he couldn't have ignored her just like that, yeah?"Sit. We need to talk," she uttered, sittin
Chapter 105"How is she now, doc?" Mr. Arnaldo asked the doctor when he was done attending to Aliyah who was still asleep."She is responding to treatment. She is just weak which is why she has been sleeping. She will be fine," hearing this from the doctor made him sigh in relief. It has been a whole lot of discomfort all this while knowing that his only child's life was on the line."Thank you, doc," he said to the doctor, who nodded his head before he left the father and daughter in the ward. He reached out for her hand and squeezed it gently, hoping she would open her eyes and smile at him as usual. Although they haven't spent much time together, she was the best daughter any dad would be proud of, so far, he has enjoyed every little moment spent with her. Losing her was the last thing he wanted.His phone's ringtone disrupts the moment, and checking the screen, he sighed and stood up, walking out of the room to take the call. Stepping out of the ward and walking down the hallway,
Chapter 106 "What is the doctor saying about her waking up now? Will she be fine soon?" Tate asked worriedly after he glanced at Aliyah who was still sleeping. He was inside the ward with Knox. "The doctor said she is still weak. She has only opened her eyes briefly a few times, which was why the doctor said she was no longer in a coma. We are still hoping she wakes up real soon," Knox replied to him sadly, sitting on the chair beside the bed and taking her hand gently. "Alright. She will be fine. So, what is the progress of the investigation? Have you tried to check the CCTV footage in your house?" Tate asked him, and he sighed deeply. "Yes, I have. It's strange how I didn't find anything, and it didn't also seem that there was a time jump in the footage. I also checked the secret one in the room, and there was nothing. I don't know what to think anymore," he explained to him, and he sighed. "I think something is wrong somewhere. Did your uncle say anything ab
Chapter 107Having Aliyah back after days of being unconscious was the happiest moment of Knox's life, but knowing that his wife and baby are fine was the biggest happiness for him. It was like a win-win situation for him.The incident kept replaying in Aliyah's head as she lay on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. How everything happened back there was still a shock she couldn't get over no matter how hard she tried. The nightmare she experienced in there, how she lost hope of being alive was something she could never get over, even if she tried to.Rubbing her hand gently on her stomach, tears dropped from the corner of her eyes. What did she do to deserve that? Who could've done that? What was the reason the person would think of killing her? Those were the questions she kept asking herself, but thinking about death at the last moment, the horror was still implanted in her head up till now."You didn't die, and that is what matters," she whispered to herself and sighed briefly.
Chapter 148 Two weeks later Aliyah tossed on the bed for the umpteenth time, lazy to get off the bed. Her eyes felt heavy and her head wasn't exempted from the feeling. "What's this?" She mumbled as she finally managed to sit up on the bed, rubbing her fingers gently on her forehead while groaning in pain. Knox has traveled on a business trip since three days and she was left here by herself all alone. Her Mom only comes by once in a while, and now that Tate's fiancee is pregnant and also they were planning to get married, he didn't have enough time to come by. Mason has been busy with work and his girlfriend too, while Janice and Lee traveled on a honeymoon trip to Italy, so she was left here all alone by herself. "I should've just gone with Knox," she regretted her hesitance to go with Knox when he asked her to. "It's just five days you are going to spend there, so it's fine," She had said to him when he asked her to come with him, but now it felt like he has been gone for thre
Chapter 147A lot has happened in the last few weeks. James and Janice have sorted things out, and even after all the hatred, James realized his mistake and asked Janice for forgiveness, and to make up for everything that has happened in the past, he said he was going to take the blame for all the things Janice has done in the past. Janice was going to turn herself in, but he refused. To him, it was all his fault and he should take the blame for everything and let Janice live her life like nothing happened. Besides, she still had a whole lot ahead of her and he didn't want to be in jail.James was put on trial after series of investigation which all proved that he was the culprit, and found guilty of murder, taking the blame for his daughter and going to jail in her place so she could have a good life ahead. Lisa was also given life imprisonment for the murder of Rebecca's husband and an attempt to kill her husband and stepdaughter, Aliyah. Everything has gone back to the way it used
Chapter 146Aliyah stared at her reflection in the mirror, and as she thought about what happened in these past few months, then she could only be grateful that everything although would remain in her heart forever, was always going to be memories to her.Knowing that everything was over now, she was finally at peace. No reason to worry when her husband leaves the house, no need to worry that some assassin might break into the house and harm her. There was nothing to worry about, but most importantly, having her parents alive and healthy was what she was most grateful for, but it hurts knowing that her stepdad died protecting her Mom. He never deserved to die.The sound of the shower in the bathroom finally stopped after a while, and the door opened, revealing Knox. His body was dripping wet and his hair was damp. He had a white towel wrapped around his waist and a little bulge down there."Hey..." He smiled brightly as he walked over to the closet and picked out his robe, dropping it
