After that day, my life had returned to that of Giovanni's Slave. I was used day and night, only given a break when my baby needed me.
Giovanni, though a murder had a soft spot for children, so he had taken my child, regardless of the baby's parentage and cared for the infant, using me as his method of payment. He had even gotten a nanny to care for her while I was tasked with serving him.
How sweet of him... I sneered but in the end, I'm happy he didn't harm my child.
Over the months, I had learned so much about Daniel while staying in Giovanni's clutches. Giovanni showed me first hand that my so call husband didn't care about me or our child and it hurt.
Once the baby was born and Giovanni saw it was his, he had proposed a deal with Daniel, the child for the previous deal Kane was proposing and he turned it down, repeatedly.
After listening in on that call while gagged and tied to a chair, my love for Daniel faded like a fog that had clouded my mind and judgement, blinding me.
I had loved him too dearly. I treated him like the oxygen that kept me alive, like he was the beating of my heart and once I lost those him death was evitable... but I didn't die. I evolved and learned to live without him.
He was just an insignificant and crazy part of my past. One that proved that he really never love me...
After a year of observation and planning, I finally escaped Giovanni's prison. My baby, who was strapped onto my body by the sheets, and I escaped in the dead of the night through the garbage disposal system of his compound.
The relief I felt when I escaped was indescribable but I had no time to relish in it, I had to run.
The years that followed found me moving from state to state, trying to shake Giovanni off my tail. I was trying to live a normal life with my child but he wouldn't allow that. He tracked me down everywhere I went, he was a man obsessed. Giovanni believed that I was his and because of that, he had to have me.
He was the sadist prick that ruined my life, the antagonist to my story and the hardest obstacle – in this walk of life – that I have ever faced.
To you, this would seem surreal but this was my life. Being targeted, hunted, fearing that someday they would find me and kill me and my child but as they say: "Damaged people are dangerous because they know they can survive".
I was damaged, I have been surviving for this long and I don't plan to stop...but if the need arises, I would protect my baby even if it kills me.
________________________________________________________________
TEN YEARS LATER
LOCATION: Miami, Florida.
TIME: 6:45 a.m.
I combed through the knots of her brown curly hair as she sat in front of me on the bed. She looked in the mirror and smiled at me, her chocolate eyes wrinkling as she did.
Damn, she looked like him. Her eyes and her smile, they all reminded me of him deeply.
How could my little innocent angel, look like that bastard she should call a father?
He lied to me. He said he loved me, he would protect me and yet he left me.
He left me because he wasn't sure if she was his. He should have stayed with me. Maybe all the things I went through could have been avoided.
He should have rescued me and my baby from Kane but, he didn't. He left me for those disgusting men to do as the wanted with me. He left me alone, pregnant and heartbroken... and like always I had to fend for myself.
"Mommy! What are you going to do with my hair today?" my baby girl asked her voice soft, yet squeaky.
"Um... How about a bun sweetie?"
"Yes mommy," she said as she brushed the wrinkles out of her dress.
Her dress was in a mixture of bright blue and baby blue. It had a mesh back, it was short at the front and long at the back.
"All done," I said as I put her kinky hair in a braided bun. She looked up at the mirror, smiled and turned to hug me.
"Thank you, mommy. It's beautiful."
"You are beautiful," I said as I kissed her hair and pulled away.
I walked over to the dresser, grabbed a brush and sat in the chair in front of it. The room we were in was mine. It was a small, cream room with a balcony. The balcony had black railings and a small flower bed which was where Shaniel planted her roses and vegetables. She loved gardening.
To my right was a small bookshelf filled with storybooks. Since Shaniel was a passionate reader, each month I bought her a new book until she ran out of space in her room and started to put them in mine.
"Come on my little bookworm, brush mommy's hair."
She walked over to me and took the brush, brushing my hair.
"Mommy... Why is daddy not here?" she asked as she brushed my now shoulder-length, curly, almost golden hair.
I knew this question was coming, today they were having a 'Celebrating Fathers'thing at her school since Father's day was yesterday and for years she had been one of the few without their dad present.
"Um... I...I don't know baby." I was honestly dumbfounded by why he left us, I really was.
Every time I thought about it, it brought tears to my eyes. "He couldn't handle being a dad but guess what he missed out on a lot. You are the best thing that could have happened to him," I said as I reached back to touch her arm and smiled at her through the mirror.
