NoahBecause I was left at the orphanage as a baby without any information, I didn't know my date of birth. The day I was adopted by Owen’s family became my birthday.Lisa made a sculpture for me, as my first ever birthday gift. It was a delicate female figure with leaves in her hair and butterflies covering her body. It represented mother earth. Lisa must’ve intuited how much I loved nature.It was very important to me. It represented the first time someone cared enough about me to give me something so precious and meaningful.How could I have been so careless? I tried to call Owen to ask when I could come over. He refused to answer.The next morning, I had a long, hot shower. I braided my hair and decided to wear an elegant, sapphire blue dress.I made my way to the kitchen and prepared an extensive English breakfast for Raymond and myself.Raymond came in through the back door, wearing only his swimming trunks and a towel hung over his shoulder. His hair was wet and dripping onto th
NoahI cried the whole way back. What was wrong with Josie? How could she be so mean and manipulative? What did I ever do to her?Was it jealousy, because I got out of the orphanage early and left her behind? Because I went to a rich family and she was barely getting by? Then why did she pretend to be my best friend for so long? Did she plan to steal my husband, my home and my life all along? When I arrived at Raymond's mansion, I found him sitting on the sofa. I didn’t want him to see me so fragile and vulnerable. I wiped away my tears.Raymond noticed me wiping my cheeks and saw the mascara stains. “What’s wrong? Noah?”“Nothing… It's just… I went over to my old place to collect something very special to me. A statue given to me by my nanny Lisa. It meant a lot to me. I can't believe I forgot it,” I explained. “But when I arrived there, it was broken.”“Oh, that's terrible Noah. I'm so sorry to hear it.” He replied, walking over to me. He looked like he was about to give me a hug, b
Noah“Wh… What?” I was speechless. A car accident? I couldn’t believe it. I just had dinner with Lisa a few days ago. “I'm sorry mam. Mrs. Smith is in intensive care at the moment. At this point it's uncertain if she'll make it. We are doing all we can.” The doctor explained.“Uhm… Okay… Thank you, doctor.” I replied, barely aware of what I was saying.I ended the call and started sobbing. Raymond heard me and ran into the lounge. “What happened, Noah?”I told him about Lisa's accident. This time, he didn't hesitate. He wrapped his strong arms around me. “Oh, Noah. I'm so sorry.”I hid away in his arms and cried my eyes out. It felt like all the pain and shock of the last weeks had built up and now the dam had broken. It overflowed. It was so overwhelming. Raymond's embrace was the only thing keeping me from totally falling apart.Raymond led me to the couch and helped me sit down. “I’m going to make you some tea, Noah. Don’t go anywhere.”Where would I go? I couldn’t even think right
NoahI couldn’t accept Lisa’s death. This was just too much. I felt weak and dizzy. The people and the waiting room in front of me became more and more blurred, until I lost consciousness.Visions of the happy times I had with Lisa came over me. Childhood memories of baking cookies and pancakes together, laughing at each others’ silly faces, Lisa teaching me how to ride a bicycle and comforting me when I fell… We shared so many sweet moments. She never made me feel different because I was an orphan. She treated me with love, care and respect.Suddenly, I was in a vast, dark space. A light appeared in the distance. As it got closer, I could see it was Lisa’s silhouette walking - or floating - over to me. She was glowing and looked 10 years younger. Her gentle smile and warm eyes felt vivid and real.She hugged me tenderly and said, “Noah, take good care of yourself. I have to go now. It is my time. This is how it was meant to be.”“Where are you going? Lisa… Please, don’t leave me.” I
OwenWhen I was 7, I was kidnapped at the supermarket. My parents went ahead to the next aisle. I was still trying to decide which chocolate bar I wanted. Suddenly, a pair of gloved hands held a strong smelling napkin over my nose and mouth. I lost consciousness.Next thing I knew, a masked man was carrying me along a dark alley. Two other guys were with him.They were talking among themselves, “This kid is gonna make us so much money. His parents are loaded.” They were planning to blackmail my parents. Money, or my life.I kept still, pretending I was still asleep. “Little dude's getting heavy. Can I pass ‘m to you?” the man who was carrying me said. This was my chance.As he released me to pass me over, I flung my arms around wildly and screamed. They were startled for a moment. I ran as fast as I could.One of them almost caught up to me. He got close enough to spray me with pepper spray. Only some of it reached my eyes, but it was enough to blind me. It hurt like crazy. I screame
OwenThe girl called Noah explained that she heard a boy scream on her way to collect groceries for her age group. She told me and my parents exactly what happened. This convinced me that it was her. She was the girl who saved me.When my parents told her they wanted to adopt her, Noah was over the moon. She couldn’t believe she would finally have a family and a home. It was her biggest dream come true.We grew up together and got closer and closer with the years. We had our first kiss that one magical evening, when we were 18. I finally admitted to her how I felt. I was the happiest man in the world when we got married. We had such a happy life together. But everything changed when we went to Josie’s place for a dinner party.Noah and I usually invited Josie over to our villa. Josie never had a long term place of her own. When she finally bought her own apartment, she invited us to her housewarming party. It was a cozy night with lots of laughter.When I went to the toilet, I took th
NoahEver since Lisa's death, Raymond hired a housekeeper to do the cooking, cleaning and laundry. I only assisted with his medical care. Even though I felt bad for not helping more, I was grateful. I felt so weak and tired to the bone.The grief hurt so much. It felt like the loss of Lisa had knocked a huge gaping hole in my being. The emptiness felt dark, painful and raw. I spent most of my days in bed or on the wooden terrace, staring out over the lake.Death was an inevitable part of life. I learned that lesson as a young girl, growing up without my parents. I had always known that death could come at any moment. But this was the first time I experienced a loved one’s death consciously, as an adult. It hurt more than I ever imagined.On the morning of Lisa's funeral, Raymond and I had a light breakfast together, although I wasn’t hungry and felt queasy. We both got dressed in black and took his BMW to the funeral.The season was turning to winter. The weather outside was gloomy. T
OwenAs I drove back from the cemetery, Noah’s words echoed in my mind. They left me unsettled and filled me with doubt. I needed answers. Josie seemed to hold the key to understanding what happened at the Grand Palais hotel.When I arrived home, I found Josie sitting alone in the living room. She was still wearing the inappropriately sexy black dress that she wore to the funeral. Her expression was a mix of sadness and defiance. She looked up as I entered. Her eyes searched mine for a hint of what I was thinking.“I saw you talking to Noah before I left the cemetery,” She pouted, “What were you talking about? Was it about those texts? Did you not believe me?”I took a deep breath, gathering my thoughts before I spoke.“Josie, I need to know the truth,” I began, my voice tinged with urgency. “Noah told me what happened at the hotel. She said you drugged her and almost got her raped.”Josie’s eyes widened, shock flashing across her face before she composed herself. “Owen, I… I didn’t d