Chapter 5

JACQUELINE

NEXT DAY

Friday, 7:30am …

“Are you sure everything is okay?” I asked the doctor, my brows knitted as I looked up at him slowly. He offered me a calm, reassuring smile and gave a slight nod.

“She’ll be awake soon. There’s no cause for alarm.”

I inhaled deeply, nodding as I exhaled in relief. “Thank you,” I whispered.

He nodded once more before turning around and heading for the door. No sooner had he stepped out than it opened again, and a woman walked in.

“Excuse me, who are you?” I asked immediately, instinctively stepping forward as she approached. She paused and gave me a polite smile, bowing slightly.

“I’m Peace. Mr. Bennett asked me to clean you up ahead of his parents’ arrival tonight.” I blinked,

“Clean me up?” I repeated, raising an eyebrow. “What’s wrong with how I look?”

She sighed softly and shifted her handbag on her arm.

“Have you read the file Mr. Bennett gave you?” she asked.

I wiped under my nose with the back of my hand and crossed my arms. “Sort of.”

“Then you know you’re supposed to look the part,” she replied, her voice calm but firm.

I let out a quiet sigh and biting on my lower lips. Of course. According to the story we were selling, I was the successful owner of a thriving event planning business based in Ocean Depth, recently relocated here to expand.

“And what about my child?” I asked, suddenly anxious.

“I’m not leaving her here alone. What if she wakes up and needs me?”

“That’s already been taken care of,” Peace replied without missing a beat.

“Mr. Bennett has hired a nanny to look after her.”

My face fell. A nanny? That wasn’t part of the plan.

“And,” she added quickly, probably sensing my discomfort, “he’s made sure your daughter is under the best medical care, top doctors and nurses are on standby for her.”

I still wasn’t convinced. “Why should I trust a total stranger with my child?”

Peace’s tone sharpened slightly. “I’m sorry, Miss Jackie, you don’t have much of a choice. We’re on a tight schedule. We need to leave, now.”

She reached into her bag, pulling out her phone. “I’ll call the nanny in.”

****

9:00am

“You seem tense,” Peace murmured from behind me as we walked between rows of luxurious clothing. Just the scent of wealth, the floral perfume of expensive fabric and polished leather made my stomach twist. I had always dreamt big, but this? Shopping at Tailored to Fit, the most exclusive fashion store in the entire country? Never in my wildest imagination did I dream this big. Because what am I looking for here?

Every girl dreamed of a moment like this. But my mind wasn’t here, not even close. It was miles away, in that hospital room at Howell’s, with my daughter. Of course I was tense.

“How about I pick a few outfits for you? Shoes and bags included,” Peace offered, her voice light.

I turned to her with a tight smile and nodded. “Yes, please. Uhmm Actually... I need to use the bathroom real quick.” I said to her, her brows pinched slightly, her lips parting as she nodded slowly,

“Down the hallway. Last door on your left. Please be quick, we still have makeup and hair to get through.”

I nodded briskly, barely waiting for her to finish before I turned and hurried away.

As soon as I reached the bathroom, I dropped my bag on the marble counter and pulled out my phone, exhaling sharply. It had been hours away from Jessica and the silence was literally driving me nuts.

I scrolled up to Ashley’s number, about to press call, when I heard faint footsteps behind me.

Before I could even turn, her movement was swift, her arm snaked swiftly around my neck. I gasped, but the sound barely escaped my throat before a cloth was pressed over my nose.

I held tightly onto her hand, struggling for freedom but it was useless. The room spun, my phone slipped from my fingers, and then everything went black.

FORTY MINUTES LATER.

“Mommy, Mommy, it hurts!”

“Mommy, I can’t breathe…”

Jessica’s tiny, trembling voice echoed around me, forming a thick wall around me. I reached out blindly, desperate to hold her, to comfort her, but my arms wouldn’t move. Her cries grew louder, sharper and more desperate. My ears rang as I squeezed them shut with both hands.

“Arghhh!”

I screamed and jolted upright in bed, my chest rising and falling heavily. My eyes flew open to an unfamiliar room. For a moment, I couldn’t tell what was real. Then the fragments returned in terrifying pieces.

Was I just kidnapped? How? Why? By who? But this wasn’t the time for questions.