"Well, let's go you have school and it's now 7:00 a.m. We have fifteen minutes to get out of here," I said a moment later when my vision started to get blurry with tears, thinking of all we had been through. "Vamonos, movete rapído. No queramos ser tarde para la escuela."
"No mama. Nostros tenemos que ir ahora, si?"
"Your Spanish is getting better and yes we need to go," I replied with a smile.
She neatly and quickly put my hair in a high ponytail, then ran off to get her bag.
"Let's go!" she said as she dashed through my room door.
"Mom, grab Dandy for me please he's in my room!" she yelled from in the hall.
I laughed before replying with a 'sure' as I ran out of the room.
***
After dropping off Shaneil at school, I made my way to work in my silver Blue Bird. It wasn't my taste in cars but it served as a family or rather a child-safe car so I bought it.
Pulling into the parking lot, I made my way towards the tall pink and black building with "Seasonal Styles" written on it.
I pushed the door and entered pulling out my check-in card and swiping it. The clock ticked eight and I smiled, right on time. I ran to my station, walking past the waiting area.
"Hey Lucy," I said as I passed the front desk.
"Hey Nya," she replied her hazel eyes, ever so bright.
Lucy was around mid-twenties and had a body of a model but, surprisingly I looked younger than her, me being in my thirties and all.
I finally reached the styling area, which was pink with small black cubicles. I made my way to my cubicle, setting down my leather bag in the locker on the floor to my left.
I pulled on an apron over my dress after taking off the brown jacket I had worn with my blue sundress and placed it in the locker.
I looked at the mirror in front of me which was pink and adorned with bulbs for night use. My eyes then raked over the hair products and tools in front of me, all good.
I pressed the inter-come button on the wall of the cubicle to my right. "Send in the first client."
***
I sat in the lunchroom at the back of the salon laughing my ass off as Tomila told us the funniest thing ever.
"Hey, it's not funny Charles had to get the blood removed from his thing for the effects to wear off," she pouted, her forest-green eyes shooting daggers at us.
"Serves him right," said Hillary.
"Viagra is not for everyone," she laughed while running her hand through her curly brunette hair. "It was like that part in I Think I Love My Wife when he had the boner all night. Oh my god!"
This sent us into another fit of laughter and Tommy looked at us unamused.
"Come on Tommy, it's funny and you know it. But seriously if the man needs some attention in that area why not give him?" I asked as I sipped my cola.
"I don't have the time, giving birth to twin boys was hell on my body, plus handling a teenage girl and boy," she replied with a sigh.
Just then a gentle breeze came our way, blowing her chestnut curls away from her face. It was cooling us down, the sun was blazing down on us and we were fanning with our hand fans like our lives depended on it.
"Ah, this feels nice. It's so hot in Florida right now, these breezes are so highly welcomed," Hillary said her baby blues relaxing.
"So, how's my little hamster buddy?" asked Tommy.
"It's a guinea pig and she's okay. She's been asking a lot lately about her dad and I don't think I have the heart to tell her about him," I confessed, looking down on the stone floor.
"I know it's hard but, you need to," said Hillary as she leaned on the concrete table which had an umbrella in the centre.
"Confession is good for the soul," piped up Tommy who was beside me. "You won't tell us at least tell her."
"I know but, how?"
"I—" Tommy was about to reply but was interrupted by the sound of Katy Perry's Thinking of you.
"One minute," I told her as I took out my phone.
"Hello?"
'Hi, is this Miss Robin?'
"Yes, this is she."
'I'm calling on behalf of your daughter Shaneil. Could you please come down to the school? I-'
"Is everything alright?" My voice came out in a panic. Had they found her? Did they take her? My heartbeat was skyrocketing.
'No everything is fine, ma'am. I'm her principal, I just need to speak with you.'
I breathe in calmly, she was okay. I couldn't imagine losing my baby, not again. "Okay, I will be there."
I hung up and turned to the girls. Tommy and Hillary looked at me questioningly.
"I need to go and speak with Shaneil's principal so I'm asking you guys to cover for me, please," I said as I picked up my bag and jacket.
"Is everything okay?" They asked in sync.
"Yeah, it is," I replied as I got up.
"Good... We got you covered," Hillary said.
"Thanks, I'll see you guys," I said as I ran off towards the parking lot.
"Bye," they sang.