“DON’T YOU DARE show your face to me until you find my wife!” BK shouted over the phone when White called to inform him that his wife was missing.It felt like he was burning from the inside because of what he had just heard. Who wouldn’t be? His wife was missing! What if the Frosts got her? That family doesn’t spare anyone. They’re heartless. He didn’t know what he’d do if he lost his wife too. Losing their child was already unbearable. How much more if he were to lose her too?“Where are you going, BK?” his father asked with a furrowed brow as he saw him coming down the stairs. He was putting on a leather jacket at the time.“I’m going to look for Daphne, Pa.” He winced as he felt pain from his wound. He had changed the bandage to stop the bleeding, but the injury was still fresh.“What happened? Why?”“She’s missing. She never came back after excusing herself to go to the bathroom. White better pray nothing bad happened to my wife!” He clenched his fists once more.“Wait, son. Mayb
She redirected to window-shopping. She lingered in the infant wear section, admiring many cute clothes, but she didn’t know the gender, so she just looked.She briefly excused herself from White to go to the restroom. He had just ordered their food. They were at the food court at the time.She stopped walking when she remembered why she was in the mall. She glanced at striking White busy ordering from the crew. She prayed he wouldn’t follow her!She pressed her lips together and walked away. She went to the farthest corner and went downstairs. She glanced constantly upward, fearing he’d followed.Even though she needed to pee, her steps were brisk until she reached the mall exit, perfectly timed by the clinic. She had documents from her previous doctor in her email. She explained why they were in Manila.“Good morning! Here for a check-up? New or—”“New.”“Ah, okay. Please fill this form.” She filled in details was interviewed on why she was there.“Here’s your number. Just wait for t
DAPHNE KEPT slapping her chest. She’d been nervous for a while, ever since she read that message. She’d been feeling her stomach the whole time. She couldn’t sleep. There was truly no movement inside. Not even a response when she spoke. Not like before, when the baby moved especially if BK was nearby.She feared to admit it to herself, but now… it felt like nothing. No response.She closed her eyes. Fear and anxiety overwhelmed her. She wanted to wake her husband to ask, but he was sound asleep. Maybe she’d ask him tomorrow.At three in the morning, she finally slept from overthinking. She woke the next day to persistent knocking. She glanced at BK, still sound asleep.Why did he come home so late? She wished he’d just gone to the office. It made her uneasy, all this he was doing.She opened the door, bleary-eyed. It was BK’s mom, her face full of concern.“Is BK here, Daph?”“He’s still sleeping.” She remembered BK didn’t want her to tell anyone what happened.“Does he have a wound?”
DAPHNE GRABBED the back of her neck when she felt a sharp pain on her side. She’d been in the garden for a while. Whatever, it just felt good to help the Hernandez household’s maid. BK had left her earlier, saying he had errands. Their house was heavily secured, so BK was comfortable leaving her. In his condo, only his workmates watched over them. Sometimes they’d be pulled away for missions. But here at their house, the security was tight. It was arranged while their eldest, Astin, was still in service. A retired soldier and detective.He’d confessed to her the organization he belonged to. He couldn’t tell her who hired them to protect her, the top boss was the only one who knew. He chose not to leave the service because of her.“Are you okay, Ma’am?” asked her maid in the garden.“I’m okay. Just a cramp, but I’m fine.” She plucked more stray weeds.“Hija, what are you doing there?” Three maids turned to her at the lady’s voice.“Just helping out.”“Wash your hands and rest. Don’t ov
DAPHNE CLUTCHED her lips the moment she woke up. She swallowed repeatedly because her throat felt extremely dry. She sat up and looked around.Her brows furrowed when she realized she was in a hospital. She looked down. Yes, she was wearing a hospital gown.Didn’t BK say he wouldn’t take her to a hospital? He said he’d bring her to Tagaytay. Then why was she in a hospital now? What happened?She was about to touch her stomach when BK walked in, followed by a beautiful female doctor about the same age as BK’s mom. She looked familiar to her.“Hi! I’m Doctor Nikki Madrid. How are you feeling, dear?” asked the female doctor. BK stood beside her, silent. His eyes showed nothing but sadness as he looked at her.“I’m okay. My baby… how is my baby?” BK and the doctor exchanged glances at her question.The doctor smiled at her. “Rest for now, dear. The lab tests are still being completed. We’ll let you know once we have the results. Alright? Focus on regaining your strength first. You lost a
SHE COULDN’T HELP but shut her eyes tight as the stabbing pain in her stomach came and went. BK gripped her hand as they hurried along, somewhere between a walk and a sprint. She thought they had already gotten far, but when she looked back, they weren’t that far from the edge of the forest. If those men reached the entrance, they’d surely be seen because it was bright. The sun was blazing high. She was completely out of breath.Who would’ve thought that after pleasure, she’d go through suffering? If only she knew, she wouldn’t have given in. It was her fault too. She’d drained all her strength with what they did earlier under the waterfall.She and BK exchanged a glance when they heard voices, and it seemed like the men had split up the moment they saw them.Why were they being hunted? What crime did they commit? She glanced at her husband who was holding a gun. Could it be BK they were after, and she just got dragged into this? She remembered it was hidden under her bed. Since when