ZESA RUSSO By the time Finn and Malena arrived at the hospital, I was almost sure I’d lost my mind. Whenever I thought of the condition Jaylen could be in, my heart felt as though tiny needles pricked my heart. I considered calling the police and demanding they arrest Alejandro, but Finn stopped me time and time again. Just like he was now.“You’ll only make things worse.” He reasoned, taking my phone from me.I slid down the wall until my buttocks came into contact with the floor. My hands went into my hair and I gripped them. “What am I to do then? What am I to do as a mother? How am I supposed to just sit still and wait for something bad to happen to my son?”“Technically…” he kept mute when he saw Malena’s deathly glare. “What I’m trying to say is you shouldn’t call the police. Considering how much he hates Levi, he could easily kill him.”“What about Nina?” Malena questioned, drawing my attention to her. “Is she aware they took her son from the hospital?”At this point

LEVI DEL CAMPA They say there’s a first time for everything, but getting abducted was not something I was looking forward to. The house made me want to retch. Jaylen’s cries made my heart ache as I could do nothing for him. And most of all, Alejandro’s maniacal laughter whenever he hit me made it a lot worse than it would have been if someone else had kidnapped me.He’d told me it had been over six hours since he had the contract sent to Zesa. No matter what, I wanted Jaylen to be with her. He needed treatment. He needed to leave here more than I did. It wasn’t as if I did not want my freedom—I craved it—but the life of the child I’d come to see as mine came first. Even if it meant my death. The child was innocent. He had done nothing wrong. Thankfully, what I wanted would happen soon. I was told someone had gone to get the contract Zesa signed. I hated she was signing a contract agreeing to be his, but it was that or losing Jaylen. That she’d signed it only meant she under

FINN GIOVANNI Malena and I sat side by side in an awkward silence beside Sophia who had regained consciousness and was currently crying her eyes out. We’d told her everything, and it somehow ended up with her crying. Was it out of disappointment or just the feeling of hurt? I couldn’t tell.“How could he do such a thing to me?” she sobbed, her shoulders shaking as droplets of pain dropped from her eyes. “I knew he was an asshole, but this is too much. He lied to me about an engagement,” she wiped at her tears. “Got a woman out of jail when she’s supposed to be in there serving her time. Now, how am I supposed to face my parents and friends?”“Sophia.” Malena put her hand on Sophia’s in a bid to console her. “You shouldn’t be crying over such a person. He isn’t worth it. No man deserves your tears.”“I know,” she sniffled. “But I love him.”She lowered her eyes to her thighs. “We sometimes love the wrong ones.” It was like a punch to the gut when she looked at me. “Doesn’t m

ZESA RUSSO By the time I arrived at the spa, Sophia was already there and had settled in. A worker directed me to the massage room after I stripped out of my dress and draped a robe over my body. I opened the door and was pleasantly surprised by the interior that seemed to differ from what I’d seen so far. The room boasted sandy-pink walls and a dramatic tiered ceiling, which staggered upwards into a cone-like shape. In the middle of the room were two beds, both covered in crisp white sheet that with a towel on top, save for the pillows. It seemed she wanted an oil massage for me. Close to the door was a green terrazzo vanity that brought back the natural vibe the spa gave off. On one bed was Sophia with her head turned away from me while a masseuse massaged her legs. Another masseuse stood at the foot of the bed I was to occupy. I looked towards the table close to the window with two vases and a phonograph that played soft, classical music. It was soothing and created a

FINN GIOVANNI After Zesa showed me what dirt she had on Alejandro’s father, I was disgusted. Harming people without remorse was really their thing. Once she’d sent the mail to a news station, I saw her happiness double. I was glad she wanted revenge as much as I did. It brought joy to my soul. In a few hours it would be released and people would want to know the truth. Their stocks would drop and they would be taken to court and humiliated. What better revenge was there than watching the person who hurt my sister go down with his father and cherished company?I trailed behind Zesa with my hands in my pocket as she made her way to Alejandro’s room where four police officers were situated outside. The two at the door moved to the side to let us in. Sophia had already beat us and boy, was she furious. Her body shook with rage as tears rolled down her face. Alejandro simply took it in with his head lowered. What was this? He wasn’t snapping at her because I knew very well he wa