I scrambled off the bed, my legs shaking beneath me. I grabbed my sandals and spotted my bag on the floor. Clutching it tightly under my arm, I tiptoed toward the door. My fingers wrapped around the knob, it was unlocked, Thank God.

I noiselessly pushed it open and slipped into the hallway in a tiptoe. The place looked like a regular apartment, neat and strangely quiet. I didn’t know where I was going, but I had to get out. I picked a direction and moved hoping it would get me out of this place.

“You’re awake?!”

A deep male voice rumbled behind me. I froze. My breath hitched. Slowly, I raised my hands above my head, my heart thundering in my chest.

“Where are you going?!”

I turned around, and a gasp escaped from my lips. The man standing there was holding a knife, its silver blade shone sinisterly even without light. From where I was standing, I could literally feel how sharp the knife was.

“P-please… let me…” The words caught in my throat as our eyes met.

It was him!

The guy I bumped into yesterday at the pack. He didn’t seem equally surprised to see me, was he stalking me?! I could swear that I saw a smirk at the corner of his lips. His grip on the knife tightened as he took a step forward.

I didn’t wait.

I turned immediately and ran.

“Hey! Wait …just wait!” he shouted behind me.

“Stay away from me, you stalker!” I screamed, racing down the stairs toward the front door.

“Please, just listen to me!” he called, his footsteps pounding behind mine.

“You’re my kidnapper! Get away from me!”

I reached the front door and yanked at the knob. locked. No. No no no.

I pulled harder, and more desperately. The door didn’t budge.

By now, he had gotten to me, I turned, breathless and terrified, and slowly dropped to my knees. Tears streamed down my cheeks.

“Please… don’t do this to me, my daughter is depending on me,” I whispered.

The man paused, his brows drawing together in confusion.

“What? I’m not going to hurt you,” he said softly.

My eyes darted to the knife still in his hand. He followed my gaze, and shook his head immediately.

“No, no, it’s not what it looks like!” he said quickly. He crouched, dropped the knife to the floor, and kicked it aside.

“I swear to you, I didn’t kidnap you,” he said.

“I actually rescued you.”

I shook my head, lips trembling. Why is that so difficult to believe.

“P-please… just let me go.”

He exhaled slowly, lifting both hands in surrender.

“Okay,” he said gently. He stepped forward and unbolted the door.

The second the lock clicked open, I shot up and bolted outside and onto the main gate and the main road, it’s not everyday your kidnapper lets you go just like that. I stopped the next cab and got in before he’d actually change his mind and come back for me.

“Howell’s”

12:00pm ….

I sat beside Jessica's bed, my palm over my nose and mouth as I stared blankly, trying to calm myself down. My body still trembled from the ordeal. What just happened to me? Was this connected to Jonathan Bennett? Because I’ve never experienced anything like this before, not until he came into my life. Or is this somehow related to my mom? Did I just become a kidnapping victim? And my daughter... is she even safe? What the hell is going on?

The door suddenly slammed open, pulling me from my thoughts. I looked up to see Jonathan Bennett storming in. He stopped when he saw me, his chest rising with a deep breath. I instinctively rose to my feet, stepping back. Without breaking eye contact, he reached into his inner pocket, pulled out his phone, and slowly raised it to his ear.

“She’s here,” he said, his voice curt. With that, he hung up, slid the phone back into his pocket, and took a step closer to me.

“Are you having second thoughts now?” he asked, his tone firm and yet tender. I stared at him, my lips trembling, my heart hammering in my chest. Should I tell him everything? that I was kidnapped? And somehow my captor had just released me claiming he rescued me ? but it didn’t add up. I could almost see the disbelief in his eyes. It didn’t make sense, and I wasn’t sure it ever would. So, I kept quiet.

I cleared my throat, and swallowed hard, shaking my head continuously at his question.

“Use your words!” He ordered.

“No,” my voice came out hoarse. I tried again, pushing the words through the lump in my throat.

“No… no, sir. I’m sorry,” I stammered. His gaze lingered on me for a moment, and I felt my knees weaken under his stare. But then he turned away, his eyes shifting to Jessica, still lying motionless in bed. He approached her slowly, eyes fixed on her, hands clasped tightly behind his back, like he was fighting the urge to reach out to her.

“Ashley will take over. Peace will pick you up again. My parents will be here in a few hours,” he said, his voice calculated and controlled.

“Please, no more running away,” he added softly. With that, he turned and walked out of the room.