MasukROSE “She is my mother!” The silence that followed was suffocating. “Your mother…” I whispered. Ryan slumped forward, elbows braced on his thighs, his face buried in his palms. His broad shoulders, always so unbreakable, seemed to collapse inward. But I couldn’t make sense of it. It was still impossible for me to understand why would his mother… “Your mother is trying to kill me,” I said slowly, the words tasting unreal. “She’s trying to kill our babies.” A distressed sound tore from my throat. “She was the one who destroyed my hotel room… who sent those dolls… Oh my God.” He said nothing. And his silence drove me closer to hysteria. “Why?” My voice rose despite myself. “Why would she do something like that? And why haven’t I met her? You never told me anything about her. I thought she was dead—” “I wish she was.” The raw hatred in his voice stole the air from my lungs. “I didn’t tell you anything,” he continued, lifting his head slowly, “because there’s nothin
ROSE“Rose! Rose!!”Someone was yelling frantically.And then, with effort, I forced my eyes open to see Ryan swearing like the world was ending.“Fuck! Wake up, Rose!”“Mama!” Ana screamed from somewhere nearby.“Fucking finally…” Ryan breathed when my gaze locked with his grey eyes, wild with anger and fear.He hauled me up into his arms. His hands were everywhere, touching, searching, sliding over my body, sometimes gentle, sometimes rough and unforgiving as he checked me inch by inch. “Are you okay? Are you hurt? Where are you hurt?” The questions came rapid-fire, barely giving me space to reply back.I swallowed several times, trying to ease the dryness in my throat. “I’m fine. I’m not hurt. I’m okay.”He helped me to my feet, supporting my weight. The moment I stood upright, a wave of dizziness crashed over me, and I nearly collapsed again. I grabbed Ryan’s shoulder to steady myself, and he flinched.At the same time, I heard Nick’s tight voice. “Ryan…”“Are you hurt?” I demande
ROSE “Mama, when are we going to cut the cake?” Ana asked, tugging on my arm to have my attention. “Cake?” My father questioned. “It’s Ryan’s birthday. We were here to celebrate it, but instead I got a surprise of my lifetime.” I answered, taking Ryan's hand in mine. “Thank you so much, baby.” “For you, anything.” Ryan replied back, his thumb caressing the back of my hand. “So sweet…” Meghan whispered from across the table, sipping on her water. “Ugh-huh…” Nick cleared his throat, deliberately, to get his wife's attention. “Oh, don't worry, you are even sweeter," She said with a pat on her husband’s shoulder. I laughed, when she added, “You just make sure to rub my feet tonight.” She winked at me and then explained, “During this time it's heaven to have someone rub the tension off your feet. You should definitely try that.” “Don’t give her ideas,” Ryan muttered, but when I turned to him, arching a brow, he added, “You just have to ask for it, lioness.” Nick and my fa
ROSE I wasn’t ready, I was far from it. But, still, my heart soared when I met his eyes like mine and yet so different. His were older and heavier, have been lived through years I have yet to do so. I watched as his blue eyes, ringed with green, crinkled at the corners. His face softened, and a gust of breath left him like he’d been holding it for decades. My own vision blurred as tears glazed his eyes too. We just stood there, staring, drowning in the reality of each other. I don’t know how much time passed before he finally whispered my mother’s name. “Shelly…” A sob escaped my lips and he pressed the back of his hand against his mouth as a tear slipped past his eyelids. I vaguely felt Ryan moving away from me, giving us privacy. “Oh my god…” I whispered brokenly. He pulled me against his chest in a tight, desperate hug, like he was afraid I’d disappear. “You look exactly like your mother,” he whispered, his voice deep and shaking with emotion. When we pulled apart, h
RYAN I watched as my wife talked to Ana and noticed how happy she was. And I realised how much being cooped up inside the house had affected her. God, I had missed her smiles. And since we had slipped inside the Limo she was doing it more. Her green eyes were bright with excitement that she didn’t hide as she talked to my daughter. They were both deep in a conversation, comparing which was better strawberry cupcakes or strawberry tartlets. As I listened to Ana’s list of reasons why tartlets are better than cupcakes, I shook my head and thought about how I would tell my wife about her long lost father. That I had found him, or to be exact he was the one who found me. That, in fact, right now, we were halfway to meet him. “Rose,” I called to have her attention. Sometimes I felt jealous of my own daughter because in the last few weeks she was the only one for whom Rose smiled, whereas in my quest to keep her safe I had only managed to make her angry whenever I had talked to her.
ROSE "What is it?" “I—” In answer, a sob escaped, a happy one. “Oh my god, Ryan…” I placed my hand on his rough cheek. “You have to feel it. See…” I took his hand in mine and placed it on my stomach. Ryan looked at me confusingly and then after a beat, he finally asked, “What are you doing?” My brows knitted. “Wait.” I said to him and then a little low, “Do it again for your Daddy. Come on.” “Are you…” He began, but then stopped. Well, he froze. His eyes widening as he looked at his hand pressed on the swell of my stomach then back at me. “Is.. Are they…?” He whispered, his question half awe. I nodded, the tears slipping past my eyelids. “Yes. Oh god, Ryan, it’s so amazing.” He dropped down to his knees, his grey eyes shinning with wonderment. There was no sign of censure and anger in his gaze from the last night, just profound and never ending love. “Do it again. Do it again, please.” He whispered, his lips moving against my bare stomach. And, as if they heard him, I felt







