Share
Chapter Eighty-Four
The sounds of the hospital were unmistakable, and Jade recognized them before she even came to. Machines continuously beeped around her, footsteps paraded in front of the doorway, and an elastic band that was tightly wrapped around her abdomen monitored the baby's heartbeat— swish, swish, swish.
She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, glancing around the small room. The walls were painted a flat pale blue, and the miniblinds on the windows let in a beautiful stream of afternoon sunlight. The tables and windowsill were lined with dozens of flowers, cards, balloons, and teddy bears. They'd been pouring in, all sent to her from strangers.
The doctors had transferred her from triage to a private suite earlier in the day. From the moment she'd uttered the word 'kidnapped,' it was like she'd set off an alarm throughout the building. It felt like a million pRelated chapters
Rendezvous Chapter Eighty-Five
Lieutenant Lyle Davidson leaned forward in his chair, rubbing over the scruff around his chin. He was heading into his second double shift, and the week had only started. He flipped the page, scanning over the investigative report one last time. It was unfathomable that this woman was good for it. Her demeanor definitely had him fooled. When one of his detectives had first sent over the file to him, he thought, for sure, the boyfriend had something to do with it. Shit, wasn't it always the boyfriend in cases like these? At the time, it had seemed cut and dry. Some arrogant rich guy gets a chick pregnant, and then she suddenly turns up missing? Babies born out of wedlock could bleed a man dry, and money was one hell of a motive. Hell, it wouldn't be the first time he'd had a case like this come across his desk.A smile crossed his face as he snapped the folder shut. Between the physical and forensic evidence collected at the crime scene and Jade Meadows' affidavit, he had
Rendezvous Chapter Eighty-Six
Their reunion had been long-awaited, but as Miguel sat diagonally from her in an armchair in the corner of the room, sorting through the emails on his cellphone, she couldn't help but feel like there was a rift between them. She turned the television on to watch the five o'clock news. Lieutenant Davidson had mentioned that he would be giving a statement to the press that evening, and he'd even stopped by to ask her if there was anything she would or wouldn't prefer him to mention. She'd decided to give him her own brief statement to read.The top of the screen read 'LIVE' in big, bold red letters. "Are they really outside right now?" Jade questioned, seeing the camera was angled at the front doors of the hospital. Her room was positioned somewhere in the north wing. She wondered how many people had driven all the way to Pittsburg just to film this.She turned the volume up as
Rendezvous Chapter Eighty-Seven
The following day, Jade had been medically cleared to leave the hospital. After signing a mountain of paperwork and receiving follow-up care instructions, she began getting dressed. The clothes alone brought a comfort she had greatly missed. Miguel had run out earlier that morning to grab her something to change into for the flight home. She couldn't exactly leave there in nothing but a thin hospital gown, and the clothes she had been wearing were now somewhere in an evidence bag. "One pair of black leggings, slippers, and an oversized t-shirt," Miguel beamed as he placed the shopping bag on the hospital bed, proud of himself. Even if there wasn't currently an assistant around to fulfill the task, he was determined to get them both out of that hospital room. After she was officially discharged, a nurse wheeled her down the elevator to
Rendezvous Chapter Eighty-Eight
"Time keeps slipping away from me," Jade thought to herself, sipping on a cup of morning tea as she gazed out the window. Her drink had already gone cold. Was her memory failing her? How many days had passed? Sunrise, sunset, sunrise, sunset, she tried to count them all, but it was difficult—fuzzy like static on the television. At this point, nothing made sense. One moment it was two in the morning, and she was lying in bed next to Miguel, and the next, she was here, sitting in this chair, having a cup of tea. She didn't know what was real or which memories she could believe.She was losing her mind, just as her mother had.Miguel had to have known that there was something wrong with her, although she attempted to conceal it. There had been no way to explain to him how she ended up in the ocean, drenched from head to toe and nearly frozen to death. She couldn't explain it. She couldn't
Rendezvous Chapter Eighty-Nine
Grace is the divine power that inspires virtue in humans and gives us the strength to endure difficult times. Grace Elizabeth Santos was born on June 29th at 3:17 pm. The first time Jade laid eyes on her, she believed her daughter was absolutely perfect in every sense. She never truly understood what love was until she laid her eyes on her daughter and cradled her tiny, pink body in her arms for the first time. It was the most magical moment she'd ever felt. Grace came out screaming, wide-eyed, and confused by the strange cold world, but the moment she heard the sound of her mother's voice, she froze and just blinked, listening for her. "I could lay here forever studying her features and adoring every little movement and noise she makes," Jade whispered as she softly hummed to Grace who was sleeping in her arms.&n
Rendezvous Chapter One
The stench of cigarette smoke lingered in the air as Jade slid further back into the tattered armchair. She checked her phone once again, growing impatient as time seemed to move ever so slowly. It read 12:16 a.m. Jonathan's plane had landed a few minutes ago. Gazing down into the nearly empty glass, she swirled the amber liquid into a whirlpool, trying to imagine him quietly entering into their dark apartment. He'd lay his suitcase beside the doorway and then flick on the lamp resting on the entryway table, scanning over the room. Everything would be intact to the unsuspecting eye, sitting in the exact spot it was before he'd left for Minneapolis. Not wanting to disturb her, he'd quietly tiptoe to his office to catch up on any work he'd missed, assuming that she was soundly sleeping behind their closed bedroom door. Jade smirked to herself at the very thought. What she wouldn't give to see the look on his fa
Rendezvous Chapter Two
Jade blinked and sat up straight, wondering if her eyes, or maybe it was the whiskey, were deceiving her. While she'd been lost in the daydream, a strikingly handsome man had sauntered over, leaning against the bar diagonally from her. She flushed in embarrassment at the mere sight of him, subtly combing any flyaways from her hair. He wasn't the type of man she expected to see in this dump.He had a billionaire tycoon look to him, without the pot-belly or ridiculous tophat.Maybe he was the owner?She sighed. Who was she kidding? There wasn't a chance in the world he'd ever notice her, not with how she looked at the moment. None of that matters, she thought. She was fresh out of a relationship and there were so many other things she needed to focus on.Jade tried her best to ignore his presence and her interest in it. His deep voice barely carried across the room as he casually chatted with anothe
Rendezvous Chapter Three
The couple wandered the streets of Philadelphia, migrating towards a touristy strip of the downtown area. Jade thought her guide seemed to be oddly familiar with the inner-city as they moved about. He'd instantly pointed his toes in the direction they needed to travel, knowing every-which-way to turn. Just when she couldn't imagine having to take another aching step, they reached the warm foyer of a Holiday Inn.Her teeth relentlessly chattered as she greeted the receptionist and paid for a room for the night.Mr. Tie pushed the elevator button causing it to illuminate. In an instant, the hum from the motor echoed from behind the wall, and Jade stared up at him with a bleak smile on her face. Inside she felt disappointed, knowing it was time to thank him and say goodnight. She hesitated, wondering if she should give him her number. Would he even call her? She doubted it. Th
Latest chapter
