Nikolas took a deep breath and walked over to Brooklyn’s room, a strange feeling of dread engulfing his heart. Strangely, he couldn’t hear a single sound coming from inside. Trying the door, to his surprise, he found it already unlocked. Pushing the door open, he walked inside. To his utter amazement, the room looked spotlessly clean and untouched as if no one had stayed here for the last few days. Maybe Brooklyn had cleaned it after waking up in the morning. He strode out and almost ran up the stairs to check, his heart beating rapidly with dread. He refused to think of the obvious, he refused to listen to reason. No Brooklyn couldn’t leave him. She loved him! Desperately he checked every single room upstairs, she wasn’t there.
At last he entered his bedroom and looked around frantically. Everything was arranged in the same way he had left them in the morning. He rushed into
It took him a split second to decide what he wanted to do. Brooklyn wasn’t going anywhere, she was with her brother but if he didn’t visit New York, he might miss meeting his mom forever. He had no idea whether the lady in question was really his mom or not. There was only one way left for him to know. He would have to visit Newman Rehab Center to find out. He booked himself the first flight available to New York immediately and stormed out of his study room. After giving clear instructions to his staff on how to manage everything in his absence, he showered and got ready to leave.Kathy thought that he might be going to bring back Brooklyn. She smiled while serving him his breakfast and coffee. “Good that you’re going to get her. I was missing her as well,” she said. Nikolas gave her an impatient look.“I’m not g
An anxious Nikolas followed Sandra to the second floor where she introduced him to Mrs. Holmes who was his mom’s caregiver. “Please come this way, Mr. Ardolf. You’re lucky as Doris just woke up for her dinner,” said Mrs. Holmes. They walked down the long corridor to the room at the far end. Nikolas noted the well-maintained, clean, and nicely decorated corridor. It seemed that the center really took care of the well-being of the patients. There were caregivers rushing to and from the rooms. It was a busy place indeed!“Doris is the oldest patient in our center. She has gone through so much in her life that we want to fulfill her only wish. We want to make her happy,” said Mrs. Holmes.“I’m grateful to you for giving me an opportunity to meet my mom,” said Nikolas, his voice choking with emotion.&
Nikolas brought his mama home and settled her nicely in the room next to his. “Do you like your room, mama?” Asked Nikolas eagerly.“Where are we, Niko? I’m scared. What if McGill comes to take me away?” asked his mom, looking around her room with frightened eyes. Nikolas shook his head and sat beside her on the bed, picking up her hand and holding it in his. In the last few days, he had figured out that McGill was the criminal stepfather who had tortured her to this level. He hated to call him his father.“No, mama. This is my home. No one will come to get you. You’re safe here,” he comforted her. “This is your nurse and caregiver, Molly. She’s the sister of my most trusted man, Bruce. She will take care of you, okay? And this is my housekeeper, Kathy. They both are very efficient and will
A bleary-eyed Brooklyn dragged herself out of bed but a bout of nausea hit her again and she dashed to the washroom. She was tired of this stomach bug for the last two days ever since Ryder forced her to eat the giant hamburger he had ordered for lunch at work. It had been nearly a fortnight since she had started working in Ryder’s uncle’s company with Brandon and him. They were sponsoring her education and she was glad to be finally able to resume her studies. With full-time work, her only option, therefore, was online studies just as Brandon did. Although the pay wasn’t much still she was glad to be a trainee in the accounts department. It helped her gain in-depth knowledge in her chosen field of study.After she arrived here in LA, she had waited for every day for Nikolas to come to take her back with him. She still loved him despite what he had done, despite his accusations. She had e
After Three Months“Brooks, hurry, you’ll be late for your appointment,” said Brandon. A tired Brooklyn joined him in the elevator, somehow dragging herself to go for her ultrasound appointment. The last three months had been very hectic for Brooklyn. She continued with her job dedicatedly as well as her studies despite her condition. It was her first ultrasound and Brooklyn was eager to see the baby that was growing inside her.She still hadn’t informed Nikolas as he hadn’t come to LA to get her. In fact, after Bruce’s second call, she was sure that he knew where exactly she was. Yet he hadn’t once inquired after her although he had Brandon’s phone number with him. It seemed as if he was relieved to have her out of his life forever. It was strange that it was only Brandon, Ryder, and Amy who took extreme care of her, instead of the fa
“Are you sure you can go to work today, Brooks? If you’re unwell, you can rest at home. I’m sure Ryder wouldn’t mind. You've had so many leaves pending in the last few months. You haven’t even taken leave on your twentieth birthday!” Exclaimed Amy.“I can manage, don’t worry about me, Amy. I’ll encash all the leaves later,” said Brooklyn. Any sort of income was welcome for her. After moving into Amy’s house, she had been saving up her salary for her delivery and hospital expenses. She was thankful that she had been able to continue with her work as well as studies for the past nine months. Brandon, Amy, and Gia took her to her doctor’s visits every time. Although she knew why Gia tagged along, she didn’t mind at all. Gia was always sweet to her despite the tantrums she always threw around with the others.
Nikolas walked back to the ICU from the doctor’s chamber to see his mama still sleeping under the effects of the sedative they had injected. The last few months had been extremely difficult for him. His mama had a seizure while climbing down the stairs and fell down. She immediately had a brain stroke and needed emergency hospitalization. Ever since, he hadn’t had a moment of respite, somehow managing the business while almost living at the hospital with his mama.She hasn’t responded to anything and each and every day her condition only worsened. Yet Nikolas hadn’t given up hope. He tried everything in his power, the best doctors, the best facilities, the best treatment to stabilize his mama but it wasn’t working at all.He sat down in the lobby, massaging his temples, and closed his eyes to take some rest. Images of B
A shot of mad fury rushed through Nikolas’s veins upon hearing about Ryder. He felt betrayed, lost as he clenched his hands into fists. How could Brooklyn forget him in a matter of a few months? How could she move on and get pregnant with another man's baby? That could only mean that she didn’t love him at all! She was with him only for money. Angry was an understatement of what he was feeling at the moment. He needed answers, he needed to see Brooklyn immediately. He needed to know why she instilled hope in his heart. Why did she make him fall in love with her when she didn’t love him back. She could have gone away to LA long back if she liked Ryder so much!“What have you seen, Mark? Send me the photos,” said Nikolas impatiently.“Last night I saw Brooklyn at Ryder’s house. It looked like she spent the night the