8 months later (In total)
A mother stuffs the mouth of her daughter to muffle her screams when her father rapes her brutally. A woman sees another woman being beaten and ill-treated in front of her own eyes but she remains mute. A brother lets his friends rape his little sister for money. A sister murders her elder sister in cold blood when a tiny wish of her was not fulfilled and she's jealous.
This is the scenario of today. It's hard to identify a sick psycho and criminal because you never know, the person you trust most and live with him is the one you have to protect yourself from. It can be anyone, an old woman passing daily by your house, might be coming from somewhere scandalous, maybe the man you just saw in the morning picking a flower for his wife use to beat her at night, or the father who is your hero may be the villain of someone's else story or the sister you confide in is envious of you because she thinks your Mother love you more, or the teacher who gave you extra marks in the test has another agenda in his sleeves. You never know when the criminal will pounce on you. He can be he or she, your a family or stranger, weak or strong, old or young. You'll have to learn fast how to identify them and pick their behaviors from normal people. You're never too safe it doesn't matter if you're under your bed, a monster could be waiting just behind you. You also don't know a man you just slapped today because he was harassing you in public is now planning his revenge for 6 years or so on. There are many real crime stories where a husband becomes a serial killer and killed 8 women, the 5th one was his wife. He killed other 7 women to make it an act of psycho killer and not an act of cold-blooded revenge murder. Criminals wait, observe, plan and then execute. So never be shocked to see the person standing in front of you with a gun in his hand is the same person you have seen once in your lifetime 15 years ago.
Here the situation is the same, I'm attending my celebration party and every celebrity and businessman are here with their lovely dates. Everyone here reeks of power and money, a hunger but my eyes are only glued to one woman.
She is dressed in a golden gown to her ankle with a slit on both her thighs and back bare. Her brunette hair covers her half-face and her lips coated in the brown shade are moving animatedly. She's talking to her clique and her laughter rings right in my ear and sends fire in my veins, a fire of hatred. Her eyes meet mine and I have to blink twice to recover myself.
I see her excusing herself and holding the arm of a man beside her, her husband to be accurate, and making her way towards me with a broad happy smile on her face. She looks happy and her eyes are lively. I excuse myself from my business associates and meet her halfway.
"It's fancy meeting you after so long" she hugs me and I reluctantly hug her back.
"I wanted to meet you since we arrived here but you were too busy" her husband shakes my hand.
"Never busy to attend you people" I offer a polite smile although I want to stick out her eyeballs and break every single one of her body.
"Of course, we are a family afterward" he laughs.
"Excuse me guys, Xavier is here" I don't give them time to reply and leave to meet Xavier and Aliana who just entered with Xander, Rosalyn, Xaiyla, and Alex.
"I'm so happy for you, my son" Aliana hugs me and I hug her back affectionately.
I look into her green eyes and my heart clenches, remembering Xia's green eyes.
"I'm so proud of you, Son" Xavier hugs me next and ruffles my hair. I smile although it took my hairstyle a good amount of time to set my hair.
"I'm glad you guys could make"
"Stop talking nonsense, you know we would have still joined your celebration if it were to happen in London" Xaiyla hugs me as well.
"You're doing pretty good for you, Loverboy" Xander nods his head without smiling, it must be hard for him to praise someone else younger than him.
"It must be hard for you"
"Tell me, he was scowling from home but I'm happy I could meet you after so long" Rosalyn offer her hands.
I take it and just to rile Xander, I lift her hand and bow down slightly to kiss the back of her hand but Xander snatches her hand back before my lips could come in contact with her skin.
"Don't touch what's not yours" he growls and I grin. It's fun infuriating him.
Translation: 'She's mine'.
"Ignore him, he is just trying to live up to his image" Alex shakes my hand and wiggles his eyebrows while glancing at my back.
I sigh at this idiot. I and he got tattoed on at same day. I don't know what he got but I got what I always wanted.
"Is everyone else already here?" Xavier asked looking around.
He is referring to his family and friends.
"Yeah, everyone is here" I look back to the woman in a golden gown and feel a sudden rush in my body to kill her in front of everyone.
I was never this of a disaster but I feel a very strong connection between my fist and her face.
Now don't give me bullshit that a man shouldn't abuse a woman in any way because she's just not a woman, she's a monster in disguise. She's the woman I have been searching for and I know the truth for 10 months.
I still remember when we were about to play basketball and Xia said 'I'm hungry, her instant reply was 'Let's play our game first'. Rings any bell?
I was standing just beside her, so I heard her clearly and my entire body froze. I just knew that she's the woman who did worse to my Xia and she's her family.
I played that recording again and again and memorized those blue eyes and everything was as clear as day.
Xia was not lying when she said her family would be devastated. Learning that she was always present with them all the time right under their nose and they loved her would have broken them. I don't know if Xavier and Aliana would punish their own family but I'll and I'm waiting for Xia. Once she agrees to take action against her, I'll be the first person she would find by her side already finishing the task.
What's the profit of killing this woman when Xia is still not over her past? She'll hate me for drifting her family and I would hate myself for that.
If I do anything then this woman over here will not only lose Kings but also her children and husband. I want me and Xia I to be one in this. I want her to give her consent.
It was all before my eyes, those hints. The reason why she could even execute her plan of kidnapping, there are only two people who know how Aliana King works, how she plans, and how her mind takes things and those two people are Xavier King and his lovely sister, Angel Sophia Harrington.
