3. Undefined fear.

“Bye, Eli. Behave in class, okay?" I took Elisha to her pre-school the next morning. "Remember, you're only going home with your nanny, okay?" I was referring to Eli’s daytime nanny, Yoly.

“Yes, mommy... I love you."

"I love you too." I kissed my little girl before leaving for work.

It was Monday so I had to get to the office right away. Well, being a college undergrad, I am still an assistant until now. But I was lucky that someone still accepted me despite my having no college diploma.

I have been an executive assistant for almost ten years now. That long service already earned me the status of being our company’s little boss. It was because no one had yet to work with our boss, who seemed to have been conceived out of a bad mood, longer than I had.

When I arrived at the office, the employees rushed back to their respective workstations from their earlier huddle while gossiping.

"Good morning, Hannah!" Mia greeted me. She was the closest to me because we came to the company almost at the same time, but Mia was older because I was only eighteen at that time.

"Morning, Mia," I said as I sat down on my chair.

"Have you heard?"

"About what?" I asked as I turned my desktop computer on.

"The wedding of the year didn't push through last weekend!"

"Of whom?" I asked blankly.

"Ekkk, Hannah. Nate and Olive, remember? And the excuse was so lame, they needed to postpone because Olive had an immediate commitment abroad."

"Oh." I just nodded my head. I totally forgot that Olive and Nate were supposed to get married yesterday. Olive and I didn't even talk about it the whole time that we were together.

It was as if we had unintentionally detached ourselves from the outside world as we tried to catch up with each other's lives in the last five years.

"Imagine? If I were Olive, I would prioritize my marriage. Nate Sarmiento is every girl's dream man. Is she so important that she had to treat him like that?"

"That's their life, Mia." Apparently, no one knew Olive nor Nate the way I did. So I just kept my mouth shut. I didn't need to argue to defend Olive.

"Yeah, but what I'm saying is that she made the wrong decision. Poor Nate."

I did not answer. No wonder people's sympathy was with Nate. Olive left him to sort the mess. But my sympathy goes to my friend. Someone like Nate had no right to hurt Olive even if she cheated. After all she just fought for her true love. Nate's nothing but a heartless jerk who once wanted my dear Elisha aborted.

"Let's get to work," I simply told Mia to dismiss the topic.

Our boss also arrived early so I immediately got busy with work.

It was past eleven o'clock when I received a call from Yoly. She sounded nervous so I automatically got nervous as well. She and Elisha must be home by now so that was probably the reason why she was calling. 

But did something bad happen?

"Hannah," Yoly started crying at once.

"What happened? Have you picked Elisha up?" I asked nervously.

"Hannah, please don't be surprised... Elisha is no longer at school. Someone else picked her up!"

"What?" I was shocked. I couldn't believe it, the school's policy was that only parents and people recommended by parents can pick up their children! "Yoly, are you sure?" I tried to calm myself but to no avail.

Elisha is missing! How can I be calmed?!

"They said that his daddy picked her up!"

"What?!" It was like I was hit by something hard on my  head that I felt numb for a moment.

I later found herself at Elisha's school and arguing with the Admin.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Rodriguez. But your husband came to fetch Elisha," explained the school administrator when I rushed there to ask for an explanation.

"Husband?!" I couldn't believe it. "I'm not even married yet, Mrs. Ferrer! You gave my child to a complete stranger! Elisha is missing now and it's because you didn't stick to your rules!"

"Parents are allowed to fetch their children," said the person I was talking to calmly. As if the school didn't do wrong.

"Oh please." I was crying already. "For almost a year it was only me or Yoly who picked up my daughter. I made it clear to you, the paper that I signed when I enrolled Elisha here. So don't give me that excuse. Elisha doesn't have a father!"

"I'm sorry—"

"Sorry? I don't even know where Elisha is right now! What if she was kidnapped? Would you tell me to just wait for her captors to call? What if—"

"Ms. Rodriguez, we are sure that Nate Sarmiento is not a kidnapper," declared Mrs. Ferrer.

"What??!" I felt my world crash. For a moment I thought I was going to pass out.

Did I hear correctly?

"Nate Sarmiento is the one who fetched your daughter."

"You're kidding me—" impossible! It simply cannot be!

How on earth did Nate learn about Elisha?

"Did he leave a number or anything?" I asked shakily after several seconds of inability to think properly while trying to process what I just heard.

"Actually, he did." Mrs. Ferrer handed me a calling card which I immediately grabbed and left in a hurry.

I could feel my heart breaking. How did Nate know that Elisha is his daughter? No, how did he even know about her in the first place?

I looked at the calling card in my cold and shaking hands before mustering the courage to dial Nate Sarmiento's number. 

I wasn't able to prepare for this moment and O could feel my nerves trembling with every unanswered ring. Nate has Elisha and that is enough to scare the hell out of me.

Will I ever see Elisha again?

'Oh please... please... don't take Eli away...' I prayed silently while waiting for Nate to answer my call. It's as if I'm dying inside.

"Where's my daughter?" I asked in lieu of hello the moment the call was picked up.

"Hello to you too, Hannah." The icy cold voice from the other line sent shivers down my spine. He mentioned my name in the most expressionless way possible. I haven't introduced myself yet but based on his reaction, he had been expecting my call.

"Where's Elisha?" My voice trembled –of anger and undefined fear for the man who currently has my daughter. "I beg you Mr. Sarmiento, give my daughter back. I don't know what your intention is, but please, don't take Elisha!"

"Last time I checked, she's my daughter." He let out a cold mocking laugh.

"No, no no... She's not... Please!" I am already crying hard, I couldn't lose Elisha or she would die.

Wasn't this what I was afraid of all this time? That one day, Elisha will be taken from me by her real parents?

"Let's have a deal, Hannah," he said.

"What deal? I'll do anything... " Right, no matter what the condition is, I will do it as long as he returns my daughter.

"It's best to talk about it in person." He mentioned a place to her that seemed like a home address. "So, I'll be waiting."

"You're bringing Elisha, right?" I asked hopefully.

"That's for me to decide, sweetheart." He hung up.

My shoulders dropped. I couldn't help but worry. Is Elisha safe? Nate didn't want the child then. What is the reason why he is suddenly interested now?

But that's not the question— how did he know about Elisha when the only other soul who knew about her existence was her real mother...? Could it be that Olive told Nate?

'No, Hannah... Olive is your friend.'

Yeah, right. Olive wouldn't do that to me. She knew how important Elisha is to me.

I shook my head to push away the thought...