-Maya’s POV-
Saturday
Seventy–two hours.
Three excruciating days had crawled by since the earth had split open beneath my feet. Three days since the man I was supposed to call Dad. the one w
The vibrant chaos of the park
swirled around me, a meaningless blur of sound and movement. Laughter, shouts of encouragement, the rhythmic thud of feet pounding the dirt–
it all blended into a monotonous symphony of noise that did nothing to prate the thick fog clouding my mind.
Natalia sat beside me talking endlessly and outlining potential solutions to the text message problem.
“We could try a signal blocker. It wouldn’t be foolproof, but it might buy us some time to track down the source.”
My gaze remained fixed on a distant point on the horizon, a point that stretched into an endless void mirroring the hollowness within me. My chest felt he
“Or I’ve been doing some reading. We could use a counter–trace program. It’s a little risky, but if we’re careful…”
Her voice trailed off, and I finally tore my eyes away from the empty horizon. She was staring at me with a worried frown etched on her face.
“Amaya,” her voice was gentle. “Are you even listening to me?”
A flicker of pain crossed Natalia’s face for a fleeting moment before she rposed herself. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Talk about it?
How could I possibly talk about it?
How could I put into words the searing
pain of rejection that had branded itself onto my very soul? How could I exin the suffocating emptiness that had reced the fragile hope I had clung
The very thought of talking felt like ripping open a fresh wound, exposing the raw, bleeding
mess underneath. So, I remained silent, my gaze returning to the park ground, Across the field, a blur of ck hair and bright blue eyes darted between
Normally, the sight of them ying together would bring a smile to my face, a much–
needed dose of joy in the often harsh world we lived in. But today, even their yful energy couldn’t break through the shroud of despair that enveloped
A loud squeal broke me out of my reverie. Naty, panting and grinning from ear to ear, stood in front of me, his chest puffed out with pride as he wrapped
“Gotcha!” he eximed, his voice filled with childish triumph.
I forced a smile, the movement unfamiliar on my lips. “Good job, Nate,” I croaked, my voice hoarse from disuse.
He beamed, his pride evident in his wide grin. Before I could say anything else, Ivy managed to shove him off her and leaned towards me, pulling me wit
y.”
I smiled down at her, “Mommy is really tired. But if you give her a minute, she will join you soon.”
“Yay!” They both eximed at the same time.
Natalia watched the exchange, her eyes filled with a knowing sadness. She understood, of course she did. She had been my rock, my confidante, the o
Ivy and Nate, easily distracted, turned their attention back to the park and darted back towards
the other children. Theirughter became clearer as they joined the pack of kids in a game of tag.
N?velDrama.Org is the owner.
“I don’t know what to say to make you feel better,” Natalia finally sighed, her voiceced with helplessness. “I just don’t.”
Her words were a gentle nudge, pulling me out of my self–imposed istion. I turned to her, my vision blurry with unshed tears, “There is
nothing to say.”
The lump in my throat made speaking a physical effort. “I have a father, and… and he hates me. There is just nothing.”
Her jaw clenched tight, “Look, I know this hurts, Amaya. It hurts like hell. But you can’t let his words define you.”
She reached out and squeezed my hand, “I know what it’s like to be
hurt by the people you care about. And trust me, letting them win, letting their words define you, that only hurts you in the long run.”
“But how do I just… turn it off?”
She took a deep breath, her eyes searching mine. “You don’t turn it off. You feel it. You acknowledge it. But you don’t let it define you. You are Amaya Sto
Her voice trailed off abruptly, her gaze snapping towards the edge of the park. Her eyes widened in rm, and a flicker of
cold fear washed over her face. She didn’t speak, but the sudden shift in her demeanor sent a jolt of nervous energy through me.
“Natalia? What’s wrong?”
Following her gaze, I scanned the area, searching for whatever had caused her sudden rm. But I saw nothing out of the ordinary, just the usual hustle
Without answering my question, she scrambled to her feet, her movements quick and purposeful. “We need to get the twins and go.” The confusion that
“There’s no time to exin,” Natalia snapped, already starting to gather our things scattered around the bench. “We need to get the twins and go. Now!”
“But what about –“I began to protest, but Natalia cut me off again.
“Ivy! Nate! Come here, honeybuns!” she called out in a bright, cheerful voice that contrasted sharply with the tension that now vibrated
around her.
90%會
The twins, still happily engrossed in their game of tag with a couple of other children, didn’t hear her at first.
“Natalia, wait!” I pleaded, my voiceced with panic. “What’s going on? Why are we leaving?”
She ignored me, her voice rising in volume as she called out for the twins again. “Ivyl Natel It’s time to go home now!”
Finally, the twins spotted Natalia and reluctantly started making their way towards us. Nate tried to bargain for a few more minutes of ytime.
“But Mommy, we were just going to y one more round!” he whined, dragging his feet in the dirt.
“Yeah, can’t we stay a little longer?” Ivy chimed in, her bottom lip trembling slightly.
Natalia knelt down in front of them before I could even reply, a forced smile stered on her face. “Remember what I told you about those special cook
them all gone before we get home, would we?”
“Cookies!” both twins eximed in unison, their disappointment forgotten in the face of sugary treats.
“That’s right!” Natalia said, a relieved smile flickering across her lips for a fleeting moment. “So,e on, let’s go get those cookies before they disappea
She scooped Ivy up in her arms and started walking towards the parking lot at a brisk pace. Nate, still pouting slightly, followed behind, his eyes darting b
I remained rooted to the spot, a cold dread settling in my stomach. Natalia’s behavior was unlike her. The urgency in her voice, the way she’d scanned th
was wrong.
Very wrong.
“Natalia, wait!” I called out, my voice sharp with sudden panic. “What’s going on? Where are we going?
Natalia didn’t break stride. She just tossed a single word over her shoulder.
“Trouble.”
Before I could react further, she reached the car, fumbled with the keys for a moment, and then bundled the twins into the back seat. Buckling them in wi
I tried to scan the park for any sign of what might have caused Natalia’s sudden change of heart and then my wolf felt the shift in energy.
Suddenly, his voice sliced through the air, “Amaya?” It was far off but I still heard it because I was permanently
attuned to him but then why didn’t I feel him before?
Natalia didn’t wait another second, she zoomed off.
If there was an award for the world’s greatest best friend, she would have won it at this very moment because when I turned around, his blue eyes settle
“Alex.”