“Miss Ella,” a gentle voice called. Ella could hear a voice calling but it seemed so far away. She turned to see the owner of the voice, and was confused to see a lady in a maids’ uniform. She quickly sat up and looked at the woman with confusion.“Madam Victoria wants to have a word with you,” the maid said politely. When Ella hesitated, the maid took her hand so that she could walk her out. That was when Ella came back to reality and remembered where she was. She had been having a confusing dream with characters like Blake, Jason and his mother tormenting her. But no matter how hard she tried, she could not see Clara’s face in the dream. She had then woken up thinking she was in prison.“Did you have a good nap?” the maid asked as Ella put on her shoes and a cardigan. She was always feeling cold and was happy to be able to keep warm. “Yes. Thank you. What’s your name?” she asked.“I’m Lola,” she said.“Thank you for taking care of me Lola,” Ella said politely. “My pleasure,” Lola

The next morning Ella woke up to the chirping of birds. The room was bright and airy and the sun was streaming through the window. It took her more than a minute to get her bearings as she remembered that she wasn’t in the crowded and filthy jail. She was in a warm comfortable room surrounded by pleasant aromas. But her pleasant reflection ended as soon as she remembered Victoria's words. Her child was gone. She sat up and looked around the room feeling a deep sense of loss. It was so painful to have hope and then have it grabbed away from your desperate arms. Ella got out of bed and took a shower. She cried in the shower as she realised that she would never see her child again. She would never see Jason again either and she would never look Blake in the eye and ask him why he had done this to her. As she showered, she remembered her business and wondered what had happened to it. Blakes’s lawyer Tracy had been handling it and she was sure that she would have this information. Maybe a

“You are so quiet. Is anything the matter?” Jessica asked Richard on the flight back to their city. He had been quiet on the ride to the airport as well. Jessica had talked about Ella non stop so Richard’s silence bothered her. “I’m just thinking about your ex husband. He is a real piece of work,” Richard said with disgust. “He is. I sometimes wish he didn't father my children. I don’t know what I ever saw in him,” Jessica said.“Why does he hate his sister so much?” “He claims that his father stopped loving them when he married Ella’s mother. I always thought it was just childish jealousy but I guess it was bigger than anyone thought. This surprises me because their other brother doesn’t care either way,” Jessica explained.“Why didn’t you tell me that he was the man that was assaulting you when we first spoke?” Richard asked. “I was shocked to see him and we didn’t know each other too well then. Plus, it’s embarrassing to be associated with such a nuisance. I hate him for what

The days seemed to be flying for Ella after she began working with her therapist. She had experienced a roller coaster of emotions as she walked with her therapist Susie who she now felt was a good friend. Susie had helped her go through the painful journey of transition from a victim to a warrior. It had not been easy to work with a therapist because the sessions brought out raw emotions that overwhelmed Ella. Sometimes, she wanted to give up and stop but when she looked back, she was always determined to move on. Each day, she managed to regain her sanity and she developed better mechanisms to cope and move forward. She was leaving one of her sessions one day when she bumped into someone she was not expecting to see.“Ella,” someone shouted from the parking lot. Ella turned and came face to face with Tracy. She had just stepped out of her car and she was holding a pack of food that looked like take away. “Tracy,” Ella said reluctantly. She suddenly felt a wave of fear as she looked

Ella was driven home by Victoria and the driver as she went through the file presented by Tracy. Victoria noticed her disturbed expression and waited until Ella was ready to talk. But when they got to the house, Victoria stayed in the car. Ella knew she had to tell her everything now because she felt like she would explode if she kept things to herself.“See you later,” Victoria said to a troubled looking Ella. “You have to go to work?” Ella asked.“Yes. Is anything the matter?” Victoria asked.“We can talk later,” Ella said as she glanced at the driver. “Don’t worry about that. Get in. He will bring you back when I get to work,” Victoria said. Ella told her all that Tracy had confessed and Victoria reacted with a mixture of shock and anger.“Don’t trust that woman for a single second Ella. why did she suddenly decide to come clean now?” Victoria asked. “She said she was doing this to make things right,” Ella said.“Let her give you this address and then we will send someone th