I was overflowing with joy as I waited for the doctor to finish checking on Nelson. I didn’t even know if I wanted to laugh or cry.I clutched my chest, my heart racing from the overwhelming happiness.I had been wanting to run up to him, to hug him tightly—but I didn’t want to get in the way of the doctor’s examination. So here I was, standing quietly on the side, just watching him follow the doctor’s instructions.And now, I couldn’t stop smiling. The happiness I felt only grew stronger with every little thing he did. He was slow, but he was following through with every task."How’s my husband doing, doc? There aren’t any problems, right? No complications?” I asked eagerly once the doctor finished and turned to me.“Your husband?” Nelson echoed.He was about to answer when Nelson suddenly spoke, his confused question making both of us turn to him.My smile slowly faded and my jaw dropped when I saw the confusion on Nelson’s face.I held my breath. The doctor had asked him earlier if
After that brief exchange between Jac and Hernan—who, I found out, used to be a bodyguard too before becoming a son-in-law of the De Vedras after getting their daughter pregnant—I finally decided to head back to the hospital.Now, we’re on our way, but it feels like the ride is taking forever.My body is slowly giving out—I can feel the exhaustion creeping in, the fatigue weighing on me after the fear I experienced earlier.I really thought that was the end for me. I thought I’d be one of the ones hit by a bullet. I thought I’d never get the chance to see Nelson again, to tell him how much I love him.Even now—though the terrifying moment is long over—I can’t stop replaying the scenes in my head.The darkness, Hernan’s threats, Atty. Larson’s bloodied, beaten body. The feeling that it could’ve been my last day, that I might never see Nelson again—that’s what’s torturing me now.I fiddled with my ear. It’s like I can still hear the deafening gunshots echoing in my head, and I can still
I shook my head. I hated this. I hated everything I was seeing. I couldn’t stand that someone else was getting hurt because of me and Nelson. But even so, there was still no guarantee that these animals would let us go after I signed.My mind was in chaos. I was also silently praying that Jac and the others would finally arrive and save us. I had already given the signal twice, but they still hadn’t shown up. There was no sign that they had made it inside.I felt sick seeing Atty. Larson is barely hanging on. His eyes were swollen shut, and fresh blood dripped from his mouth from the merciless blows dealt by the heartless man.I took a deep breath. “Enough! I’ll sign the shares over to you.”The man nodded slowly, eyes gleaming with satisfaction. “That’s all I wanted to hear.”My hand trembled as I picked up the pen, ready to sign—then the lights suddenly went out.I screamed when someone suddenly grabbed my arm. “Ms. Dorry…”A soft sob escaped me the moment I heard the whisper of Jac
I stopped the car a few meters away from the warehouse entrance, but didn’t get out right away. Instead, I exhaled repeatedly, trying to calm my nerves, while rereading the message Jac had sent me.They had already identified the hostage taken by the enemies—Atty. Larson. I didn’t know him personally. All I knew was that he was one of the people helping Nelson and Jac. I often heard Jac talking to him on the phone.A cold gust of wind greeted me the moment I stepped out of the car. The dark surroundings only added to my fear; it felt like invisible eyes were watching me. My legs felt like jelly, but I forced myself to walk toward the rusted warehouse door. I knocked twice, and it creaked open slightly.“Boss, she’s here!” shouted the man who opened the door.I instinctively held my breath again as I entered the dim, dusty warehouse that reeked of metal and mildew.“Good. Bring her here,” came the voice of a man I couldn’t see.I was sure he wasn’t the same man who went to the hospital
I couldn’t take my eyes off Nelson, who looked like a sleeping child, completely unaware of the chaos unfolding around us.If he were awake, I’m sure he wouldn’t allow me to walk into a situation where I could get hurt. I didn’t want to go through with either… but I had no choice. I was the only one who could do it.Jac said we’d be leaving exactly at seven in the evening. The warehouse isn’t far from the hospital, so we’d probably get there before eight.And because we didn’t know what might happen later—whether I’d make it out alive or not—I was making the most of these remaining moments with Nelson.I kept telling him over and over how much I loved him. What I was about to do was for the sake of our peace and happiness. No more enemies. No more threats.“Ms. Dorry, please get ready. We’re about to leave,” Jac said.I just nodded, still preoccupied with gently caressing Nelson’s hand. I wanted him to feel the warmth of my touch. I wanted him to feel the love I had long held back.“E
I was filled with nervous energy as I stared at the screen of my phone. I kept reading the message over and over, trying to make sense of it. Was the “old warehouse” mentioned the same abandoned one near the cemetery in our village? It had to be—there weren’t any others nearby. And in just four hours, it would be 8 p.m.“Ms. Dorry, what are you doing out here?”I flinched at the sudden sound of Jac’s voice. I’d been so deep in thought I hadn’t even noticed him approach.I turned to look at him, unsure of what to say. Should I tell him about the man who showed up earlier? About the message I’d just received?“Ms. Dorry, are you okay?” He placed a hand on my shoulder and gave me a gentle shake.“Jac, where are Vianna and Diego? Are they with you? Do you know where they are?” I answered his question with a question of my own, and I could hear the fear in my voice. It had just hit me—what if the man had taken Vianna May and Diego? They were the only friends I had here. Nelson was already