She knew everything about Aliana as Aliana herself trained and taught her and she also knew everything about Xavier as he is her brother. So it's given that only Sophia could kidnap Xia because she knew every next step of Xavier and Aliana. She learned what Xavier and Aliana taught her and used it against them. She took advantage of their trust or else it was impossible to kidnap Xia from King's watch.
It will hurt Xavier to learn the truth that his sister whom he loves so much almost killed his daughter but it will kill Aliana more because she treated Sophia as her child, Aliana gave everything to her. Time, love, education and made her reunite with her family.
I don't know the reason why she did this to them but I know this situation is not Kill and leave that's the reason why I want Xia's consent.
I move my eyes away from Sophia Harrington and join back into the conversation.
Xander and Rosalyn are not seen anywhere, Xaiyla is dancing with a man and well Alex is a ladies' man.
Xavier and Aliana are still with me.
"Any calls?" Xavier asks not meeting my eyes, maybe hiding his pain from us.
"No" it hurts to say no but it is the truth, I didn't receive any call from Xia. I expected that much from her. Is it too much to ask?
Alaina sighs and Xavier nods his head in understanding.
"You asked us to not track her or keep tabs on her and now we don't know where she is or will she even come back after those 3 years" Aliana whispers sadly.
I am about to assure her when something changes. Don't know what but something, maybe air? The change is so significant, I shivered, about of calmness passes my bones and everything just feel fine.
"She promised she'll be back" I assure them and I am confident she'll be back.
My heartbeat is not steady anymore, I feel as if I am coming down from something, something good.
Despite all this, I'm not feeling sick or panicking. I feel elated and I know something just changed or happened, I just don't know what exactly but I'm damn sure it's positive. The heart knows, what it knows.
I smile. I don't know why I'm smiling.
"Kevin, are you okay?" Xavier looks at me as I'm crazy when I laughed lightly.
Why am I laughing for no reason?
My eyes became slightly teary with emotions I can't pinpoint but they are happy tears. I can feel within me, I'm happy and maybe high on an unknown drug.
I rub my chest to calm down my racing heart but I can't stop my smiling face. I feel the indent of the ring on my chest and it makes me shiver.
"You look so happy" Aliana speaks with amazement while smiling.
All hairs on my body raise in goosebumps and I feel the warmth on my back and Aliana's eyes widen in shock but I couldn't see any further because a palm covers my moist eyes. I couldn't wipe my fucking smile from my face.
My world just stopped and I can't listen to any other voice, other than my now steady heart and warm breathe on my neck. Everything else seems to be tuned mute and I couldn't feel any other moment other than the touch on my eyes.
"Knock! Knock! " and this voice. I can die and live for this voice to hear every day and every moment of my life.
"Who's there?" I know but I love to play her game.
"Xia here" she removes her hand and I see Aliana and Xavier in front of me with mouth open and eyes full of disbelief but I know it's real. She's real. She's here. My heart knows she's back.
I turn back and don't make a single moment to touch her.
She is looking breathtakingly gorgeous like an angel made her way to Earth just for me.
I see her beautiful green eyes which are speaking thousand of emotions, her pink cheeks which are turning redder as time passes, her enticing red lips which are turned in her beautiful smile, showing her pearly white teeth.
My gaze moves down to her bare neck which is turning slightly pink and her ample breast and then to her narrow waist to her sexy hip and down to the ankle.
She's wearing a red gown and she is looking divine.
I exhale my breathe that I didn't notice that I had held for so long and finally look back to her eyes which are shedding tears.
I take a slow and purposeful step towards her, standing now close to her.
"You won't vanish if I touch you?" I whisper looking into her eyes.
"Try me" she whispers back and one more tear falls from her twinkling eyes but I catch the drop and wipe her tears.
The moment my thumb-pads touched her cheeks, I feel a bolt of electricity running in my body and my heart thumping loudly.
We gasp at the same time and look at each other with wide eyes. I couldn't control it anymore so I lean close to her lips and captured them with mine.
She kisses me back with the same hunger and longing. I gently pull her close and kiss her some more. I want to deepen the kiss but her parents are watching us but she has another plan. She always has another plan.
"Kiss me as you need it" she whispers against my lips and I ravished her mouth, not holding back.
We seem to do it a lot anyway.
I trace her lips with my tongue and bite on the bottom lip, she allows entrance to my tongue and I plunge deep in her mouth while sucking everything she has to offer. I taste every corner of her mouth and suck her lips. She tastes like the drug I can't get enough of.
She pulls back breathless and panting and I just look at her now swollen red lips glistening with my moisture and her eyes dancing in happiness.
"You're finally here" I whisper suddenly realizing the intensity of the situation.
"I promised, I'll be back, so I'm back now"
"What about 3 years?" is she came here to just meet us? No, I'm not letting her go. God knows, these 8 months were like hell to me.
"I never said I'll be gone for 3 years or any period for the record" she's right, she never said such a thing but we had talked once and I assumed the worse.
"So you're not leaving me again?"
"Not now, not tomorrow, not after years and not after forever. I want to live with you even after the forever too"
"And I promise to make that happen" I promise her fully determined to fulfill it.
"I'll count you on it" She snickers and I smile too.
I can finally breathe.