Searching

Reid Walking to Robert’s house gave me feelings I couldn’t describe. This was where my daughter had been living while I went about my life like she did not exist. It was crazy that Anna had literally been in the same city for years but we never ran into each other. As I got closer, I wondered if things would have been different if she had her memories. Would she have returned to beg me from mercy? Thinking about that annoyed me. Why would I forgive a cheater? Anna didn’t cheat because I didn’t give her what she needed. She did it despite me giving her everything. That was the height of ungratefulness. Pushing aside my fury for the sake of my daughter, I raised my hand and knocked. There was no answer so I knocked again. The door finally opened and a pretty woman stepped out. She had long hair, dyed red. Her eyes roamed over me as she pretended to fix the loose top that fell off her shoulder. She smiled, seemingly satisfied with what she was saying. “Well,” she said, leaning ag

Escape

AnnaMrs. Peller and her daughter were happier than usual. I knew it was probably because they finally had someone to be their little slave. Every morning began the same way. Before the sun was out, Mrs. Peller was either yelling my name or standing in the doorway informing me about all the work that needed to be done. Sometimes she would just slam the cupboards, set plates with a lot of force and slam doors, forcing everyone to wake up.I would wake up and start by scrubbing grimy floors, then cook breakfast before going to do the laundry. The worst thing about it was that Emmy wasn’t allowed to enjoy the nice meals. I didn’t care about the meals, didn’t need them. I just hated how much I struggled, only for my daughter to eat poorly. They treated my daughter like a street rat instead of a child.“Too much sugar is bad,” his sister would say, pulling fruit from Emmy’s tiny hands.“She doesn’t need meat every day,” Mrs. Peller would add, scooping large pieces into her own bowl while E

Homecoming

AnnaI didn’t run for long. Since I wasn’t seeing clearly in the dark, I ended up stumbling over a stone on the side of the road. Thankfully, neither I nor Emmy fell. Fear gripped me as the thudding of the men’s boots against the gravel got closer. Suddenly, headlights flashed ahead. In a desperate attempt, I waved my hand wildly, hoping it would stop. The car slowed down and stopped. The men following us cursed before stopping to analyze the situation. The door opened and a man stepped out. My eyes widened when I recognized the tall man with broad shoulders and dark hair. Before I could say anything, one of the drunk men laughed. “Hey, mind your business,” he said to the man, stepping forward. One of his colleagues lunged forward with raised bottle. Reid caught his wrist midair and twisted it, making the man squirm. I heard a crack and winced, before the body hit the ground. Another man swung wildly at Reid but he missed. Reid ducked before driving his shoulders into the man’s che

Peace

Anna. I woke up feeling peaceful, which wasn’t something I was used to. The mattress was very soft and the sheets smelled heavenly. When I stretched my hand and felt my daughter sleeping peacefully, I smiled and opened my eyes. I was scared of what was to come but at the same time feeling so relaxed. I stared at the ceiling as I waited for her to wake up. Emmy was curled up in a foetal position, clutching her tiny stuffed rabbit. I propped myself up with my elbows and reached out to get the brown curls off her face. She stirred but did not wake up. I still couldn’t believe that this could be my home; that this luxurious house could be were I would live after living hand to mouth for as long as I could remember. A knock on the door drew me out of my thoughts. I stared at the brown hard wood door, wondering who was waiting for me on the other side. My heart thumped harder. I was not yet ready to meet those people. “Miss Anna, breakfast is being served downstairs.” “Than

Family issues

Anna. “Emmy!”I called out as I rushed down the upstairs hallway, throwing open doors without bothering to knock. Now that I needed to find my daughter as soon as possible, the mansion seemed even bigger than I thought.“Emmy!” I called out again as I ran down a staircase and nearly collided with a maid.“Miss Anna!” she gasped.I grabbed her arms and shook them. “Have you seen my daughter?”The young woman shook her head. “No, but I just remembered something. Earlier, I saw someone near the old garden shed.”My heart skipped a beat.“The shed? Where is it?” “It’s at the back of the property but nobody uses it anymore.”I didn’t wait to hear anything else. “Take me there right now. Let’s go!”The maid hurried ahead while I followed as fast as I could. We raced through the gardens, passing by flowerbeds and glorious fountains.The shed stood near a row of tall hedges at the far end of the property. It was old and weathered, and looked out of place in the area.The maid reached the do

A couple

Anna.I spent most of the party watching Emmy and trying to escape the prying eyes of gossipy guests. As Emmy played with some children near a fountain, I conversed with an old woman who seemed to have no idea what was going on at the party.But no matter what I did, my attention kept drifting back to Reid.It was so crazy that the stranger was someone that had been very important to me. I hated how my stomach flipped every time I saw him.Across the lawn, I spotted him speaking with a group of businessmen. Several women glanced in his direction and to be honest I couldn’t blame them. The man was total eye candy. My eyes went low, observing how his trouser fit so well. When I started wondering how he looked down there, I took a gulp of my drink and knew it was time to stop staring.Suddenly the blonde woman from earlier returned to his side, latching herself on his arm like he would escape if she didn’t.Jealousy crept to my chest and I realized it was time to stop fighting it and de