Maya (Book #3)

Chapter 61

Charlotte POV: 

I could hear the most argumentative of my children feuding as they left the room, and the bickering didn't stop until the door slammed shut behind them. I chuckled to myself, with the image of Dominic as a child appearing in my mind.

He was easily the coldest of my sons, distrust always predominant in his large brown eyes and taciturn body language. But this was more than excusable; it was perfectly rational given what he had experienced. However, the juxtaposition between then and now was utterly remarkable. It was like he was made to be Maya's older brother. I saw light in his eyes as he teased her and when he came to my office to complain about her, it was always done with adoration and amusement.

My other sons were identical in that regard. Before Maya, they had been content and adventurous, going out with friends and on dates frequently. Since her arrival, they spent more time at home so they could ensure she was protected and happy. Their laughter was louder and more frequent, and they loved her just as much as she seemed to adore them. I was worried when Kathy warned me it would be an uphill battle to put these kids together, but it worked out better than I could've hoped. Maya was everything we needed.

 My chest tightened as I thought of the beautiful girl who had become my daughter being put in so much danger. While I practiced patience and forgiveness around my clients, I was not prone to it in my everyday life. There was an alarmingly big part of me that wanted to strangle her uncle and the abhorrent police officer that had abused an innocent child. I inhaled deeply and then breathed out steadily, hoping to regain some of my calm. Maya needed me to be her protector and mother, not a person as violent as those who had hurt her.

I went to stand up and check that the doors were locked, inadvertently kicking a white scrap of paper that had been beside my shoe. I pinched it between my fingers and immediately recognized it as one of my own. I set it on the coffee table and went to grab the large scrapbook that housed the picture from my office, checking the locks as I went.

I sat on the couch once I had the memory book in my hands and wiped a layer of dust off absently. I caressed the spine of the book as if the scrapbook itself was valuable, and not just the memories stored inside. This scrapbook was one of my older ones, and for that reason, I didn't often peruse it. I wasn't always emotionally prepared to see reminders of my past, especially when they provoked some shame in me. I know it's a part of life to feel regret and learn from it, but some memories are like scars that never heal.

I flipped to the part of the book where the picture resided and every muscle in my body hardened in place. The picture was tucked into its usual slot with just a corner poking out. It was an image of me, much younger than I was now, holding my baby girl. Bella must've been a newborn in the photo, or very young. I pulled it out of its holder and unfolded the back, finding the jagged edge I knew was there.

I grabbed the other photo in front of me uneasily and knew without placing them together that they were a perfect fit. Regardless, I set them on the coffee table and slid them closer to one another until they were touching. They pressed together flawlessly, each convex and concave tear aligning with the one across from it.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I fumbled to grab it quickly, nearly sending it flying across the room. My fingers were shaky as I typed in my passcode incorrectly. I had to retry it three times to see the text Dominic had just sent me.

D: Hey, this is Maya! We just arrived at my old house and are going to start searching. Also, I think I dropped the picture of my uncle and I at our house, can you send me a picture if you find it? I love you!

I had to reread the words multiple times for them to make sense. The picture I held in my hand wasn't of Maya and her uncle.

It was a picture ofmy ex-boyfriend and Bella's twin sister, Maddie.