Chapter 145"I'm scared, Tate. Are you sure about this?" Shirley asked after they alighted from the car."Come on, I told you that there's no cause to be scared. I'm here for you... We are in this together," Tate cupped her cheek in his palms and assured her, looking into her eyes. As planned, Shirley was going to move in to live with Mrs. Andrews. This was the only thing she could do, she was determined to do it earlier, but now that she was here, her fear was already taking over her. What if her plans fail later? What if she ends up getting thrown out of the house? What if she insists that she can't marry her son? What will become of her."I told you there's nothing to worry about. Why do you look so scared like my Mom is a masquerade," He pinched her cheeks playfully, but deep inside he knew that there was really need for her to be worried knowing the kind of tough person his Mom was."Come on, smile for me," He uttered, and she forced a smile."Wait while I go get your things from
Chapter 144A few days later Knox pulled over at the parking lot of the restaurant and stepped out of the car. He then proceeded toward the entrance door, and found Janice waiting for him as soon as he walked inside. She had texted him yesterday and asked them to meet at the restaurant this morning so they could talk about something important, and that had made him curious since last night as many negative thoughts won't stop coming to his mind. Did she change her mind about turning herself in? That was one of the questions he kept asking himself, but he would soon find out about it, anyway."Hi! Did I keep you waiting?" He asked when he got to where she was seated, pulling out the chair across from her and settling in it."Not really. Good morning," She forced a smile at him, tucking her hair behind her ear. She was cladded in a short black armless gown and a pair of black heels like someone going to a funeral."Why is she dressed in all black? Is she planning to do something evil?"
Chapter 143It was a beautiful morning and a special day for Lee and Janice as it was their first day going out as official couples. Janice stared at her reflection in the mirror, trying everything she could to hold back her tears. It was a great day for her, a day she should push all the negative energies away and focus on her man so they could have fun to the fullest, but knowing that this moment won't last long for them was something she couldn't hold herself back for."It's ok, Janice. You already said you were going to enjoy the remaining days to the fullest. You said that you won't let anything tamper with your joy," She assured herself, fighting back the tears that already brimmed in her eyes."Yeah... There you go," She whispered as she leaned forward and cleaned her tears, adding some makeup to cover up her eyebags."Yes! That is perfect," She forced a smile at her reflection, then took a deep breath."Enjoy your day, baby girl," She said to her reflection and finally left t
Chapter 142A few weeks laterArnaldo has long woken up from coma and has been recovering over the last few weeks, but Rebecca was yet to recover although she has woken up too. Knox has been doing well too.It was a beautiful Saturday morning, and the day set for Arnaldo to go see Lisa in the prison along with Aliyah and Knox.Sitting in front of the mirror and staring at her reflection, Aliyah sighed as the thought of everything that has happened in the last few months played in her head. How they were able to survive until now was still like a miracle she couldn't comprehend, and she could only be grateful to her maker for being there for her all along. If anyone ever told her that the one behind the shit that has happened to her was her stepmom, she would've been the last person to believe it. The woman has always been good to her, and although she was never comfortable being around her, she never gave her any reason to doubt her pure heart toward her. She didn't imagine that she c
Chapter 141Aliyah paced restlessly along the hallway, her eyes filled with tears. Her hair was disheveled as a result of constantly scattering it. She looked horrible, but that was the least of the things she cared about at the moment. Her husband and Mom were in the ER fighting for their lives and she was hoping they'd survive it."Just this once, please... Please spare them for me. Please don't take them away from me," She fell to her knees and prayed silently, hoping he'd prayers would be answered. At least just this once.The sound of her ringing phone pulled her attention, and if not that the call was from her dad's maid, then she wouldn't have answered it. "Ma... ma'am Aliyah... There is a problem. Mr. Arnaldo... Blood... He...he was shot," The feminine voice quivered at the other end, and her heart sank into her stomach. Her jaw dropped."Wh... what did you say?" She stuttered, her lips trembling as she stared into space. No! This is not happening, please. Not now."I came ba
Chapter 140 Mr. Arnaldo paced restlessly along the hospital hallway, worried about Rebecca who was in the ER, fighting for her life. Why was this happening? Who was behind everything that has been happening? He asked himself, running his fingers through his hair, but couldn't come up with any answer, so he sighed deeply. Knox was also present in the hospital, and Aliyah too was worried. She was sitting on the bench and burying her face between her palms, crying her eyes out. She has just lost her foster Dad, and it hurts. "Babe, you need to be strong, ok?" Knox tried to comfort her, sitting beside her and wrapping his arm around her shoulder, but more tears came streaming down her cheeks. "What should I do, Knox? Why is everything falling apart?" She cried, and he wished he could provide an answer to her question. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly, slowly patting her hair assuring her yet again that everything was going to be fine even though it was obvious that t